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Spare  him,  for  the  love  of  that  God  you  worship  ! — Spare  him  !  " 

— Lionel  Lincoln,  page  122. 


LIONEL  LINCOLN 


OR 


THE  LEAGUER  OF  BOSTON 


BY 

J.    FENIMORE    COOPER 


First  let  me  talk  with  this  philosopher 


NEW  YORK 
JOHN  W.  LOVELL  COMPANY 

150  WORTH  STREET,  CORNER  MISSION  PLACE 


Urtv.  Library,  UCSartaCwz  1995 


TROW'8 

PRINTING  AND  BOOKBINDING  COMPANY, 
NEW  YORK. 


ps 


TO 

WILLIAM     JAY, 

OF 

BEDFORD,    WEST-CHESTER, 
ESQUIRE. 


MY  DEAR  JAY, 

An  unbroken  intimacy  of  four-and-twenty  years  may  justify  the  pre*?nt 
use  of  your  name.  A  man  of  readier  wit  than  myself  might,  on  such 
a  subject,  find  an  opportunity  of  saying  something  clever,  concerning  'he 
exalted  services  of  your  father.  No  weak  testimony  of  mine,  however, 
can  add  to  a  fame  that  belongs  already  to  posterity :  and  one  like  myself, 
who  has  so  long  known  the  merits,  and  has  so  often  experienced  the 
friendship  of  the  son,  can  find  even  better  reasons  for  offering  these 
Legends  to  your  notice. 

Very  truly  and  constantly, 

Yours, 

THE  AUTHOR. 


PREFACE. 


THE  manner  in  which  the  author  became  possessed  of 
the  private  incidents,  the  characters,  and  the  descriptions, 
contained  in  these  tales,  will,  most  probably,  ever  remain 
a  secret  between  himself  and  his  publisher.  That  the 
leading  events  are  true,  he  presumes  it  is  unnecessary  to 
assert  ;  for  should  inherent  testimony,  to  prove  that  im- 
portant point,  be  wanting,  he  is  conscious  that  no  anony- 
mous declaration  can  establish  its  credibility. 

But  while  he  shrinks  from  directly  yielding  his  authori- 
ties, the  author  has  no  hesitation  in  furnishing  all  the  nega- 
:ive  testimony  in  his  power. 

In  the  first  place,  then,  he  solemnly  declares,  that  no 
unknown  man,  nor  wroman,  has  ever  died  in  his  vicinity, 
of  whose  effects  he  has  become  the  possessor,  by  either  fair 
means  or  foul.  No  dark-looking  stranger,  of  a  morbid 
temperament,  and  of  inflexible  silence,  has  ever  transmitted 
to  him  a  single  page  of  illegible  manuscript.  Nor  has  any 
landlord  furnished  him  with  materials  to  be  worked  up  into 
a  book,  in  order  that  the  profits  might  go  to  discharge  the 
arrearages  of  a  certain  consumptive  lodger,  who  made  his 
exit  so  unceremoniously  as  to  leave  the  last  item  in  his  ac- 
count, his  funeral  charges. 

He  is  indebted  to  no  garrulous  tale-teller  for  beguiling 
the  long  winter  evenings  ;  in  ghosts  he  has  no  faith  ;  he 
never  had  a  vision  in  his  life  ;  and  he  sleeps  too  soundly 
to  dream. 

He  is  constrained  to  add,  that  in  no  "puff,"  "squib," 
"  notice,"  "  article,"  nor  "  review,"  whether  in  daily,  weekly, 
monthly,  or  quarterly  publication,  has  he  been  able  to  find 
a  single  hint  that  his  humble  powers  could  improve. 
No  one  regrets  this  fatality  more  than  himself  ;  for  these 
writers  generally  bring  such  a  weight  of  imagination  to 
their  several  tasks,  that,  properly  improved,  might  secure 
the  immortality  of  any  book,  by  rendering  it  unintelligible. 


6  PREFA  CK. 

He  boldly  asserts  that  he  has  derived  no  information  from 
any  of  the  learned  societies — and  without  fear  of  contra- 
diction ;  for  why  should  one  so  obscure  be  the  exclusive 
object  of  their  favors  ! 

Notwithstanding  he  occasionally  is  seen  in  that  erudite 
and  abstemious  association,  the  "  Bread -and  -  Cheese 
Lunch,"  where  he  is  elbowed  by  lawyers,  doctors,  jurists, 
poets,  painters,  editors,  congressmen,  and  authors  of  every 
shade  and  qualification,  whether  metaphysical,  scientific,  or 
imaginative,  he  avers,  that  he  esteems  the  lore  which  is 
there  culled,  as  far  too  sacred  to  be  used  in  any  work  less 
dignified  than  actual  history. 

Of  the  colleges  it  is  necessary  to  speak  with  reverence  ; 
though  truth  possesses  claims  even  superior  to  gratitude. 
He  shall  dispose  of  them  by  simply  saying,  that  they  are 
entirely  innocent  of  all  his  blunders  ;  the  little  they  be- 
stowed having  long  since  been  forgotten. 

He  has  stolen  no  images  from  the  deep,  natural  poetry 
of  Bryant  !  no  pungency  from  the  wit  of  Halleck  ;  no  fe- 
licity of  expression  from  the  richness  of  Percival ;  no  satire 
from  the  caustic  pen  of  Paulding;  no  periods  nor  humor 
from  Irving  ;  nor  any  high  finish  from  the  attainments  ex- 
hibited by  Verplanck. 

At  the  "soirees"  and  "  coteries  des  bas  bleus  "  he  did 
think  he  had  obtained  a  prize,  in  the  dandies  of  literature, 
who  haunt  them.  But  experiment  and  analysis  detected 
his  error  ;  as  they  proved  these  worthies  unfit  for  any  bet- 
ter purpose  than  that  which  their  own  instinct  had  already 
dictated. 

He  has  made  no  impious  attempt  to  rob  Joe  Miller  of 
his  jokes  ;  the  sentimentalists  of  their  pathos  ;  nor  the 
newspaper  Homers  of  their  lofty  inspirations. 

His  presumption  has  not  even  imagined  the  vivacity  of 
the,  eastern  states  ;  he  has  not  analyzed  the  homogeneous 
character  of  the  middle  ;  and  he  has  left  the  south  in  the 
undisturbed  possession  of  all  their  saturnine  wit. 

In  short — he  has  pilfered  from  no  black-letter  book,  nor 
any  six-penny  pamphlet;  his  grandmother  unnaturally  re- 
fused her  assistance  to  his  labors;  and,  to  speak  affirmative- 
ly, for  once,  he  wishes  to  live  in  peace,  and  hopes  to  die  in 
the  fear  of  God. 


INTRODUCTION. 


IN  this  tale  there  are  one  or  two  slight  anachronisms: 
which,  if  unnoticed,  might,  with  literal  readers,  draw  some 
unpleasant  imputations  on  its  veracity — They  relate  rather 
to  persons  than  to  things.  As  they  are  believed  to  be 
quite  in  character,  connected  with  circumstances  much 
more  probable  than  facts,  and  to  possess  all  the  harmony 
of  poetic  coloring,  the  author  is  utterly  unable  to  discover 
the  reason  why  they  are  not  true. 

He  leaves  the  knotty  point  to  the  instinctive  sagacity  of 
the  critics. 

The  matter  of  this  "Legend  "  may  be  pretty  equally  di- 
vided into  that  which  is  publicly,  and  that  which  is  pri- 
vately certain.  For  the  authorities  of  the  latter,  the 
author  refers  to  the  foregoing  preface  ;  but  he  cannot  dis- 
pose of  the  sources  whence  he  has  derived  the  former, 
with  so  little  ceremony. 

The  good  people  of  Boston  are  aware  of  the  creditable 
appearance  they  make  in  the  early  annals  of  the  confeder- 
ation, and  they  neglect  no  commendable  means  to  per- 
petuate the  glories  of  their  ancestors.  In  consequence, 
the  inquiry  after  historical  facts,  is  answered,  there,  by  an 
exhibition  of  local  publications,  that  no  other  town  in  the 
Union  can  equal.  Of  these  means  the  author  has  endeav- 
ored to  avail  himself ;  collating  with  care,  and  selecting, 
as  he  trusts,  with  some  of  that  knowledge  of  men  and 
things  which  is  necessary  to  present  a  faithful  picture. 

Wherever  he  may  have  failed,  he  has  done  it  honestly. 

Fie  will  not  take  leave  of  the  "  cradle  of  liberty,"  with- 
out expressing  his  thanks  for  the  facilities  which  have  been 
so  freely  accorded  to  his  undertaking.  If  he  has  not  been 
visited  by  aerial  beings,  and  those  fair  visions  that  poets 
best  love  to  create,  he  is  certain  he  will  not  be  miscon- 
ceived when  he  says,  that  he  has  been  honored  by  the  notice 
of  some  resembling  those,  who  first  inspired  their  fancies. 


LIONEL     LI  NCOLN; 

OR,  THE  LEAGUER  OF  BOSTON. 


CHAPTER  I. 

"My  weary  soul  they  seem  to  soothe, 
And,  redolent  of  joy  and  youth, 
To  breathe  a  second  spring." — GRAY. 

No  American  can  be  ignorant  of  the  principal  events 
that  induced  the  Parliament  of  Great  Britain,  in  1774,  to 
lay  those  impolitic  restrictions  on  the  port  of  Boston, 
which  so  effectually  destroyed  the  trade  of  the  chief  town 
in  her  western  colonies.  Nor  should  it  be  unknown  to 
any  American,  how  nobly,  and  with  what  devotedness  to 
the  great  principles  of  the  controversy,  the  inhabitants  of 
the  adjacent  town  of  Salem  refused  to  profit  by  the  situa- 
tion of  their  neighbors  and  fellow-subjects.  In  consequence 
of  these  impolitic  measures  of  the  English  government, 
and  of  the  laudable  unanimity  among  the  capitalists  of  the 
times,  it  became  a  rare  sight  to  see  the  canvas  of  any 
other  vessels  than  such  as  wore  the  pennants  of  the  king, 
whitening  the  forsaken  waters  of  Massachusetts  Bay. 

Toward  the  decline  of  a  day  in  April,  1775,  however, 
the  eyes  of  hundreds  had  been  fastened  on  a  distant  sail, 
which  was  seen  rising  from  the  bosom  of  the  waves,  mak- 
ing her  way  along  the  forbidden  track,  nnd  steering  directly 
for  the  mouth  of  the  proscribed  haven.  With  that  deep 
solicitude  in  passing  events  which  marked  the  period,  a 
large  group  of  spectators  was  collected  on  Beacon  Hill, 
spreading  from  its  conical  summit  far  down  the  eastern 
declivity,  all  gazing  intently  on  the  object  of  their  com- 
mon interest.  In  so  large  an  assemblage,  however,  there 


io  LIONEL   Lf.VCOL.V. 

were  those  who  were  excited  by  very  different  feelings, 
and  indulging  in  wishes  directly  opposite  to  each  other. 
While  the  decent,  grave,  but  wary  citizen  was  endeavor- 
ing to  conceal  the  bitterness  of  the  sensations  which 
soured  his  mind,  under  the  appearance  of  a  cold  indif- 
ference, a  few  gay  young  men,  who  mingled  in  the  throng, 
bearing  about  their  persons  the  trappings  of  their  martial 
profession,  were  loud  in  their  exultations,  and  hearty  in 
their  congratulations  on  the  prospect  of  hearing  from  their 
distant  homes  and  absent  friends.  But  the  long,  loud  rolls 
of  the  drums,  ascending  on  the  evening  air,  from  the  ad- 
jacent common,  soon  called  these  idle  spectators,  in  a  body, 
from  the  spot,  when  the  hill  was  left  to  the  quiet  posses- 
sion of  those  who  claimed  the  strongest  right  to  its  enjoy- 
ment. It  was  not,  however,  a  period  for  open  and  unre- 
served communications.  Long  before  the  mists  of  evening 
had  succeeded  the  shadows  thrown  from  the  setting  sun, 
the  hill  was  entirely  deserted  ;  the  remainder  of  the  spec- 
tators having  descended  from  the  eminence,  and  held  their 
several  courses,  singly,  silent,  and  thoughtful,  toward  the 
rows  of  dusky  roofs  that  covered  the  lowland,  along  the 
eastern  side  of  the  peninsula.  Notwithstanding  this  ap- 
pearance of  apathy,  rumor,  which,  in  times  of  great  ex- 
citement, ever  finds  means  to  convey  its  whisperings,  when 
it  dare  not  bruit  its  information  aloud,  was  busy  in  circu- 
lating the  unwelcome  intelligence,  that  the  stranger  was 
the  first  of  a  fleet,  bringing  stores  and  reinforcements  to 
an  army  already  too  numerous,  and  too  confident  of  its 
power,  to  respect  the  law.  No  tumult  or  noise  succeeded 
this  unpleasant  annunciation,  but  the  doors  of  the  houses 
were  sullenly  closed,  and  the  windows  darkened,  as  if  the 
people  intended  to  express  their  dissatisfaction,  alone,  by 
these  silent  testimonials  of  their  disgust. 

In  the  meantime  the  ship  had  gained  the  rocky  entrance 
to  the  harbor,  where,  deserted  by  the  breeze,  and  met  by  an 
adverse  tide,  she  lay  inactive,  as  if  conscious  of  the  unwel- 
come reception  she  must  receive.  The  fears  of  the  inhab- 
itants of  Boston  had,  however,  exaggerated  the  danger ;  for 
the  vessel,  instead  of  exhibiting  the  confused  and  disor- 
derly throng  of  licentious  soldiery,  which  would  have 
crowded  a  transport,  was  but  thinly  peopled,  and  her  or- 
derly decks  were  cleared  of  every  incumbrance  that  could 
interfere  with  the  comfort  of  those  she  did  contain.  There 
was  an  appearance,  in  the  arrangements  of  her  external 
accommodations,  which  would  have  indicated  to  an  ob- 


LIOXEI.    LINCOLN.  n 

servant  eye,  that  she  carried  those  who  claimed  the  rank, 
or  possessed  the  means,  of  making  others  contribute 
largely  to  their  comforts.  The  few  seamen  who  navigated 
the  ship  lay  extended  on  different  portions  of  the  vessel, 
watching  the  lazy  sails  as  they  flapped  against  the  masts, 
or  indolently  bending  their  looks  on  the  placid  waters  of 
the  bay ;  while  several  menials,  in  livery,  crowded  around 
a  young  man  who  was  putting  his  eager  inquiries  to  the 
pilot,  that  had  just  boarded  the  vessel  off  the  Graves.  The 
dress  of  this  youth  was  studiously  neat,'  and  from  the  ex- 
cessive pains  bestowed  on  its  adjustment,  it  was  obviously 
deemed,  by  its  wearer,  to  be  in  the  height  of  the  prevail- 
ing customs.  From  the  place  where  this  inquisitive  party 
stood,  nigh  the  main-mast,  a  wide  sweep  of  the  quarter- 
deck was  untenanted  ;  but  nearer  to  the  spot  where  the 
listless  seaman  hung  icily  over  the  tiller  of  the  ship,  stood 
a  being  of  altogether  different  mould  and  fashion.  He  was 
a  man  who  would  have  seemed  in  the  very  extremity  of 
age,  had  not  his  quick,  vigorous  steps,  and  the  glowing, 
rapid  glances  from  his  eyes,  as  he  occasionally  paced  the 
deck,  appeared  to  deny  the  usual  indications  of  many  years. 
His  form  was  bowed,  and  attenuated  nearly  to  emaciation. 
His  hair,  which  fluttered  a  little  wildly  around  his  temples, 
was  thin,  and  silvered  to  the  whiteness  of  at  least  eighty 
winters.  Deep  furrows,  like  the  lines  of  great  age  and 
long  endured  cares  united,  wrinkled  his  hollow  cheeks,  and 
rendered  the  bold  haughty  outline  of  his  prominent  feat- 
ures still  more  remarkable.  He  was  clad  in  a  simple  and 
somewhat  tarnished  suit  of  modest  gray,  which  bore  about 
it  the  ill-concealed  marks  of  long  and  neglected  use.  When- 
ever he  turned  his  piercing  look  from  the  shores,  he  moved 
swiftly  along  the  deserted  quarter-deck,  and  seemed  en- 
tirely engrossed  with  the  force  of  his  own  thoughts,  his 
lips  moving  rapidly,  though  no  sounds  were  heard  to  issue 
from  a  mouth  that  was  habitually  silent.  He  was  under 
the  influence  of  one  of  those  sudden  impulses,  in  which  the 
body,  apparently,  sympathized  so  keenly  with  the  restless 
activity  of  the  mind",  when  a  young  man  ascended  from  the 
cabin  and  took  his  stand  among  the  interested  and  excited 
gazers  at  the  land,  on  the  upper  deck.  The  age  of  this 
gentleman  might  have  been  five  and  twenty.  He  wore  a 
military  cloak,  thrown  carelessly  across  his  form,  which, 
in  addition  to  such  parts  of  his  dress  as  were  visible 
through  its  open  folds,  sufficiently  announced  that  his  pro- 
fession was  that  of  arms.  There  was  an  air  of  ease 


12  LIONEL   LIVCOL.Y. 

high  fashion  gleaming  about  his  person,  though  his  speak- 
ing  countenance,  at  times,  seemed  melancholy,  if  not  sad. 
On  gaining  the  deck,  this  young  officer,  encountering  the 
eyes  of  the  aged  and  restless  being  who  trod  its  planks, 
bowed  courteously  before  he  turned  away  to  the  view,  and 
in  his  turn  became  deeply  absorbed  in  studying  its  fading 
beauties. 

The  rounded  heights  of  Dorchester  were  radiant  with 
the  rays  of  the  luminary  that  had  just  sunk  behind  their 
crest,  and  streaks  of  paler  light  were  playing  along  the 
waters,  and  gilding  the  green  summits  of  the  islands  which 
clustered  across  the  mouth  of  the  estuary.  Far  in  the  dis- 
tance were  to  be  seen  the  tall  spires  of  the  churches,  rising 
out  of  the  deep  shadows  of  the  town,  with  their  vanes  glit- 
tering in  the  sunbeams,  while  a  few  rays  of  strong  light 
were  dancing  about  the  black  beacon,  which  reared  itself 
high  above  the  conical  peak,  that  took  its  name  from  the 
circumstance  of  supporting  this  instrument  of  alarms. 
Several  large  vessels  were  anchored  among  the  islands  and 
before  the  town,  their  dark  hulls,  at  each  moment,  becom- 
ing less  distinct  through  the  haze  of  evening,  while  the 
summits  of  their  long  lines  of  masts  were  yet  glowing  with 
the  marks  of  day.  From  each  of  these  sullen  ships,  from 
the  low  fortification  which  rose  above  a  small  island  deep 
in  the  bay,  and  from  various  elevations  in  the  town  itself, 
the  broad,  silky  folds  of  the  flag  of  England  were  yet  wav- 
ing in  the  currents  of  the  passing  air.  The  young  man 
was  suddenly  aroused  from  gazing  at  this  scene,  by  the 
quick  reports  of  the  evening  guns,  and  while  his  eyes  were 
yet  tracing  the  descent  of  the  proud  symbols  of  the  British 
power  from  their  respective  places  of  display,  he  felt  his 
arm  convulsively  pressed  by  the  hand  of  his  aged  fellow- 
passenger. 

"  Will  the  day  ever  arrive,"  said  a  low,  hollow  voice  at 
his  elbow,  "when  those  flags  shall  be  lowered,  never  to  rise 
again  in  this  hemisphere  !  " 

The  young  soldier  turned  his  quick  eyes  to  the  counte- 
nance of  the  speaker,  but  bent  them  instantly  in  embarrass- 
ment on  the  deck,  to  avoid  the  keen,  searching  glance  he 
encountered  in  the  looks  of  the  other.  A  long,  and,  on  the 
part  of  the  young  man,  a  painful  silence  succeeded  this 
remark.  At  length  the  youth,  pointing  to  the  land,  said — 

"  Tell  me,  you  who  are  of  Boston,  and  must  have 
known  it  so  long,  the  names  of  all  these  beautiful  places  J 
see." 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  13 

"  And  are  you  not  of  Boston,  too  ? "  asked  his  old  com- 
panion. 

"  Certainly  by  birth,  but  an  Englishman  by  habit  and 
education." 

"  Accursed  be  the  habits,  and  neglected  the  education, 
which  would  teach  a  child  to  forget  its  parentage  ! "  mut- 
tered the  old  man,  turning  suddenly,  and  walking  away 
so  rapidly  as  to  be  soon  lost  in  the  forward  parts  of  the 
ship. 

For  several  minutes  longer  the  youth  stood  absorbed  in 
his  own  musings,  when,  as  if  recollecting  his  previous  pur- 
poses, he  called  aloud — "  Meriton  !  " 

At  the  sounds  of  his  voice  the  curious  group  around  the 
pilot  instantly  separated,  and  the  highly  ornamented  youth, 
before  mentioned,  approached  the  officer,  with  a  manner 
in  which  pert  familiarity  and  fearful  respect  were  pecu- 
liarly blended.  Without  regarding  the  air  of  the  other, 
however,  or  indeed  without  even  favoring  him  with  a 
glance,  the  young  soldier  continued — 

"  I  desired  you  to  detain  the  boat  which  boarded  us,  in 
order  to  convey  me  to  the  town,  Mr.  Meriton  ;  see  if  it  be 
in  readiness." 

The  valet  flew  to  execute  this  commission,  and  in  an  in- 
stant returned  with  a  reply  in  the  affirmative. 

"  But,  sir,"  he  continued,  "  you  will  never  think  of  going 
in  that  boat,  I  feel  very  much  assured,  sir." 

"  Your  assurance,  Mr.  Meriton,  is  not  the  least  of  your 
recommendations  ;  why  should  I  not?" 

"  That  disagreeable  old  stranger  has  taken  possession  of 
it,  with  his  mean,  filthy  bundle  of  rags  ;  and " 

''And  what?  you  must  name  a  greater  evil,  to  detain 
me  here,  than  mentioning  the  fact  that  the  only  gentle- 
man in  the  ship  is  to  be  my  companion." 

"  Lord,  sir!"  said  Meriton,  glancing  his  eye  upward  in 
amazement ;  "  but,  sir,  surely  you  know  best  as  to  gentil- 
ity of  behavior — but  as  to  gentility  of  dress " 

"  Enough  of  this,"   interrupted  his  master,  a  little  an- 

frily  ;  "  the  company  is  such  as  I  am  content  with ;  if  you 
nd  it  unequal  to  your  deserts,  you  have  my  permission 
to  remain  in  the  ship  until  the  morning — the  presence  of 
a  coxcomb  is  by  no  means  necessary  to  my  comfort  for 
one  night." 

Without  regarding  the  mortification  of  his  disconcerted 
valet,  the  young  man  passed  along  the  deck  to  the  place 
where  the  boat  was  in  waiting.  By  the  general  movement 


14  LIO.VEL  LINCOLN. 

among  the  indolent  menials,  and  the  profound  respect 
with  which  he  was  attended  by  the  master  of  the  ship  to 
the  gangway,  it  was  sufficiently  apparent,  that,  notwith- 
standing his  youth,  it  was  this  gentleman  whose  presence 
had  exacted  those  arrangements  in  the  ship,  which  have 
been  mentioned.  While  all  around  him,  however,  were 
busy  in  facilitating  the  entrance  of  the  officer  into  the 
boat,  the  aged  stranger  occupied  its  principal  seat,  with 
an  air  of  deep  abstraction,  if  not  of  cool  indifference.  A 
hint  from  the  pliant  Meriton,  who  had  ventured  to  follow 
his  master,  that  it  would  be  more  agreeable  if  he  would 
relinquish  his  place,  was  disregarded,  and  the  youth  took 
a  seat  by  the  side  of  the  old  man,  with  a  simplicity  of  man- 
ner that  his  valet  inwardly  pronounced  abundantly  de- 
grading. As  if  this  humiliation  were  not  sufficient,  the 
young  man,  perceiving  that  a  general  pause  had  succeeded 
his  own  entrance,  turned  to  his  companion,  and  courteously 
inquired  if  he  were  ready  to  proceed.  A  silent  wave  of 
the  hand  was  the  reply,  when  the  boat  shot  away  from  the 
vessel,  leaving  the  ship  steering  for  an  anchorage  in  Nan- 
tasket. 

The  measured  dash  of  the  oars  was  uninterrupted  by 
any  voice,  while,  stemming  the  tide,  they  pulled  labori- 
ously up  among  the  islands  ;  but  by  the  time  they  had 
reached  the  castle,  the  twilight  had  melted  into  the  softer 
beams  from  a  young  moon,  and  the  surrounding  objects 
becoming  more  distinct,  the  stranger  commenced  talking 
with  that  quick  and  startling  vehemence  whicli  seemed  his 
natural  manner.  He  spoke  of  the  localities,  with  the  ve- 
hemence and  fondness  of  an  enthusiast,  and  with  the 
familiarity  of  one  who  had  long  known  their  beauties. 
His  rapid  utterance,  however,  ceased  as  they  approached 
the  naked  wharves,  and  he  sunk  back  gloomily  in  the 
boat,  as  if  unwilling  to  trust  his  voice  on  the  subject  of 
his  country's  wrongs.  Thus  left  to  his  own  thoughts,  the 
youth  gazed,  with  eager  interest,  at  the  long  ranges  of 
buildings,  which  were  now  clearly  visible  to  the  eye, 
though  with  softer  colors  and  more  gloomy  shadows.  A 
few  neglected  and  dismantled  ships  were  lying  at  different 
points  ;  but  the  hum  of  business,  the  forests  of  masts,  and 
the  rattling  of  wheels,  which  at  that  early  hour  should 
have  distinguished  the  great  mart  of  the  colonies,  were 
wanting.  In  their  places  were  to  be  heard,  at  intervals, 
the  sudden  bursts  of  distant,  martial  music,  the  riotous 
merriment  of  the  soldiery  who  frequented  the  taverns  at 


JJOXEL    LIXCOL.V.  15 

the  water's  edge,  or  the  sullen  challenges  of  the  sentinels 
from  the  vessels  of  war,  as  they  vexed  the  progress  of  the 
few  boats,  which  the  inhabitants  still  used  in  their  ordi- 
nary pursuits. 

"  Here  indeed  is  a  change  ! "  the  young  officer  exclaimed, 
as  they  glided  swiftly  along  this  desolate  scene  ;  "  even  my 
recollections,  young  and  fading  as  they  are,  recall  the  dif- 
ference !" 

The  stranger  made  no  reply,  but  a  smile  of  singular 
meaning  gleamed  across  his  \van  features,  imparting,  by 
the  moonlight,  to  their  remarkable  expression,  a  character 
of  additional  wildness.  The  officer  was  again  silent,  nor 
did  either  speak  until  the  boat,  having  shot  by  the  end  of 
the  long  wharf,  across  whose  naked  boundaries  a  sentinel 
was  pacing  his  measured  path,  inclined  more  to  the  shore, 
and  soon  reached  the  place  of  its  destination. 

Whatever  might  have  been  the  respective  feelings  of  the 
two  passengers,  at  having  thus  reached  in  safety  the  object 
of  their  tiresome  and  protracted  voyage,  they  were  not  ex- 
pressed in  language.  The  old  man  bared  his  silver  locks, 
and,  concealing  his  face  with  his  hat,  stood  as  if  in  deep 
mental  thanksgiving  at  the  termination  of  his  toil,  while 
his  more  youthful  companion  trod*  the  wharf  on  which 
they  landed  with  the  air  of  a  man  whose  emotions  were 
too  engrossing  for  the  ordinary  use  of  words. 

"  Here  we  must  part,  sir,"  the  officer  at  length  said  ; 
"  but  I  trust  the  acquaintance,  which  has  been  thus  acci- 
dentally formed  between  us,  is  not  to  be  forgotten  now 
there  is  an  end  to  our  common  privations." 

"  It  is  not  in  the  power  of  a  man  whose  days,  like  mine, 
are  numbered,"  returned  the  stranger,  "  to  mock  the  liber- 
ality of  his  God,  by  any  vain  promises  that  must  depend 
on  time  for  their  fulfilment.  I  am  one,  young  gentleman, 
who  has  returned  from  a  sad,  sad  pilgrimage,  in  the  other 
hemisphere,  to  lay  his  bones  in  this,  his  native  land  ;  but 
should  many  hours  be  granted  me,  you  will  hear  further  of 
the  man  whom  your  courtesy  and  kindness  have  so  greatly 
obliged." 

The  officer  was  sensibly  affected  by  the  softened  but 
solemn  manner  of  his  companion,  and  pressed  his  wasted 
hand  fervently  as  he  answered — 

"  Do  ;  I  ask  it  as  a  singular  favor ;  I  know  not  why,  but 
you  have  obtained  a  command  of  my  feelings  that  no  other 
being  ever  yet  possessed — and  yet — 'tis  a  mystery,  'tis  like 
a  dream  !  I  feel  that  I  not  only  venerate,  but  love  you  ! " 


16  LION-EL  LINCOLN'. 

The  old  man  stepped  back,  and  held  the  youth  at  the 
length  of  his  arm  for  a  moment,  while  he  fastened  on  him 
a  look  of  glowing  interest,  and  then,  raising  his  hand 
slowly,  he  pointed  impressively  upward,  and  said — 

"  'Tis  from  heaven,  and  for  God's  own  purposes — smother 
not  the  sentiment,  boy,  but  cherish  it  in  your  heart's  core  ! " 

The  reply  of  the  youth  was  interrupted  by  sudden  and 
violent  shrieks,  that  burst  rudely  on  the  stillness  of  the 
place,  chilling  the  very  blood  of  those  who  heard  them, 
with  their  piteousness.  The  quick  and  severe  blows  of  a 
lash  were  blended  with  the  exclamations  of  the  sufferer, 
and  rude  oaths,  with  hoarse  execrations,  from  various 
voices,  were  united  in  the  uproar,  which  appeared  to  be  at 
no  great  distance.  By  a  common  impulse,  the  whole  party 
broke  away  from  the  spot,  and  moved  rapidly  up  the  wharf 
in  the  direction  of  the  sounds.  As  they  approached  the 
buildings,  a  group  was  seen  collected  around  the  man, 
who  thus  broke  the  charm  of  evening  by  his  cries,  inter- 
rupting his  wailings  with  their  ribaldry,  and  encouraging 
his  tormentors  to  proceed. 

"Mercy,  mercy,  for -'the  sake  of  the  blessed  God,  have 
mercy,  and  don't  kill  Job!"  again  shrieked  the  sufferer ; 
"  Job  will  run  your  a-'r'nds  !  Job  is  half-witted  !  Mercy  on 
poor  Job  !  Oh  !  you  make  his  flesh  creep  ! " 

"  I'll  cut  the  heart  from  the  mutinous  knave,"  interrupted 
a  hoarse,  angry  voice,  "to  refuse  to  drink  the  health  of  his 
majesty  !  " 

"Job  does  wish  him  good  health — Job  loves  the  king — 
only  Job  don't  love  rum." 

The  officer  had  approached  so  nigh  as  to  perceive  that 
the  whole  scene  was  one  of  disorder  and  abuse,  and  push- 
ing aside  the  crowd  of  excited  and  deriding  soldiers,  who 
composed  the  throng,  he  broke  at  once  into  the  centre  of 
the  circle. 


CHAPTER  II. 

"They'll  have  me  whipped  for  speaking  true  ; 
Thoul't  have  me  whipped  for  lying  ; 
And  sometimes  I'm  whipped  for  holding  my  peace. 
I  had  rather  be  any  kind  of  a  thing 
Than  a  fool."—  Lear. 

"  WHAT  means  this  outcry  ? "  demanded  the  young  man, 
arresting  the  arm  of  an  infuriated  soldier,  who  was  inflicting 
the  blows  ;  "  by  what  authority  is  this  man  thus  abused  ? " 


LIONEL  LINCOLN.  17 

"  By  what  authority  dare  you  lay  hands  on  a  British 
grenadier  ? "  cried  the  fellow,  turning  in  his  fury,  and  rais- 
ing his  lash  against  the  supposed  townsman.  But  when, 
as  the  officer  stepped  aside  to  avoid  the  threatened  indig- 
nity, the  light  of  the  moon  fell  full  upon  his  glittering 
dress,  through  the  opening  folds  of  his  cloak,  the  arm  of 
the  brutal  soldier  was  held  suspended  in  air,  with  the  sur- 
prise of  the  discovery. 

"Answer,  I  bid  you,"  continued  the  young  officer,  his 
frame  shaking  with  passion  ;  "why  is  this  man  tormented, 
and  of  what  regiment  are  ye  ? " 

"We  belong  to  the  grenadiers  of  the  brave  47th,  your 
honor,"  returned  one  of  the  bystanders,  in  a  humble,  dep- 
recating tone,  "  and  we  was  just  polishing  this  'ere  natural, 
because  as  he  refuses  to  drink  the  health  of  his  majesty." 

"  He's  a  scornful  sinner,  that  don't  fear  his  Maker,"  cried 
the  man  in  duress,  eagerly  bending  his  face,  down  which 
big  tears  were  rolling,  towards  his  protector.  "Job  loves 
the  king,  but  Job  don't  love  rum  ! " 

The  officer  turned  away  from  the  cruel  spectacle,  as  he 
bid  the  men  untie  the  prisoner.  Knives  and  fingers  were 
instantly  put  in  requisition,  and  the  man  was  liberated, 
and  suffered  to  resume  his  clothes.  During  this  operation, 
the  tumult  and  bustle,  which  had  so  recently  distinguished 
the  riotous  scene,  were  succeeded  by  a  stillness  that  ren- 
dered the  hard  breathing  of  the  sufferer  painfully  audible. 

"  Now  sirs,  you  heroes  of  the  47th  !  "  said  the  young 
man,  when  the  victim  of  their  rage  was  again  clad,  "  know 
you  this  button  ? "  The  soldier,  to  whom  this  question 
was  more  particularly  addressed,  gazed  at  the  extended 
arm,  and,  to  his  vast  discomfiture,  he  beheld  the  magical 
number  of  his  own  regiment  reposing  on  the  well-known 
white  facings  that  decorated  the  rich  scarlet  of  the  vest- 
ment. No  one  presumed  to  answer  this  appeal,  and  after 
an  impressive  silence  of  a  few  moments,  he  continued — 

"Ye  are  noble  'supporters  of  the  well-earned  fame  ol 
*  Wolfe's  own  ! '  fit  successors  to  the  gallant  men  who  con- 
quered under  the  walls  of  Quebec  !  away  with  ye  ;  to- 
morrow it  shall  be  looked  to." 

"  I  hope  your  honor  will  remember  he  refused  his  maj- 
esty's health.  I'm  sure,  sir,  that  if  Colonel  Nesbitt  was 
here  himself " 

"  Dog !  do  you  dare  to  hesitate  !  go,  while  you  have  per- 
mission to  depart." 

The  disconcerted  soldierv,  whose  turbulence   had  thus 


1 8  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

vanished,  as  if  by  enchantment,  before  the  frown  of  theii 
superior,  slunk  away  in  a  body,  a  few  of  the  older  men 
whispering  to  their  comrades  the  name  of  the  officer,  wha 
had  thus  unexpectedly  appeared  in  the  midst  of  them. 
The  angry  eye  of  the  young  soldier  followed  their  retiring 
forms,  while  a  man  of  them  was  visible  ;  after  which,  turn- 
ing to  an  elderly  citizen,  who,  supported  on  a  crutch,  had 
been  a  spectator  of  the  scene,  he  asked — 

"Know  you  the  cause  of  the  cruel  treatment  this  poor 
man  has  received  ?  or  what  in  any  manner  has  led  to  the 
violence  ? " 

"The  boy  is  weak,"  returned  the  cripple;  "quite  an 
innocent,  who  knows  but  little  good,  but  does  no  harm. 
The  soldiers  have  been  carousing  in  yonder  dram-shop, 
and  they  often  get  the  poor  lad  in  with  them,  and  sport 
with  his  infirmity.  If  these  sorts  of  doings  an't  checked,  I 
fear  much  trouble  will  grow  out  of  them  !  Hard  laws  from 
t'other  side  of  the  water,  and  tarring  and  feathering  on 
this,  with  gentlemen  like  Colonel  Nesbitt  at  their  head, 
will " 

"  It  is  wisest  for  us,  my  friend,  to  pursue  this  subject  no 
further,"  interrupted  the  officer.  "I  belong  myself  to 
'Wolfe's  own,'  and  will  endeavor  to  see  justice  done  in  the 
matter  ;  as  you  will  credit  when  I  tell  you  that  I  am  a 
Boston  boy.  But,  though  a  native,  a  long  absence  has 
obliterated  the  marks  of  the  town  from  my  memory  ;  and  I 
aTh  at  a  loss  to  thread  these  crooked  streets.  Know  you 
the  dwelling  of  Mrs.  Lechmere  ?" 

"  The  house  is  well  known  to  all  in  Boston,"  returned 
the  cripple,  in  a  voice  sensibly  altered  by  the  information 
that  he  was  speaking  to  a  townsman.  "  Job,  here,  does 
but  little  else  than  run  of  errands,  and  he  will  show  you  the 
way  out  of  gratitude  ;  won't  you,  Job  ?" 

The  idiot, — for  the  vacant  eye  and  unmeaning  boyish 
countenance  of  the  young  man  who  had  just  been  liber- 
ated but  too  plainly  indicated  that  he  was  to  be  included 
in  that  miserable  class  of  human  beings, — answered  with  a 
caution  and  reluctance  that  were  a  little  remarkable,  con- 
sidering the  recent  circumstances. 

"  Ma'am  Lechmere's  !  Oh  !  yes,  Job  knows  the  way, 
and  could  go  there  blindfolded,  if — if " 

"If  what,  you  simpleton  ! "  exclaimed  the  zealous 
cripple. 

"Why,  if  'twas  daylight." 

"  Blindfolded,  and  daylight !  do  but  hear  the  silly  child  1 


LIONEL  LINCOLN:  ig 

Come,  Job,  you  must  take  this  gentleman  to  Tremont 
Street,  without  further  words.  Tis  but  just  sundown, 
boy,  and  you  can  go  there  and  be  home  and  in  your  bed 
before  the  Old  South  strikes  eight ! " 

"  Yes  ;  that  all  depends  on  which  way  you  go,"  returned 
the  reluctant  changeling.  "Now,  I  know,  neighbor  Hop- 
per, you  couldn't  go  to  Ma'am  Lechmere's  in  an  hour,  if 
you  went  along  Lynn  Street,  and  so  along  Prince  Street, 
and  back  through  Snow-Hill ;  and  especially  if  you  should 
stop  any  time  to  look  at  the  graves  on  Copp's." 

"  Pshaw!  the  fool  is  in  one  of  his  sulks  now,  with  his 
Copp's-Hill,  and  the  graves!"  interrupted  the  cripple, 
whose  heart  had  warmed  to  his  youthful  townsman,  and 
who  would  have  volunteered  to  show  the  way  himself, 
had  his  infirmities  permitted  the  exertion.  .  "  The  gentle- 
man must  call  the  grenadiers  back,  to  bring  the  child  to 
reason." 

"  'Tis  quite  unnecessary  to  be  harsh  with  the  unfortu- 
nate lad,"  said  the  young  soldier  ;  "  my  recollections  will 
probably  aid  me  as  I  advance  ;  and  should  they  not,  I  can 
inquire  of  any  passenger  I  meet." 

"  If  Boston  was  what  Boston  has  been,  you  might  ask 
such  a  question  of  a  civil  inhabitant,  at  any  corner,"  said 
the  cripple  ;  "but  it's  rare  to  see  many  of  our  people  in 
the  streets  at  this  hour,  since  the  massacre.  Besides,  it  is 
Saturday  night,  you  know  ;  a  fit  time  for  these  rioters  to 
choose  for  their  revelries!  For  that  matter,  the  soldiers 
have  grown  more  insolent  than  ever,  since  they  have  met 
that  disappointment  about  the  cannon  down  at  Salem  ; 
but  I  needn't  tell  such  as  you  what  the  soldiers  are  when 
they  get  a  little  savage." 

"I  know  my  comrades  but  indifferently  well,  if  their 
conduct  to-night  be  any  specimen  of  their  ordinary  de- 
meanor, sir,"  returned  the  officer  ;  "  but  follow,  Meriton  ; 
I  apprehend  no  great  difficulty  in  our  path." 

The  pliant  valet  lifted  the  cloak-bag  he  carried,  from  the 
ground,  and  they  were  about  to  proceed,  when  the  nat- 
ural edged  himself  in  a  sidelong,  slovenly  manner,  nigher 
to  the  gentleman,  and  looked  earnestly  up  in  his  face  for 
a  moment,  where  he  seemed  to  be  gathering  confidence  to 
say — "  Job  will  show  the  officer  Ma'am  Lechmere's,  if  the 
officer  won't  let  the  grannies  catch  Job  afore  he  gets  off  .the 
North  End  ag'in." 

"  Ah  !  "  said  the  young  man,  laughing,  ''there  is  some- 
thing of  the  cunning  of  a  fool  in  that  arrangement.  Well, 


20  LIONEL   LIXCOLX. 

I  accept  the  conditions  ;  but  beware  how  you  take  me  to 
contemplate  the  graves  by  moonlight,  or  I  shall  deliver 
you  not  only  to  the  grannies,  but  to  the  light  infantry, 
artillery,  and  all." 

With  this  good-natured  threat,  the  officer  followed  his 
nimble  conductor,  after  taking  a  friendly  leave  of  the 
obliging  cripple,  who  continued  his  admonitions  to  the 
natural,  not  to  wander  from  the  direct  route,  while  the 
sounds  of  his  voice  were  audible  to  the  retiring  party. 
The  progress  of  his  guide  was  so  rapid  as  to  require  the 
young  officer  to  confine  his  survey  of  the  narrow  and 
crooked  streets  through  which  they  passed,  to  extremely 
hasty  and  imperfect  glances.  No  very  minute  observa- 
tion, however,  was  necessary  to  perceive  that  he  was  led 
along  one  of  the  most  filthy  and  inferior  sections  of  the 
town  ;  and  where,  notwithstanding  his  efforts,  he  found  it 
impossible  to  recall  a  single  feature  of  his  native  place  to 
his  remembrance.  The  complaints  of  Meriton,  who  fol- 
lowed close  at  the  heels  of  his  master,  were  loud  and  fre- 
quent, until  the  gentleman,  a  little  doubting  the  sincerity 
of  his  intractable  conductor,  exclaimed — 

"  Have  you  nothing  better  than  this  to  show  a  townsman, 
who  has  been  absent  seventeen  years,  on  his  return  ?  Pray 
let  us  go  through  some  better  streets  than  this,  if  any  there 
are  in  Boston  which  can  be  called  better." 

The  lad  stopped  short,  and  looked  up  in  the  face  of  the 
speaker,  for  an  instant,  with  an  air  of  undisguised  amaze- 
ment, and  then,  without  replying,  he  changed  the  direction 
of  his  route,  and  after  one  or  two  more  deviations  in  his 
path,  suddenly  turning  again,  he  glided  up  an  alley,  so 
narrow  that  the  passenger  might  touch  the  buildings  on 
either  side  of  him.  The  officer  hesitated  an  instant  to 
enter  this  dark  and  crooked  passage,  but  perceiving  that 
his  guide  was  already  hid  by  a  bend  in  the  houses,  he 
quickened  his  steps,  and  immediately  regained  the  ground 
he  had  lost.  They  soon  emerged  from  the  obscurity  of  the 
place,  and  issued  on  a  street  of  greater  width. 

"  There  !  "  said  Job,  triumphantly,  when  they  had  effect- 
ed this  gloomy  passage,  "  does  the  king  live  in  so  crooked 
and  narrow  a  street  as  that  ?  " 

"  His  majesty  must  yield  the  point  in  your  favor,"  re* 
turned  the  officer. 

"  Ma'am  Lechmere  is  a  grand  lady  !  "  continued  the  lad, 
seemingly  following  the  current  of  his  own  fanciful  con- 
ceits, "and  she  wouldn'c  live  in  that  alley  for  the  world, 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  21 

though  it  is  narrow,  like  the  road  to  heaven,  as  old  Nab 
says  ;  I  suppose  they  call  it  after  the  Methodies  for  that 
reason." 

"  I  have  heard  the  road  you  mention  termed  narrow,  cer- 
tainly, but  it  is  also  called  strait"  returned  the  officer,  a 
little  amused  with  the  humor  of  the  lad  ;  "but  forward,  the 
time  is  slipping  away,  and  we  loiter." 

Again  Job  turned,  and  moving  onward,  he  led  the  way, 
with  swift  steps,  along  another  narrow  and  crooked  path, 
\vhich,  however,  better  deserved  the  name  of  a  street,  under 
the  projecting  stories  of  the  wooden  buildings,  which  lined 
its  sides.  After  following  the  irregular  windings  of  their 
route  for  some  distance,  they  entered  a  triangular  area,  of 
a  few  rods  in  extent,  where  Job,  disregarding  the  use  of 
the  narrow  walk,  advanced  directly  into  the  centre  of  the 
open  space.  Here  he  stopped  once  more,  and,  turning  his 
vacant  face  with  an  air  of  much  seriousness,  towards  a 
building  which  composed  one  side  of  the  triangle,  he  said, 
with  a  voice  that  expressed  his  own  deep  admiration — 

>*  There— that's  the  '  Old  North  ! '  did  you  ever  see  such 
a  meetin'us'  afore  ?  does  the  king  worship  God  in  such  a 
temple  ?" 

The  officer  did  not  chide  the  idle  liberties  of  the  fool,  for 
in  the  antiquated  and  quaint  architecture  of  the  wooden 
edifice  he  recognized  one  of  those  early  efforts  of  the 
simple,  puritan  builders,  whose  rude  tastes  have  been 
transmitted  to  their  posterity  with  so  many,  deviations  in 
the  style  of  the  same  school,  but  so  little  of  improvement. 
Blended  with  these  considerations,  were  the  dawnings  of 
revived  recollections  ;  and  he  smiled,  as  he  recalled  the 
time  when  he  also  used  to  look  up  at  the  building  with 
feelings  somewhat  allied  to  the  profound  admiration  of  the 
idiot.  Job  watched  his  countenance  narrowly,  and  easily 
mistaking  its  expression,  he  extended  his  arm  toward  one 
of  the  narrowest  of  the  avenues  that  entered  the  area,  where 
stood  a  few  houses  of  more  than  common  pretension. 

"And  there  ag'in!"  he  continued,  "there's  palaces  for 
you  !  stingy  Tommy  lived  in  the  one  with  the  pile-axters, 
and  the  flowers  hanging  to  their  tops  ;  and  see  the  crowns 
on  them  too  !  stingy  Tommy  loved  crowns,  they  say  ;  but 
Province'us'  wasn't  good  enough  for  him,  and  he  lived 
here — now  they  say  he  lives  in  one  of  the  king's  cup- 
boards !  " 

"  And  who  was  stingy  Tommy  ?  and  what  right  had  he 
to  dwell  in  Province-House,  if  he  would  ?" 


32  LIONEL   LINCOLN'. 

"  What  right  has  any  governor  to  live  in  Province'us'  i 
because  it's  the  king's!  though  the  people  paid  for  it." 

"  Pray,  sir,  excuse  me,"  said  Meriton,  from  behind,  "  but 
do  the  Americans  usually  call  all  their  governors  stingy 
Tommies  ? " 

The  officer  turned  his  head,  at  this  vapid  question,  from 
his  valet,  and  perceived  that  he  had  been  accompanied 
thus  far  by  the  aged  stranger,  who  stood  at  lib  elbow,  lean- 
ing on  his  staff,  studying  with  close  attention  the  late 
dwelling  of  Hutchinson,  while  the  light  of  the  moon  fell, 
unobstructed,  on  the  deep  lines  of  his  haggard  face.  Dur- 
ing the  first  surprise  of  this  discovery,  he  forgot  to  reply, 
and  Job  took  the  vindication  of  his  language  into  his  own 
hands. 

"To  be  sure  they  do — they  call  people  by  their  right 
names,"  he  said.  "  Insygn  Peck  is  called  Insygn  Peck  ; 
and  you  call  Deacon  Winslow  anything  but  Deacon  Win- 
slow,  and  see  what  a  look  he'll  give  you  !  and  I  am  Job 
Pray,  so  called  ;  and  why  shouldn't  a  governor  be  called 
stingy  Tommy,  if  he  is  a  stingy  Tommy  ?" 

"  Be  careful  how  you  speak  lightly  of  the  king's  repre- 
sentative," said  the  young  officer,  raising  his  light  cane 
with  the  affectation  of  correcting  the  changeling. — "  For- 
get you  that  I  am  a  soldier  ? " 

The  idiot  shrunk  back  a  little,  timidly,  and  then  leering 
from  under  his  sunken  brow,  he  answered — • 

"  I  heard  you  say  you  were  a  Boston  boy  !  " 

The  gentleman  was  about  to  make  a  playful  reply,  when 
the  aged  stranger  passed  quickly  before  him,  and  took  his 
stand  at  the  side  of  the  lad,  with  a  manner  so  remarkable 
for  its  earnestness,  that  it  entirely  changed  the  current  of 
his  thoughts. 

"  The  young  man  knows  the  ties  of  blood  and  country," 
the  stranger  muttered,  "  and  I  honor  him  !  " 

It  might  have  been  the  sudden  recollection  of  the  dan- 
ger of  those  allusions,  which  the  officer  so  well  understood, 
and  to  which  his  accidental  association  with  the  singular 
being  who  uttered  them  had  begun  to  familiarize  his  ear, 
that  induced  the  youth  to  resume  his  walk,  silently,  and  in 
deep  thought,  along  the  street.  By  this  movement,  he  es- 
caped observing  the  cordial  grasp  of  the  hand  which  the 
old  stranger  bestowed  on  the  idiot,  while  he  muttered  a  few 
more  terms  of  commendation.  Job  soon  took  his  station 
in  front,  and  the  whole  party  moved  on  again,  though  with 
less  rapid  strides.  As  the  lad  advanced  deeper  into  the 


I    LIONEL   LIXCOLX.  *3 

town,  he  evidently  wavered  once  or  twice  in  his  choice  of 
streets,  and  the  officer  began  to  suspect,  that  the  change- 
ling contemplated  one  of  his  wild  circuits,  to  avoid  the 
direct  route  to  a  house  that-he  manifestly  approached  with 
great  reluctance.  Once  or  twice  the  young  soldier  looked 
about  him,  intending  to  inquire  the  direction,  of  the  first 
passenger  he  might  see  ;  but  the  quiet  of  deep  night  already 
pervaded  the  place,  and  not  an  individual,  but  those  who 
accompanied  him,  appeared  in  the  long  ranges  of  streets 
they  had  passed.  The  air  of  the  guide  was  becoming  so 
dogged,  and  hestitating,  that  his  follower  had  just  deter- 
mined to  make  an  application  at  one  of  the  doors,  when 
they  emerged  from  a  dark,  dirty,  and  gloomy  street  on  an 
open  space,  of  much  greater  extent  than  the  one  they  had 
so  recently  left.  Passing  under  the  walls  of  a  blackened 
dwelling,  Job  led  the  way  to  the  centre  of  a  swinging 
bridge,  which  was  thrown  across  an  inlet  from  the  harbor, 
that  extended  a  short  distance,  into  the  area,  forming  a 
shallow  dock.  Here  he  took  his  stand,  and  allowed  the 
view  of  the  surrounding  objects  to  work  its  own  effect  on 
those  he  had  conducted  thither.  The  square  was  com- 
posed of  rows  of  low,  gloomy,  and  irregular  houses,  most 
of  which  had  the  appearance  of  being  but  little  used. 
Stretching  from  the  end  of  the  basin,  and  a  little  on  one 
side,  a  long,  narrow  edifice,  ornamented  with  pilasters, 
perforated  with  arched  windows,  and  surmounted  by  a 
humble  cupola,  reared  its  walls  of  brick,  under  the  light  of 
the  moon.  The  story  which  held  the  rows  of  silent,  glis- 
tening windows,  was  supported  on  abutments  and  arches 
of  the  same  material,  through  the  narrow  vistas  of  which 
were  to  be  seen  the  shambles  of  the  common  market-place. 
Heavy  cornices  of  stone  were  laid  above  and  beneath  the 
pilasters,  and  something  more  than  the  unskilful  architect- 
ure of  the  dwelling  houses  they  had  passed,  was  affected 
throughout  the  whole  structure.  While  the  officer  gazed 
at  this  scene,  the  idiot  watched  his  countenance  with  a 
keenness  exceeding  his  usual  observation,  until,  impatient 
at  hearing  no  words  of  pleasure  or  of  recognition,  he  ex- 
claimed— 

"  If  you  don't  know  Funnel  Hall,  you  are  no  Boston 
boy  !  " 

"  But  I  do  know  Faneuil  Hall,  and  I  am  a  Boston  boy," 
returned  the  amused  gentleman  ;  "  the  place  begins  to 
freshen  on  my  memory,  and  I  now  recall  the  scenes  of  my 
childhood" 


24  LIONEL   LINCOLN.    > 

"This,  then,"  said  the  aged  stranger,  "is  the  spot  where 
liberty  has  found  so  many  bold  advocates  !  " 

"  It  would  do  the  king's  heart  good  to  hear  the  people 
talk  in  old  Funnel,  sometimes,"  said  Job.  "  I  was  on  the 
cornishes,  and  looked  into  the  winders,  the  last  town- 
meetin'-da',  and  if  there  was  soldiers  on  the  Common,  there 
was  them  in  the  hall  that  didn't  care  for  them  !  " 

"  All  this  is  very  amusing,  no  doubt,"  said  the  officer, 
gravely,  "  but  it  does  not  advance  me  a  foot  on  my  way  to 
Mrs.  Lechmere's." 

"It  is  also  instructing,"  exclaimed  the  stranger;  "go 
on,  child  ;  I  love  to  hear  his  simple  feelings  thus  expressed  ; 
they  indicate  the  state  of  the  public  mind." 

"  Why,"  said  Job,  "  they  were  plain  spoken,  that's  all ; 
and  it  would  be  better  for  the  king  to  come  over,  and  hear 
them — it  would  pull  down  his  pride,  and  make  him  pity 
the  people,  and  then  he  wouldn't  think  of  shutting  up  Bos- 
ton harbor.  Suppose  he  should  stop  the  water  from  com- 
ing in  by  the  Narrows,  why,  we  should  get  it  by  Broad 
Sound !  and  if  it  didn't  come  by  Broad  Sound  it  would  by 
Nantasket !  He  needn't  "think  that  the  Boston  folks  are 
so  dumb  as  to  be  cheated  out  of  God's  water  by  acts  of 
Parliament,  while  old  Funnel  stands  in  the  Dock  Square  !  " 
Sirrah!"  exclaimed  the  officer,  a  little  angrily,  "we 
have  already  loitered  until  the  clocks  are  striking  eight.  ' 

The  idiot  lost  his  animation,  and  lowered  in  his  looks 
again,  as  he  answered — 

"  Well,  I  told  neighbor  Hopper  there  was  more  ways  to 
Ma'am  Lechmere's  than  straight  forward  !  but  everybody 
knows  Job's  business  better  than  Job  himself  !  now  you 
make  me  forget  the  road  ;  let  us  go  in  and  ask  old  Nab  ; 
she  knows  the  way  too  well !  " 

"  Old  Nab  !  you  wilful  dolt  !  who  is  Nab,  and  what  have 
I  to  do  with  any  but  yourself  ?  " 

"  Everybody  in  Boston  knows  Abigail  Pray." 

"  What  of  her  ?  "  asked  the  startling  voice  of  the  stranger  ; 
"  what  of  Abigail  Pray,  boy  ;  is  she  not  honest  ? " 

"Yes,  as  poverty  can  make  her,"  returned  the  natural, 
gloomily  ;  "  now  the  king  has  said  there  shall  be  no  goods 
but  tea  sent  to  Boston,  and  the  people  won't  have  the 
bohea,  it's  easy  living  rent-free. — Nab  keeps  her  huckster- 
stuff  in  the  old  ware'us',  and  a  good  place  it  is  too — Job 
and  his  mother  have  each  a  room  to  sleep  in,  and  they  say 
the  king  and  queen  haven't  more  ! " 

While  he  was  speaking,  the  eyes  of  his  listeners  were 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  25 

drawn  by  his  gestures  toward  the  singular  edifice  to  which 
he  alluded.  Like  most  of  the  others  adjacent  to  the 
square,  it  was  low,  old,  dirty,  and  dark.  Its  shape  was 
triangular,  a  street  bounding  it  on  each  side,  and  its  ex- 
tremities were  flanked  by  as  many  low  hexagonal  towers, 
which  terminated,  like  the  main  building  itself,  in  high 
pointed  roofs,  tiled,  and  capped  with  rude  ornaments. 
Long  ranges  of  small  windows  were  to  be  seen  in  the  dusky 
walls,  through  one  of  which  the  light  of  a  solitary  candle 
was  glimmering,  the  only  indication  of  the  presence  of  life 
about  the  silent  and  gloomy  building. 

"  Nab  knows  Ma'am  Lechmere  better  than  Job,"  con- 
tinued the  idiot,  after  a  moment's  pause,  "and  she  will 
know  whether  Ma'am  Lechmere  will  have  Job  whipped 
for  bringing  company  on  Saturday  night ;  though  they  say 
she's  so  full  of  scoff  ery  as  to  talk,  drink  tea,  and  laugh  on 
that  night,  just  the  same  as  any  other  time." 

"  I  will  pledge  myself  to  her  courteous  treatment,"  the 
officer  replied,  beginning  to  be  weary  of  the  fool's  delay. 

"  Let  us  see  this  Abigail  Pray,"  cried  the  aged  stranger, 
suddenly  seizing  Job  by  the  arm,  and  leading  him,  with  a 
sort  of  irresistible  power,  toward  the  walls  of  the  building, 
through  one  of  the  low  doors  of  which  they  immediately 
disappeared. 

Thus  left  on  the  bridge,  with  his  valet,  the  young  officer 
hesitated  a  single  instant  how  to  act ;  but  yielding  to  the 
secret  and  powerful  interest,  which  the  stranger  had  suc- 
ceeded in  throwing  around  all  his  movements  and  opinions, 
he  bade  Meriton  await  his  return,  and  followed  his  guide 
and  the  old  man  into  the  cheerless  habitation  of  the  former. 
On  passing  the  outer  door,  he  found  himself  in  a  spacious, 
but  rude  apartment,  which,  from  its  appearance,  as  well  as 
from  the  few  articles  of  heavy  but  valueless  merchandise  it 
now  contained,  would  seem  to  have  been  used  once  as  a 
storehouse.  The  light  drew  his  steps  toward  a  room  in  one 
of  the  towers,  where,  as  he  approached  its  open  door,  he 
heard  the  loud,  sharp  tones  of  a  woman's  voice,  exclaim- 
ing— 

"Where  have  you  been,  graceless,  this  Saturday  night! 
tagging  at  the  heels  of  the  soldiers,  or  gazing  at  the  men- 
of-war,  with  their  ungodly  fashions  of  music  and  revelry 
at  such  a  time,  I  dare  to  say  !  and  you  knew  that  a  ship 
was  in  the  bay,  and  that  Madam  Lechmere  had  desired  me 
to  send  her  the  first  notice  of  its  arrival.  Here  have  I  been 
waiting  for  you  to  go  up  toTremont  Street  since  sundown, 


26  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

with  the  news,  and  you  are  out  of  call — you,  that  know  so 
well  who  it  is  she  expects  ! " 

"  Don't  be  cross  to  Job,  mother,  for  the  grannies  have 
been  cutting  his  back  with  cords,  till  the  blood  runs ! 
Ma'am  Lechmere  !  I  do  believe,  mother,  that  Ma'am  Lech- 
mere  has  moved  ;  for  I've  been  trying  to  find  her  house  this 
hour,  because  there's  a  gentleman  who  landed  from  the 
ship  wanted  Job  to  show  him  the  way." 

"  What  means  the  ignorant  boy  !  "  exclaimed  his  mother. 
^  "  He  alludes  to  me,"  said  the  officer,  entering  the  apart- 
ment ;  "  I  am  the  person,  if  any,  expected  by  Mrs.  Lech- 
mere,  and  have  just  landed  from  the  Avon,  of  Bristol ;  but 
your  son  has  led  me  a  circuitous  path,  indeed  ;  at  one  time 
he  spoke  of  visiting  the  graves  on  Copp's  Hill." 

"  Excuse  the  ignorant  and  witless  child,  sir,"  exclaimed 
the  matron,  eyeing  the  young  man  keenly  through  her 
spectacles  ;  "  he  knows  the  way  as  well  as  to  his  own  bed,  but 
he  is  wilful  at  times.  This  will  be  a  joyful  night  in  Tremont 
Street  !  So  handsome,  and  so  stately  too"!  Excuse  me, 
young  gentleman,"  she  added,  raising  the  candle  to  his 
features  with  an  evident  unconsciousness  of  the  act — «-"  he 
has  the  sweet  smile  of  the  mother,  and  the  terrible  eye 
of  his  father  !  God  forgive  us  all  'our  sins,  and  make  us 
happier  in  another  world  than  in  this  place  of  evil  and 
wickedness ! "  As  she  muttered  the  latter  words,  the 
woman  set  aside  her  candle  with  an  air  of  singular  agita- 
tion. Each  syllable,  notwithstanding  her  secret  intention, 
was  heard  by  the  officer,  across  whose  countenance  there 
passed  a  sudden  gloom  that  doubled  its  sad  expression. 
He,  however,  said — 

"You  know  me,  and  my  family,  then  ?" 

"I  was  at  your  birth,  young  gentleman,  and  a  joyful 
birth  it  was  !  but  Madam  Lechmere  waits  for  the  news, 
and  my  unfortunate  child  shall  speedily  conduct  you  to  her 
door  ;  she  will  tell  you  all  that  it  is  proper  to  know.  Job, 
you  Job,  where  are  you  getting  to,  in  that  corner !  take 
your  hat,  and  show  the  gentleman  to  Tremont  Street  di- 
rectly ,  you  know,  my  son,  you  love  to  go  to  Madam 
Lechmere's  ! " 

"Job  would  never  go,  if  Job  could  help  it,"  muttered 
the  sullen  boy;  "and  if  Nab  had  never  gone,  'twould  have 
been  better  for  her  soul." 

"  Do  you  dare,  disrespectful  viper  !  "  exclaimed  the  angry 
quean,  seizing,  in  the  violence  of  her  fury,  the  tongs,  and 
threatening  the  head  of  her  stubborn  child. 


LIOXEL   LINCOLN.  27 

" Woman,  peace!"  said  a  voice  behind. 

The  dangerous  weapon  fell  from  the  nerveless  hand  of 
the  vixen,  and  the  hues  of  her  yellow  and  withered  coun- 
tenance changed  to  the  whiteness  of  death.  She  stood 
motionless,  for  near  a  minute,  as  if  riveted  to  the  spot  by 
a  superhuman  power,  before  she  succeeded  in  muttering, 
"  who  speaks  to  me  ? " 

"  It  is  I,"  returned  the  stranger,  advancing  from  the 
shadow  of  the  door  into  the  dim  light  of  the  candle  ;  "a 
man  who  has  numbered  ages,  and  who  knows,  that  as  God 
loves  him,  so  is  he  bound  to  love  the  children  of  his  loins." 

The  rigid  limbs  of  the  woman  lost  their  stability,  in  a 
tremor  that  shook  every  fibre  in  her  body  ;  she  sunk  in  her 
chair,  and  her  eyes  rolled  from  the  face  of  one  visitor  to  that 
of  the  other,  while  her  unsuccessful  efforts  to  utter,  denoted 
that  she  had  temporarily  lost  the  command  of  speech. 
Job  stole  to  the  side  of  the  stranger,  in  this  short  interval, 
and  looking  up  in  his  face  piteously,  he  said — 

"  Don't  hurt  old  Nab — read  that  good  saying  to  her  out 
of  the  Bible,  and  she'll  never  strike  Job  with  the  tongs 
ag'in  ;  will  you,  mother  ?  See  her  cup,  where  she  hid  it 
under  the  towel,  when  you  came  in  !  Ma'am  Lechmere 
gives  her  the  p'ison  tea  to  drink,  and  then  Nab  is  never  so 
good  to  Job,  as  Job  would  be  to  mother,  if  mother  was 
half-witted,  and  Job  was  old  Nab." 

The  stranger  considered  the  moving  countenance  of  the 
boy,  while  he  pleaded  thus  earnestly  in  behalf  of  his  mother, 
with  marked  attention,  and  when  he  had  done,  he  stroked 
the  head  of  the  natural  compassionately,  and  said — 

"  Poor,  imbecile  child !  God  has  denied  the  most  pre- 
cious of  his  gifts,  and  yet  his  spirit  hovers  around  thee  ; 
for  thou  canst  distinguish  between  austerity  and  kindness, 
and  thou  hast  learnt  to  know  good  from  evil.  Young  man, 
see  you  no  moral  in  this  dispensation  ?  nothing  which  says 
that  Providence  bestows  no  gift  in  vain  ;  while  it  points  to 
the  difference  between  the  duty  that  is  fostered  by  indul- 
gence, and  that  which  is  extorted  by  power  ?  " 

The  officer  avoided  the  ardent  looks  of  the  stranger,  and 
after  an  embarrassing  pause  of  a  moment,  he  expressed 
his  readiness,  to  the  reviving  woman,  to  depart  on  his  way. 
The- matron,  wrhose  eye  had  never  ceased  to  dwell  on  the 
features  of  the  old  man,  since  her  faculties  were  restored, 
arose  slowly,  and  in  a  feeble  voice  directed  her  son  to 
show  the  road  to  Tremont  Street.  She  had  acquired,  by 
long  practice  a  manner  that  never  failed  to  control,  when 


30  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

pies  !  "  muttered  the  officer  to  himself. — "  Here  then  is 
half  .a  guinea,  if  you  like  gold  better." 

The  natural  continued  kicking  a  stone  about  with  his 
toes,  without  taking  his  hands  from  the  pockets  where  he 
wore  them  ordinarily,  with  a  sort  of  idle  air,  as  he  peered 
from  under  his  slouched  hat  at  this  renewed  offer,  an- 
swering— 

"  You  wouldn't  let  the  grannies  whip  Job,  and  Job 
won't  take  your  money." 

"Well,  boy,  there  is  more  of  gratitude  in  that  than  y 
.wiser  man  would  always  feel  !  Come,  Meriton,  I  shall 
meet  the  poor  fellow  again,  arid  will  not  forget  this.  I 
commission  you  to  see  the  lad  better  dressed,  in  the  be- 
ginning of  the  week." 

"  Lord,  sir,"  said  the  valet,  "  if  it  is  your  pleasure, 
most  certainly;  but  I  declare  I  don't  know  in  what  style 
I  should  dress  such  a  figure  and  countenance,  to  make 
anything  of  them  !  " 

"Sir,  sir,"  cried  the  lad,  running  a  few  steps  after  the 
officer,  who  had  already  proceeded,  "if  you  won't  let  the 
grannies  beat  Job  any  more,  Job  will  always  show  you  the 
way  through  Boston  ;  and  run  your  a'r'nds  too  !  " 

"  Poor  -fellow !  well,  I  promise  that  you  shall  not  be 
again  abused  by  any  of  the  soldiery.  Good  night,  my  hon- 
est friend — let  me  see  you  again." 

The  idiot  appeared  satisfied  with  this  assurance,  for  he 
immediately  turned,  and  gliding  along  the  street  with  a 
sort  of  shuffling  gait,  he  soon  disappeared  round  the  first 
corner.  In  the  meantime  the  young  officer  advanced  to 
the  entrance  which  led  into  the  court-yard  of  Mrs.  Lech- 
mere's  dwelling.  The  house  was  of  bricks,  and  of  an  ex- 
terior altogether  more  pretending  than  most  of  those  in 
the  lower  parts  of  the  town.  It  was  heavily  ornamented, 
in  wood,  according  to  the  taste  of  a  somewhat  earlier  day, 
and  presented  a  front  of  seven  windows  in  its  two  upper 
stories,  those  at  the  extremes  being  much  narrower  than 
the  others.  The  lower  floor  had  the  same  arrangement, 
with  the  exception  of  the  principal  door. 

Strong  lights  were  shining  in  many  parts  of  the  house, 
which  gave  it,  in  comparison  with  the  gloomy  and  dark- 
ened edifices  in  its  vicinity,  an  air  of  peculiar  gayety  and 
life.  The  rap  of  the  gentleman  was  answered  instantly 
by  an  old  black,  dressed  in  a  becoming,  and  what,  for  the 
colonies,  was  a  rich  livery.  The  inquiry  for  Mrs.  Lech- 
mere  was  successful,  and  the  youth  was  conducted  through 


LIONEL.  LINCOLN,  31 

a  hall  6f  some  dimensions,  into  an  apartment  which 
opened  from  one  of  its  sides.  This  room  would  be  consid- 
ered, at  the  present  day,  as  much  too  small  to  contain  the 
fashion  of  a  country  town  ;  but  what  importance  it  wanted 
in  size,  was  amply  compensated  for  in  the  richness  and 
labor  of  its  decorations.  The  walls  were  divided  into 
compartments,  by  raised  panel-work,  beautifully  painted 
with  imaginary  landscapes  and  ruins.  The  glittering,  var- 
nished surfaces  of  these  pictures  were  burdened  with  armo- 
rial bearings,  \vhich  were  intended  to  illustrate  the  alli- 
ances of  the  family.  Beneath  the  surbase  were  smaller 
divisions  of  panels,  painted  with  various  architectural  de- 
vices ;  and  above  it  rose,  between  the  compartments,  fluted 
pilasters  of  wood  with  gilded  capitals.  A  heavy  wooden, 
and  highly  ornamented  cornice,  stretched  above  the  whole, 
furnishing  an  appropriate  outline  to  the  walls.  The  use 
of  carpets  was,  at  that  time,  but  little  known  in  the  colo- 
nies, though  the  wealth  and  station  of  Mrs.  Lechmere  would 
probably  have  introduced  the  luxury,  had  not  her  age, 
and  the  nature  of  the  building,  tempted  her  to  adhere  to 
ancient  custom.  The  floor,  which  shone  equally  with  the 
furniture,  was  tessellated  with  small  alternate  squares  of 
red-cedar  and  pine,  and  in  the  centre  were  the  "  saliant 
Lions  "  of  Lechmere,  attempted  by  the  blazonry  of  the  join- 
er. On  either  side  of  the  ponderous  and  labored  mantel, 
were  arched  compartments,  of  plainer  work,  denoting  use, 
the  sliding  panels  of  one  of  which,  being  raised,  displayed 
a  buffet,  groaning  with  massive  plate.  The  furniture  was  old, 
rich,  and  heavy,  but  in  perfect  preservation.  In  the  midst 
of  this  scene  of  colonial  splendor,  which  was  rendered  as 
impressive  as  possible  by  the  presence  of  numerous  waxen 
lights,  a  lady,  far  in  the  decline  of  life,  sat,  in  formal  pro- 
priety, on  a  small  settee.  The  officer  had  thrown  his  cloak 
into  the  hands  of  Meriton,  in  the  hall,  and  as  he  advanced 
up  the  apartment,  his  form  appeared  in  the  gay  dress  of 
a  soldier,  giving  to  its  ease  and  fine  proportions  the  addi- 
tional charm  of  military  garnish.  The  hard,  severe  eye  of 
the  lady,  sensibly  softened  with  pleased  surprise,  as  it 
dwelt  on  his  person  for  an  instant  after  she  arose  to  re- 
ceive her  guest ;  but  the  momentary  silence  was  first 
broken  by  the  youth,  who  said— 

"  I  have  entered  unannounced,  for  my  impatience  has 
exceeded  my  breeding,  madam,  while  each  step  I  have 
taken  in  this  house  recalls  the  days  of  my  boyhood,  and  of 
my  former  freedom  within  its  walls." 


32  LIONEL   LINCOLX. 

"My  cousin  Lincoln!"  interrupted  the  lady,  who  was 
Mrs.  Lechmere  ;  "that  dark  eye,  that  smile,  nay,  your 
very  step,  announces  you  !  I  must  have  forgotten  my  poor 
brother,  and  one  also  who  is  still  so  dear  to  us,  not  to  have 
known  you  a  true  Lincoln  !  " 

There  was  a  distance  in  the  manner  of  both,  at  meeting, 
which  might  easily  have  been  imparted  by  the  precise  for= 
mula  of  the  provincial  school,  of  which  the  lady  was  so 
distinguished  a  member,  but  which  was  not  sufficient  to 
explain  the  sad  expression  that  suddenly  and.  powerfully 
blended  with  the  young  man's  smile,  as  she  spoke.  The 
change,  however,  was  but  momentary,  and  he  answered 
courteously  to  her  assurances  of  recognition — 

"  I  have  long  been  taught  to  expect  a  second  home  in 
Tremont  Street,  and  I  find,  by  your  flattering  remem- 
brance of  myself  and  parents,  dear  madam,  that  my  expec- 
tations are  justified." 

The  lady  was  sensibly  pleased  at  this  remark,  and  she  suf- 
fered a  smile  to  unbend  her  rigid  brow,  as  she  answered — 

"A  home,  certainly,  though  it  be  not  such  an  one  as  the 
heir  of  the  wealthy  house  of  Lincoln  may  have  been  ac- 
customed to  dwell  in.  It  would  be  strange,  indeed,  could 
any,  allied  to  that  honorable  family,  forget  to  entertain  its 
representative  with  due  respect." 

The  youth  seemed  conscious  that  quite  as  much  had  now 
been  said  as  the  occasion  required,  and  he  raised  his  head 
from  bowing  respectfully  on  her  hand,  with  the  intention 
of  changing  the  subject  to  one  less  personal,  when  his  eye 
caught  a  glimpse  of  the  figure  of  another,  and  more  youth- 
ful female,  who  had  been  concealed,  hitherto,  by  the 
drapery  of  a  window-curtain.  Advancing  to  this  young 
lady,  he  said,  with  a  quickness  that  rather  betrayed  his 
willingness  to  suspend  further  compliment — 

"And  here  I  see  one  also,  to  whom  I  have  the  honor  of 
being  related  ;  Miss  Dynevor  ?  " 

"  Though  it  be  not  my  grand-child,"  said  Mrs.  Lech- 
mere,  "it  is  one  who  claims  an  equal  affinity  to  you,  Major 
Lincoln  ;  it  is  Agnes  Danforth,  the  daughter  of  my  late 
niece." 

"  'Twas  my  eyes  then,  and  not  my  feelings,  that  were  mis- 
taken," returned  the  young  soldier  ;  "  I  hope  this  lady  will 
admit  my  claim  to  call  her  cousin  ?  " 

A  simple  inclination  of  the  body  was  the  only  answer  he 
received,  though  she  did  not  decline  the  hand  which  he 
offered  with  his  salutations.  After  a  few  more  of  the  usual 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  33 

expressions  of  pleasure,  and  the  ordinary  inquiries  that 
succeed  such  meetings,  the  party  became  seated,  and  a 
more  regular  discourse  followed. 

tl  I  am  pleased  to  find  you  remember  us,  then,  cousin 
Lionel,"  said  Mrs.  Lechmere  ;  "we  have  so  little  in  this  re- 
mote province  that  will  compare  with  the  mother  country, 
I  had  feared  no  vestiges  of  the  place  of  your  birth  could 
remain  on  your  mind." 

"  I  find  the  town  greatly  altered,  it  is  true,  but  there  are 
many  places  in  it  which  I  still  remember,  though  certainly 
their  splendor  is  a  little  diminished,  in  my  eyes,  by  absence 
and  a  familiarity  with  other  scenes." 

"  Doubtless,  an  acquaintance  with  the  British  court  will 
have  no  tendency  to  exalt  our  humble  customs  in  your 
imagination  ;  neither  do  we  possess  many  buildings  to  at- 
tract the  notice  of  a  travelled  stranger.  There  is  a  tradi- 
tion in  our  family,  that  your  seat  in  Devonshire  is  as  large 
as  any  dozen  edifices  in  Boston,  public  or  private  ;  nay,  we 
are  proud  of  saying,  that  the  king  himself  is  lodged  as  well 
as  the  head  of  the  Lincoln  family,  only  when  at  his  castle 
of  Windsor  !  " 

"  Ravenscliffe  is  certainly  a  place  of  some  magnitude," 
returned  the  young  man,  carelessly,  "  though  you  will  re- 
member his  Majesty  affects  but  little  state  at  Kew.  I  have, 
however,  spent  so  little  of  my  time  in  the  country,  that  I 
hardly  know  its  conveniences  or  its  extent." 

The  old  lady  bowed  with  that  sort  of  complacency,  which 
the  dwellers  in  the  colonies  were  apt  to  betray,  whenever 
an  allusion  was  made  to  the  acknowledged  importance  of 
their  connections  in  that  country,  toward  which  they  all 
looked  as  to  the  fountain  of  honor  ;  and  then,  as  quickly 
as  if  the  change  in  her  ideas  was  but  a  natural  transition 
in  the  subject,  she  observed — 

"  Surely  Cecil  cannot  know  of  the  arrival  of  our  kins- 
man !  she  is  not  apt  to  be  so  remiss  in  paying  attention  to 
our  guests !  " 

"  She  does  me  the  more  honor,  that  she  considers  me  a  rel- 
ative, and  one  wrho  requires  no  formality  in  his  reception." 

"  You  are  but  cousins  twice  removed,"  returned  the  old 
lady,  a  little  gravely;  "and  there  is  surely  no  affinity  in 
that  degree  which  can  justify  any  forgetfulness  of  the  usual 
courtesies.  You  see,  cousin  Lionel,  how  much  we  value 
the  consanguinity,  when  it  is  a  subject  of  pride  to  the  most 
remote  branches  of  the  family  !  " 

"  I  am  but  little  of  a  genealogist,  madam  ;  though,,  if  I 

a 


34  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

retain  a  true  impression  of  what  I  have  heard,  Miss  Dy« 
nevor  is  of  too  good  blood,  in  the  direct  line,  to  value  the 
collateral  drops  of  an  intermarriage." 

"  Pardon  me,  Major  Lincoln  ;  her  father,  Colonel  Dy- 
nevor,  was  certainly  an  Englishman  of  an  ancient  and  hon- 
orable name,  but  no  family  in  the  realm  need  scorn  an  al- 
liance with  our  own.  I  say  our  own,  cousin  Lionel,  for  I 
would  never  have  you  forget  that  I  am  a  Lincoln,  and  was 
the  sister  of  your  grandfather." 

A  little  surprised  at  the  seeming  contradiction  in  the 
language  of  the  good  lady,  the  young  man  bowed  his  head 
to  the  compliment,  and  cast  his  eyes  at  his  younger  com- 
panion with  a  sort  of  longing  to  change  the  discourse,  by 
addressing  the  reserved  young  woman  nigh  him,  that  was 
very  excusable  in  one  of  his  sex  and  years.  He  had  not 
time,  however,  to  make  more  than  one  or  two  common- 
place remarks,  and  receive  their  answers,  before  Mrs.  Lech- 
mere  said,  with  some  exhibition  of  staid  displeasure  against 
her  grandchild — 

"  Go,  Agnes,  and  acquaint  your  cousin  of  this  happy 
event.  She  has  been  sensibly  alive  to  your  safety,  during 
the  whole  time  consumed  by  your  voyage.  We  have  had 
the  prayers  of  the  Church,  for  a  '  person  gone  to  sea,'  read 
each  Sunday,  since  the  receipt  of  your  letters  announcing 
your  intention  to  embark  ;  and  I  have  been  exceedingly 
pleased  to  observe  the  deep  interest  with  which  Cecil 
joined  in  our  petitions." 

Lionel  mumbled  a  few  words  of  thanks,  and  leaning 
back  in  his  chair,  threw  his  eyes  upward,  but  whether  in 
pious  gratitude  or  not,  we  conceive  it  is  not  our  province 
to  determine.  During  the  delivery  of  Mrs.  Lechmere's 
last  speech,  and  the  expressive  pantomime  that  succeeded 
it,  Agnes  Danforth  rose  and  left  the  room.  The  door  had 
been  some  little  time  closed  before  the  silence  was  again 
broken;  during  which  Mrs.  Lechmere  evidently  essayed  in 
vain,  once  or  twice,  to  speak.  Her  color,  pale  and  immov- 
able as  usually  seemed  her  withered  look,  changed  in  its  ( 
shades,  and  her  lip  trembled  involuntarily.  She,  however, 
soon  found  her  utterance,  though  the  first  tones  of  her 
voice  were  choked  and  husky. 

"  I  may  have  appeared  remiss,  cousin  Lionel, "she  said, 
"  but  there  are  subjects  that  can  be  discussed  with  pro- 
priety only  between  the  nearest  relatives.  Sir  Lionel — 
you  left  him  in  as  good  a  state  of  bodily  health,  I  hope,  as 
his  mental  iimess  will  allow  ? " 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  35 

"It  is  so  represented  to  me." 

"  You  have  seen  him  lately  ?" 

"  Not  in  fifteen  years  ;  my  presence  was  said  to  increase 
his  disorder,  and  the  physicians  forbade  any  more  inter- 
views. He  continues  at  the  private  establishment  near 
town,  and,  as  the  lucid  intervals  are  thought  to  increase, 
both  in  frequency  and  duration,  I  often  indulge  in  the 
pleasing  hope  of  being  restored  again  to  my  father.  The 
belief  is  justified  by  his  years,  which,  you  know,  are  yet 
under  fifty." 

A  long,  and  apparently  a  painful  silence,  succeeded  this 
interesting  communication  ;  at  length  the  lady  said,  with  a 
tremor  in  her  voice,  for  which  the  young  man  almost  rev- 
erenced her,  as  it  so  plainly  bespoke  her  interest  in  her 
nephew,  as  well  as  the  goodness  of  her  heart — 

"  I  will  thank  you  for  a  glass  of  that  water  in  the  buffet. 
Pardon  me,  cousin  Lionel,  but  this  melancholy  subject 
always  overcomes  me.  I  will  retire  a  few  moments,  with 
your  indulgence,  and  hasten  the  appearance  of  my  grand- 
child. I  pine  that  you  may  meet." 

Her  absence,  just  at  that  moment,  was  too  agreeable  to 
the  feelings  of  Lionel,  for  him  to  gainsay  her  intention  ; 
though,  instead  of  following  Agnes  Danforth,  who  had  pre- 
ceded her  on  the  same  duty,  the  tottering  steps  of  Mrs. 
Lechmere  conducted  her  to  a  door,  which  communicated 
with  her  own  apartment.  For  several  minutes  the  young  man 
trampled  on  the  "  saliant  lions  "  of  Lechmere,  with  a  rapid- 
ity that  seemed  to  emulate  their  own  mimic  speed,  as  he 
paced  to  and  fro  across  the  narrow  apartment,  his  eye 
glancing  vacantly  along  the  labored  wainscots,  embracing 
the  argent,  azure  and  purpure  fields  of  the  different  es- 
cutcheons, as  heedlessly  as  if  they  were  not  charged  with 
the  distinguishing  symbols  of  so  many  honorable  names. 
This  mental  abstraction  was,  however,  shortly  dissipated 
by  the  sudden  appearance  of  one,  who  had  glided  into  the 
room,  and  advanced  to  its  centre,  before  he  became  con- 
scious of  her  presence.  A  light,  rounded,  and  exquisitely 
proportioned  female  form,  accompanied  by  a  youthful  and 
expressive  countenance,  with  an  air  in  which  womanly 
grace  blended  so  nicely  with  feminine  delicacy  as  to  cause 
each  motion  and  gesture  to  command  respect,  at  the  same 
time  that  it  was  singularly  insinuating,  was  an  object  to 
suspend,  even  at  a  first  glance,  provided  that  glance  were 
by  surprise,  the  steps  of  a  more  absent  and  less  courteous 
youth  than  the  one  we  have  attempted  to  describe.  Major 


36  LIONEL  LINCOLN. 

Lincoln  knew  that  this  young  lady  could  be  no  other  than 
Cecil  Dynevor,  the  daughter  of  a  British  officer,  long  since 
deceased,  by  the  only  child  of  Mrs.  Lechmere,  who  was 
also  in  her  grave  ;  and,  consequently,  that  she  was  one  to 
whom  he  was  so  well  known  by  character,  and  so  nearly 
allied  by  blood,  as  to  render  it  an  easy  task  for  a  man  ac- 
customed to  the  world,  as  he  had  been,  to  remove  any  little 
embarrassments,  which  might  have  beset  a  less  practised 
youth,  by  acting  as  his  own  usher.  This  he  certainly  at- 
tempted, and  at  first  with  a  freedom  which  his  affinity,  and 
the  circumstances,  would  seem  to  allow,  though  it  was 
chastened  by  easy  politeness.  But  the  restraint  visible  in 
the  manner  of  the  lady  was  so  marked,  that,  by  the  time 
his  salutations  were  ended,  and  he  had  handed  her  to  a 
seat,  the  young  man  felt  as  much  embarrassment  as  if  he 
had  found  himself  alone,  for  the  first  time,  with  the  woman 
wrhom  he  had  been  pining,  for  months,  to  favor  with  a  very 
particular  communication.  Whether  it  is  that  nature  has 
provided  the  other  sex  with  a  tact  for  these  occasions,  or 
that  the  young  lady  became  sensible  that  her  deportment 
was  not  altogether  such  as  was  worthy  either  of  herself,  or 
the  guest  of  her  grandmother,  she  was  certainly  the  first 
to  relieve  the  slight  awkwardness  that  was  but  too  apparent 
in  the  commencement  of  the  interview. 

"  My  grandmother  has  long  been  expecting  this  pleas- 
ure, Major  Lincoln,"  she  said,  "and  your  arrival  has  been 
at  a  most  auspicious  moment.  The  state  of  the  country 
grows  each  day  so  very  alarming,  that  I  have  indeed  long 
urged  her  to  visit  our  relatives  in  England,  until  the  dis- 
putes shall  have  terminated." 

The  tones  of  an  extremely  soft  and  melodious  voice,  and 
a  pronunciation  quite  as  exact  as  if  the  speaker  had  ac- 
quired the  sounds  in  the  English  court,  and  which  was  en- 
tirely free  from  the  slight  vernacular  peculiarity,  which 
had  offended  his  ear,  in  the  few  words  that  fell  from  Agnes 
Danforth,  certainly  aided  a  native  attraction  of  manner, 
which  it  seemed  impossible  for  the  young  latly  to  cast  en- 
tirely aside. 

"  You,  who  are  so  much  of  an  English  woman,  would 
find  great  pleasure  in  the  exchange,"  he  answered,  "  and 
if  half  what  I  have  heard  from  a  fellow  passenger,  of  the 
state  of  the  country,  be  true,  I  shall  be  foremost  in  second- 
ing your  request.  Both  Ravenscliffe  and  the  house  in 
Soho  would  be  greatly  at  the  service  of  Mrs.  Lechmere." 

"  It  was  my  wish  that  she  would  accept  the  pressing  ir* 


LION-RL   LINCOLN.  37 

vitations  of  my  father's  relative,  Lord  Cardonnel,  who  has 
long  urged  me  to  pass  a  few  years  in  his  own  family.  A 
separation  would  be  painful  to  us  both,  but  should  my 
grandmother,  in  such  an  event,  determine  to  take  her  res- 
idence in  the  dwellings  of  her  ancestors,  I  could  not  be 
censured  for  adopting  a  resolution  to  abide  under  the  roofs 
of  mine." 

The  piercing  eye  of  Major  Lincoln  fell  full  upon  her 
own,  as  she  delivered  this  intention,  and  as  it  dropped  on 
the  floor,  the  slight  smile  that  played  round  his  lip,  was 
produced  by  the  passing  thought,  that  the  provincial 
beauty  had  inherited  so  much  of  her  grandmother's  pride 
of  genealogy,  as  to  be  willing  to  impress  on  his  mind,  that 
the  niece  of  a  viscount  was  superior  to  the  heir  of  a  baro- 
netcy. But  the  quick,  burning  flush,  that  instantly  passed 
across  the  features  of  Cecil  Dynevor,  might  have  taught 
him,  that  she  was  acting  under  the  impulse  of  much  deeper 
feelings  than  such  an  unworthy  purpose  would  indicate. 
The  effect,  however,  was  such  as  to  make  the  young  man 
glad  to  see  Mrs.  Lechmere  re-enter  the  room,  leaning  on 
the  arm  of  her  niece. 

"  I  perceive,  my  cousin  Lionel,"  said  the  lady,  as  she 
moved  with  a  feeble  step  toward  the  settee,  "  that  you  and 
Cecil  have  found  each  other  out,  without  the  necessity  of 
any  other  introduction  than  the  affinity  between  you.  I 
surely  do  not  mean  the  affinity  of  blood  altogether,  you 
know,  for  that  cannot  be  said  to  amount  to  anything  ;  but 
I  believe  there  exist  certain  features  of  the  mind  that  are 
transmitted  through  families  quite  as  distinctly  as  any 
which  belong  to  the  countenance." 

"Could  I  flatter  myself  with  possessing  the  slightest 
resemblance  to  Miss  Dynevor,  in  either  of  those  particu- 
lars, I  should  be  doubly  proud  of  the  connection,"  returned 
Lionel,  while  he  assisted  the  good  lady  to  a  seat,  with  a 
coolness  that  sufficiently  denoted  how  little  he  cared  about 
the  matter. 

"  But  I  am  not  disposed  to  have  my  right  to  claim  near 
kindred  with  cousin  Lionel  at  all  disputed,"  cried  the 
young  lady,  with  sudden  animation.  "It  has  pleased  our 
forefathers  to  order  such— 

"Nay.  nay,  my  child,"  interrupted  her  grandmother, 
"you  forget  that  the  term  of  cousin  can  only  be  used  in 
cases  of  near  consanguinity,  and  where  familiar  situations 
will  excuse  it.  But  Major  Lincoln  knows,  that  we  in  the 
colonies  are  apt  to  make  the  most  of  the  language,  and 


38  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

count  our  cousins  almost  as  far  as  if  we  were  members  of 
the  Scottish  clans.  Speaking  of  the  clans  reminds  me  of 
the  rebellion  of  '45.  It  is  not  thought  in  England,  that 
our  infatuated  colonists  will  ever  be  so  foolhardy  as  to 
assume  their  arms  in  earnest." 

"  There  are  various  opinions  on  that  subject,"  said  Lionel. 
"  Most  military  men  scout  the  idea  ;  though  I  find,  occa- 
sionally, an  officer,  that  has  served  on  this  continent,  who 
thinks  not  only  that  the  appeal  will  be  made,  but  that  the 
struggle  will  be  bloody." 

"  Why  should  they  not !  "  said  Agnes  Danforth,  abruptly; 
"they  are  men,  and  the  English  are  no  more  ! " 

Lionel  turned  his  looks,  in  a  little  surprise,  on  the 
speaker,  to  whose  countenance  an  almost  imperceptible 
cast  in  one  eye  imparted  a  look  of  arch  good-nature,  that 
her  manner  would  seem  to  contradict,  and  smiled  as  he 
repeated  her  words — 

"  Why  should  they  not,  indeed  !  I  know  no  other  rea- 
sons than  that  it  would  be  both  a  mad  and  an  unlawful  act. 
I  can  assure  you  that  I  am  not  one  of  those  who  affect  to 
undervalue  my  own  countrymen  ;  for  you  will  remember 
that  I  too  am  an  American." 

"I  have  heard  it  said  that  such  of  our  volunteers  as 
wear  uniforms  at  all,"  said  Agnes,  "  appear  in  blue,  and 
not  in  scarlet." 

"  'Tis  his  Majesty's  pleasure  that  his  47th  foot  should 
wear  this  gaudy  color,"  returned  the  young  man,  laughing; 
"  though,  for  myself,  I  am  quite  willing  to  resign  it  to  the 
use  of  you  ladies,  and  to  adopt  another,  could  it  well  be." 

"It  might  be  done,  sir." 

"  In  what  manner  ?  " 

"  By  resigning  your  commission  with  it." 

Mrs.  Lechmere  had  evidently  permitted  her  niece  to  pro- 
ceed thus  far,  without  interruption,  to  serve  some  purpose 
of  her  own  ;  but  perceiving  that  her  guest  by  no  means 
exhibited  the  air  of  pique,  which  the  British  officers  were 
so  often  weak  enough  to  betray,  when  the  women  took 
into  their  hands  the  defence  of  their  country's  honor,  she 
rang  the  bell,  as  she  observed — 

"  Bold  language,  Major  Lincoln  !  bold  language  for  a 
young  lady  under  twenty.  But  Miss  Danforth  is  privileged 
to  speak  her  mind  freely,  for  some  of  her  father's  family 
are  but  too  deeply  implicated  in  the  unlawful  proceedings 
of  these  evil  times.  We  have  kept  Cecil,  however,  more 
to  her  allegiance." 


LIONEL  LINCOLN".  39 

"And  yet  even  Cecil  has  been  known  to  refuse  the  favor 
of  her  countenance  to  the  entertainments  given  by  the 
British  officers ! "  said  Agnes,  a  little  piquantly. 

"  And  would  you  have  Cecil  Dynevor  frequent  balls  and 
entertainments  unaccompanied  by  a  proper  chaperon,"  re- 
turned Mrs.  Lechmere  ;  "or  is  it  expected  that,  at  seventy, 
I  can  venture  in  public  to  maintain  the  credit  of  our  family  ? 
But  we  keep  Major  Lincoln  from  his  refreshments  with 
our  idle  disputes.  Cato,  we  wait  your  movements." 

Mrs.  Lechmere  delivered  her  concluding  intimation  to 
the  black  in  attendance,  with  an  air  that  partook  some- 
what of  mystery.  The  old  domestic,  who,  probably  from 
long  practice,  understood,  more  by  the  expression  of  her 
eye  than  by  any  words  she  had  uttered,  the  wishes  of  his 
mistress,  proceeded  to  close  the  outer  shutters  of  the  win- 
dows, and  to  draw  the  curtains  with  the  most  exact  care. 
When  this  duty  was  performed,  he  raised  a  small  oval  table 
from  its  regular  position  among  the  flowing  folds  of  the 
drapery  that  shrouded  the  deep  apertures  for  light,  %and 
placed  it  in  front  of  Miss  Dynevor.  A  salver  of  massive 
silver,  containing  an  equipage  of  the  finest  Dresden  fol- 
lowed, and  in  a  few  minutes  a  hissing  urn  of  the  same 
precious  metal  garnished  the  polished  surface  of  the  ma- 
hogany. During  these  arrangements,  Mrs.  Lechmere  and 
her  guest  maintained  a  general  discourse,  touching  chiefly 
on  the  welfare  and  condition  of  certain  individuals  of  their 
alliance,  in  England.  Notwithstanding  the  demand  thus 
made  on  his  attention,  Lionel  was  able  to  discover  a  cer- 
tain appearance  of  mystery  and  caution  in  each  movement 
of  the  black,  as  he  proceeded  leisurely  in  his  duty.  Miss 
Dynevor  permitted  the  disposition  of  the  tea-table  to  be 
made  before  her,  passively,  and  her  cousin,  Agnes  Dan- 
forth,  threw  herself  back  on  one  of  the  settees,  with  a  look 
that  indicated  cool  displeasure.  When  the  usual  compound 
was  made  in  two  little  fluted  cups,  over  whose  pure  white 
a  few  red  and  green  sprigs  were  sparingly  scattered,  the 
black  presented  one  containing  the  grateful  beverage  to 
his  mistress,  and  the  other  to  the  stranger. 

"  Pardon  me,  Miss  Danforth,"  said  Lionel,  recollecting 
himself  after  he  had  accepted  the  offering  ;  "  I  have  suf- 
fered my  sea-breeding  to  obtain  the  advantage." 

"  Enjoy  your  error,  sir,  if  you  can  find  any  gratification 
in  the  indulgence,"  returned  the  young  lady. 

"  But  I  should  enjoy  it  the  more,  could  I  see  you  par« 
ticipating  in  the  luxury." 


40  LIONEL  LINCOLN. 

"  You  have  termed  the  idle  indulgence  well  ;  'tis  nothing 
but  a  luxury,  and  such  a  one  as  can  be  easily  dispensed 
with  ;  I  thank  you,  sir,  I  do  not  drink  tea." 

"  Surely  no  lady  can  forswear  her  bohea  !  be  persuaded.1 

"  I  know  not  how  the  subtle  poison  may  operate  on  youf 
English  ladies,  Major  Lincoln,  but  it  is  no  difficult  matter 
for  an  American  girl  to  decline  the  use  of  a  detestable  herb, 
which  is  one,  among  many  others,  of  the  causes  that  is  likely 
to  involve  her  country  and  kindred  in  danger  and  strife." 

The  young  man,  who  had  really  intended  no  more  than 
the  common  civilities  due  from  his  sex  to  the  other,  bowed 
in  silence,  though,  as  he  turned  from  her,  he  could  not 
forbear  looking  toward  the  table  to  see  whether  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  other  young  American  were  quite  as  rigid. 
Cecil  sat  bending  over  the  salver,  playing  idly  with  a  curi- 
ously wrought  spoon,  made  to  represent  a  sprig  of  the 
plant,  whose  fragrance  had  been  thus  put  in  requisition 
to  contribute  to  his  indulgence,  while  the  steam  from  the 
chiryi  vessel  before  her  was  wreathing  in  a  faint  mist 
around  her  polished  brow. 

"You  at  least,  Miss  Dynevor,"  said  Lionel,  "  appear  to 
have  no  dislike  to  the  herb,  you  breathe  its  vapor  so  freely." 

Cecil  cast  a  glance  at  him,  which  changed  the  demure 
and  somewhat  proud  composure  of  her  countenance  into 
a  look  of  sudden,  joyous  humor,  that  was  infinitely  more 
natural,  as  she  answered  laughingly — 

"  I  own  a  woman's  weakness. — I  must  believe  it  was  tea 
that  tempted  our  common  mother  in  Paradise  J  " 

"  It  would  show  that  the  cunning  of  the  serpent  has 
been  transmitted  to  a  later  day,  could  that  be  proved,"  said 
Agnes,  "  though  the  instrument  of  temptation  has  lost 
some  of  its  virtue." 

"  How  know  you  that  ? "  said  Lionel,  anxious  to  pursue 
the  trifling,  in  order  to  remove  the  evident  distance  which 
had  existed  between  them  ;  "  had  Eve  shut  her  ears  as 
rigidly  as  you  close  your  mouth  against  the  offering,  we 
might  yet  nave  enjoyed  the  first  gift  to  our  parents." 

"  Oh,  sir,  'tis  no  such  stranger  to  me  as  you  may  imagine 
from  the  indifference  I  have  assumed  on  the  present  occa- 
sion ;  as  Job  Pray  says,  Boston  harbor  is  nothing  but  a 
1  big  teapot ! '  " 

"  You  know  Job  Pray,  then,  Miss  Danforth  ! "  said 
Lionel,  not  a  little  amused  by  her  spirit. 

"  Certainly  ;  Boston  is  so  small,  and  Job  so  useful,  that 
everybody  knows  the  simpleton." 


LIONEL   LINCOLN  41 

"  He  belongs  to  a  distinguished  family,  then,  for  I  have 
his  own  assurance  that  everybody  knows  his  perturbed 
mother,  Abigail." 

"  You !  "  exclaimed  Cecil,  again,  in  that  sweet,  natural  voice 
that  had  before  startled  her  auditor  ;  "  what  can  you  know 
of  poor  Job,  and  his  almost  equally  unfortunate  mother  !  " 

"  Now,  young  ladies,  I  have  you  in  my  snares  !  "  cried 
Lionel  ;  "  you  may  possibly  resist  the  steams  of  tea,  but 
what  woman  can  withstand  the  impulse  of  her  curiosity  ! 
Not  to  be  too  cruel  with  my  fair  kinswomen  on  so  short 
an  acquaintance,  however,  I  will  go  so  far  as  to  acknowl- 
edge that  I  have  already  had  an  interview  with  Mrs.  Pray." 

The  reply  which  Agnes  was  about  to  deliver  was  inter- 
rupted by  a  slight  crash,  and  on  turning  they  beheld  the 
fragments  of  a  piece  of  the  splendid  set  of  Dresden,  lying 
at  the  feet  of  Mrs.  Lechmere. 

"  My  dear  grand-mamma  is  ill  !  "  cried  Cecil,  springing 
to  the  assistance  of  the  old  lady.  "  Hasten,  Cato — Major 
Lincoln,  you  are  more  active — for  heaven's  sake  a  glass  of 
water — Agnes,  your  salts." 

The  amiable  anxiety  of  her  grandchild  was  not,  how- 
ever, so  necessary  as  first  appearances  wrould  have  indi- 
cated, and  Mrs.  Lechmere  gently  put  aside  the  salts, 
though  she  did  not  decline  the  glass  which  Lionel  offered 
for  the  second  time  in  so  short  a  period. 

"  I  fear  you  will  mistake  me  for  a  sad  invalid,  cousin 
Lionel,"  said  the  old  lady,  when  she  had  become  a  little 
composed  ;  "  but  I  believe  it  is  this  very  tea,  of  which  so 
much  has  been  said,  and  which  I  drink  to  excess,  from 
pure  loyalty,  that  unsettles  my  nerves — I  must  refrain,  like 
the  girls,  though  from  a  very  different  motive.  We  are  a 
people  of  early  hours,  Major  Lincoln,  but  you  are  at  home 
here,  and  will  pursue  your  pleasure  ;  I  must,  however, 
claim  an  indulgence  for  threescore-and-ten,  and  be  per- 
mitted to  wish  you  a  good  rest  after  your  voyage.  Cato 
has  his  orders  to  contribute  all  he  can  to  your  comfort." 

Leaning  on  her  two  assistants,  the  old  lady  withdrew, 
leaving  Lionel  to  the  full  possession  of  the  apartment.  As 
the  hour  was  getting  late,  and  from  the  compliments  they 
had  exchanged,  he  did  not  expect  the  return  of  the  younger 
ladies,  he  called  for  a  candle,  and  was  shown  to  his  own 
room.  As  soon  as  the  few  indispensables,  which  rendered 
a  valet  necessary  to  a  gentleman  of  that  period,  were  ob- 
served, he  dismissed  Meriton,  and  throwing  himself  in  the 
bed,  courted  the  sweets  of  the  pillow. 


40  LIONEL  LINCOLN. 

"  You  have  termed  the  idle  indulgence  well  ;  'tis  nothing 
but  a  luxury,  and  such  a  one  as  can  be  easily  dispensed 
with  ;  I  thank  you,  sir,  I  do  not  drink  tea." 

"  Surely  no  lady  can  forswear  her  bohea  !  be  persuaded.1 

"  I  know  not  how  the  subtle  poison  may  operate  on  your 
English  ladies,  Major  Lincoln,  but  it  is  no  difficult  matter 
for  an  American  girl  to  decline  the  use  of  a  detestable  herb, 
which  is  one,  among  many  others,  of  the  causes  that  is  likely 
to  involve  her  country  and  kindred  in  danger  and  strife." 

The  young  man,  who  had  really  intended  no  more  than 
the  common  civilities  due  from  his  sex  to  the  other,  bowed 
in  silence,  though,  as  he  turned  from  her,  he  could  not 
forbear  looking  toward  the  table  to  see  whether  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  other  young  American  were  quite  as  rigid. 
Cecil  sat  bending  over  the  salver,  playing  idly  with  a  curi- 
ously wrought  spoon,  made  to  represent  a  sprig  of  the 
plant,  whose  fragrance  had  been  thus  put  in  requisition 
to  contribute  to  his  indulgence,  while  the  steam  from  the 
chir^a  vessel  before  her  was  wreathing  in  a  faint  mist 
around  her  polished  brow. 

"You  at  least,  Miss  Dynevor,"  said  Lionel,  "  appear  to 
have  no  dislike  to  the  herb,  you  breathe  its  vapor  so  freely." 

Cecil  cast  a  glance  at  him,  which  changed  the  demure 
and  somewhat  proud  composure  of  her  countenance  into 
a  look  of  sudden,  joyous  humor,  that  was  infinitely  more 
natural,  as  she  answered  laughingly — 

"  I  own  a  woman's  weakness.— I  must  believe  it  was  tea 
that  tempted  our  common  mother  in  Paradise  J  " 

"  It  would  show  that  the  cunning  of  the  serpent  has 
been  transmitted  to  a  later  day,  could  that  be  proved,"  said 
Agnes,  "though  the  instrument  of  temptation  has  lost 
some  of  its  virtue." 

"  How  know  you  that  ?"  said  Lionel,  anxious  to  pursue 
the  trifling,  in  order  to  remove  the  evident  distance  which 
had  existed  between  them  ;  "  had  Eve  shut  her  ears  as 
rigidly  as  you  close  your  mouth  against  the  offering,  we 
might  yet  nave  enjoyed  the  first  gift  to  our  parents." 

"Oh,  sir,  'tis  no  such  stranger  to  me  as  you  may  imagine 
from  the  indifference  I  have  assumed  on  the  present  occa- 
sion ;  as  Job  Pray  says,  Boston  harbor  is  nothing  but  a 
*  big  teapot ! ' ' 

"  You  know  Job  Pray,  then,  Miss  Danforth  ! "  said 
Lionel,  not  a  little  amused  by  her  spirit. 

"  Certainly  ;  Boston  is  so  small,  and  Job  so  useful,  that 
everybody  knows  the  simpleton." 


I 


LIONEL   LINCOLN-.  41 

"  He  belongs  to  a  distinguished  family,  then,  for  I  have 
his  own  assurance  that  everybody  knows  his  perturbed 
mother,  Abigail." 

"  You !  "  exclaimed  Cecil,  again,  in  that  sweet,  natural  voice 
that  had  before  startled  her  auditor  ;  "  what  can  you  know 
of  poor  Job,  and  his  almost  equally  unfortunate  mother  !  " 

"  Now,  young  ladies,  I  have  you  in  my  snares  !  "  cried 
Lionel;  "you  may  possibly  resist  the  steams  of  tea,  but 
what  woman  can  withstand  the  impulse  of  her  curiosity  ! 
Not  to  be  too  cruel  with  my  fair  kinswomen  on  so  short 
an  acquaintance,  however,  I  will  go  so  far  as  to  acknowl- 
edge that  I  have  already  had  an  interview  with  Mrs.  Pray." 

The  reply  which  Agnes  was  about  to  deliver  was  inter- 
rupted by  a  slight  crash,  and  on  turning  they  beheld  the 
fragments  of  a  piece  of  the  splendid  set  of  Dresden,  lying 
at  the  feet  of  Mrs.  Lechmere. 

"  My  dear  grand-mamma  is  ill  !  "  cried  Cecil,  springing 
to  the  assistance  of  the  old  lady.  "  Hasten,  Cato — Major 
Lincoln,  you  are  more  active — for  heaven's  sake  a  glass  of 
water — Agnes,  your  salts." 

The  amiable  anxiety  of  her  grandchild  was  not,  how- 
ever, so  necessary  as  first  appearances  would  have  indi- 
cated, and  Mrs.  Lechmere  gently  put  aside  the  salts, 
though  she  did  not  decline  the  glass  which  Lionel  offered 
for  the  second  time  in  so  short  a  period. 

"  I  fear  you  will  mistake  me  for  a  sad  invalid,  cousin 
Lionel,"  said  the  old  lady,  when  she  had  become  a  little 
composed  ;  "  but  I  believe  it  is  this  very  tea,  of  which  so 
much  has  been  said,  and  which  I  drink  to  excess,  from 
pure  loyalty,  that  unsettles  my  nerves — I  must  refrain,  like 
the  girls,  though  from  a  very  different  motive.  We  are  a 
people  of  early  hours,  Major  Lincoln,  but  you  are  at  home 
here,  and  will  pursue  your  pleasure  ;  I  must,  however, 
claim  an  indulgence  for  threescore-and-ten,  and  be  per- 
mitted to  wish  you  a  good  rest  after  your  voyage.  Cato 
has  his  orders  to  contribute  all  he  can  to  your  comfort." 

Leaning  on  her  two  assistants,  the  old  lady  withdrew, 
leaving  Lionel  to  the  full  possession  of  the  apartment.  As 
the  hour  was  getting  late,  and  from  the  compliments  they 
had  exchanged,  he  did  not  expect  the  return  of  the  younger 
ladies,  he  called  for  a  candle,  and  was  shown  to  his  own 
room.  As  soon  as  the  few  indispensables,  which  rendered 
a  valet  necessary  to  a  gentleman  of  that  period,  were  ob- 
served, he  dismissed  Meriton,  and  throwing  himself  in  the 
bed,  courted  the  sweets  of  the  pillow. 


42  LIONEL   LINCOLN, 

Many  incidents,  however,  had  occurred  during  the  day, 
that  induced  a  train  of  thoughts,  which  for  a  long  time 
prevented  his  attaining  the  natural  rest  he  sought.  After 
indulging  in  long  and  uneasy  reflections  on  certain  events, 
too  closely  connected  with  his  personal  feelings  to  be 
lightly  remembered,  the  young  man  began  to  muse  on  his 
reception,  and  on  the  individuals  who  had  been,  as  it  were, 
for  the  first  time,  introduced  to  him. 

It  was  quite  apparent,  that  both  Mrs.  Lechmere  and  her 
granddaughter  were  acting  their  several  parts,  though 
whether  in  concert  or  not,  remained  to  be  discovered.  But 
in  Agnes  Danforth,  with  all  his  subtlety,  he  could  perceive 
nothing  but  the  plain  and  direct,  though  a  little  blunt,  pe- 
culiarities of  her  nature  and  education.  Like  most  very 
young  men,  who  had  just  been  made  acquainted  with  two 
youthful  females,  both  of  them  much  superior  to  the  gen- 
erality of  their  sex  in  personal  charms,  he  fell  asleep 
musing  on  their  characters.  Nor,  considering  the  circum- 
stances, will  it  be  at  all  surprising,  when  we  add  that,  be- 
fore morning,  he  was  dreaming  of  the  Avon,  of  Bristol,  on 
board  which  stout  vessel  he  even  thought  that  he  was  dis- 
cussing a  chowder  on  the  Banks  of  Newfoundland,  which 
had  been  unaccountably  prepared  by  the  fair  hands  of 
Miss  Danforth, 'and  which  was  strangely  flavored  with  tea; 
while  the  Hebe-looking  countenance  of  Cecil  Dynevor  was 
laughing  at  his  perplexities  with  undisguised  good-humor, 
and  with  all  the  vivacity  of  girlish  merriment. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

"A  good  portly  man,   i'  faith,   and  a  corpulent." 

— King  Henrv  IV, 

THE  sun  was  just  stirring  the  heavy  bank  of  fog,  which 
had  rested  on  the  waters  during  the  night,  as  Lionel  toiled 
his  way  up  the  side  of  Beacon-Hill,  anxious  to  catch  a 
glimpse  of  his  native  scenery  while  it  was  yet  glowing  with 
the  first  touch  of  day.  The  islands  raised  their  green  heads 
above  the  mist,  and  the  wide  amphitheatre  of  hills  that  en- 
circled the  bay  was  still  visible,  though  the  vapor  was 
creeping  in  places  along  the  valleys — now  concealing  the 
entrance  to  some  beautiful  glen,  and  now  wreathing  itself 
fantastically  around  a  tall  spire  that  told  the  site  of  a  sub- 
urban village.  Though  the  people  of  the  town  were 
awake  and  up,  yet  the  sacred  character  of  the  day,  and  the 


LIONEL  LINCOLN.  43 

state  of  the  times,  contributed  to  suppress  those  sounds 
which  usually  distinguish  populous  places.  The  cool  nights 
and  warm  days  of  April  had  generated  a  fog  more  than 
usually  dense,  which  was  deserting  its  watery  bed,  and 
stealing  insidiously  along  the  land,  to  unite  with  the  vapors 
of  the  rivers  and  brooks,  spreading  a  wider  curtain  before 
the  placid  view.  As  Lionel  stood  on  the  brow  of  the  plat- 
form that  crowned  the  eminence,  the  glimpses  of  houses 
and  hills,  of  towers  and  ships,  of  places  known  and  places 
forgotten,  passed  before  his  vision,  through  the  openings 
in  the  mist,  like  phantoms  of  the  imagination.  The  whole 
scene,  animated  and  in  motion,  as  it  seemed  by  its  changes, 
appeared  to  his  excited  feelings  like  a  fanciful  panorama, 
exhibited  for  his  eye  alone,  when  his  enjoyment  was  inter- 
rupted by  a  voice  apparently  at  no  great  distance.  It  was 
a  man  singing  to  a  common  English  air  fragments  of  some 
ballad,  writh  a  peculiarly  vile  nasal  cadency.  Through  the 
frequent  pauses,  he  was  enabled  to  comprehend  a  few 
words,  which,  by  their  recurrence,  were  evidently  intended 
for  a  chorus  to  the  rest  of  the  production.  The  reader 
will  understand  the  character  of  the  whole  from  these 
lines,  which  ran  as  follows  : 

And  they  that  would  be  free, 

Out  they  go ; 

While  the  slaves,  as  you  may  see, 
Stay,  to  drink  their  p'ison  tea, 

Down  below ! 

Lionel,  after  listening  to  this  expressive  ditty  for  a 
moment,  followed  the  direction  of  the  sounds  until  he  en- 
countered Job  Pray,  who  was  seated  on  one  of  the  flights 
of  steps,  which  aided  the  ascent  to  the  platform,  cracking 
a  few  walnuts  on  the  boards,  while  he  employed  those  in- 
tervals, when  his  mouth  could  find  no  better  employment, 
in  uttering  the  above-mentioned  strains. 

"  How  now,  Master  Pray  ;  do  you  come  here  to  sing 
your  orisons  to  the  goddess  of  liberty  on  a  Sunday  morn- 
ing," cried  Lionel  ;  "  or  are  you  the  town  lark,  and  for 
want  of  wings,  take  to  this  height  to  obtain  an  altitude  for 
your  melody  ?" 

"There's  no  harm  in  singing  psalm  tunes  or  continental 
songs  any  day  in  the  week,"  said  the  lad,  without  raising 
his  eyes  from  his  occupation.  "  Job  don't  know  what  a 
lark  is,  but  if  it  belongs  to  the  town,  the  soldiers  are  so 
thick,  they  can't  keep  it  on  the  comfmon." 


44  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

"And  what  objection  can  you  have  to  the  soldiers 
sessing  a  corner  of  your  common  ?  " 

"  They  starve  the  cows,  and  then  they  won't  give  milk  ; 
grass  is  sweet  to  beasts  in  the  spring  of  the  year." 

"  But,  my  life  for  it,  the  soldiers  don't  eat  the  grass; 
your  brindles  and  your  blacks,  your  reds  and  your  whites, 
may  have  the  first  offering  of  the  spring  as  usual." 

"  But  Boston  cows  don't  love  grass  that  British  soldiers 
have  trampled  on,"  said  the  sullen  lad. 

"  This  is,  indeed,  carrying  notions  of  liberty  to  refine- 
ment !  "  exclaimed  Lionel,  laughing. 

Job  shook  his  head  threateningly,  as  he  looked  up  and 
said,  "  Don't  you  let  Ralph  hear  you  say  anything  ag'in 
liberty  ! " 

"  Ralph  !  who  is  he,  lad  ?  your  genius  !  where  do  you 
keep  the  invisible,  that  there  is  danger  of  his  overhearing 
what  I  say  ? " 

"  He's  up  there  in  the  fog,"  said  Job,  pointing  signifi- 
cantly toward  the  foot  of  the  beacon,  which  a  dense  volume 
of  vapor  was  enwrapping,  probably  attracted  up  the  tall 
post  that  supported  the  grate. 

Lionel  gazed  at  the  smoky  column  for  a  moment,  \vhen 
the  mists  began  to  dissolve,  and  amid  their  evolutions  he 
beheld  the  dim  figure  of  his  aged  fellow  passenger.  The 
old  man  was  still  clad  in  his  simple,  tarnished  vestments  of 
gray,  which  harmonized  so  singularly  with  the  mists  as  to 
impart  a  look  almost  ethereal  to  his  wasted  form.  As  the 
medium  through  which  he  was  seen  became  less  cloudy, 
his  features  grew  visible,  and  Lionel  could  distinguish  the 
uneasy,  rapid  glances  of  his  eyes,  which  seemed  to  roam 
over  the  distant  objects  with  an  earnestness  that  appeared 
to  mock  the  misty  veil  that  was  floating  before  so  much  of 
the  view.  While  Lionel  stood  fixed  to  the  spot,  gazing  at 
this  irregular  being  with  that  secret  awe  which  the  other 
had  succeeded  in  inspiring,  the  old  man  waved  his  hand 
impatiently,  as  if  he  would  cast  aside  his  shroud.  At  that 
instant  a  bright  sunbeam  darted  into  the  vapor,  illuminat- 
ing his  person,  and  melting  the  mist  into  thin  air.  The 
anxious,  haggard,  and  severe  expression  of  his  countenance 
changed  at  the  touch  of  the  ray,  and  he  smiled  with  a  soft- 
ness and  attraction  that  thrilled  the  nerves  of  the  other,  as 
he  called  aloud  to  the  sensitive  young  soldier — 

"  Come  hither,  Lionel  Lincoln,  to  the  foot  of  this  beacon, 
where  you  may  gather  warnings,  which,  if  properly  heeded, 
will  guide  you  through  many  and  great  dangers  unharmed." 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  45 

"  I  am  glad  you  have  spoken,"  said  Lionel,  advancing  to 
his  side  ;  "you  appeared  like  a  being  of  another  world, 
wrapped  in  that  mantle  of  fog,  and  I  felt  tempted  to  kneel, 
and  ask  a  benediction," 

"  And  am  I  not  a  being  of  another  world !  most  of  my 
interests  are  already  in  the  grave,  and  I  tarry  here  only  for 
a  space,  because  there  is  a  great  work  to  be  done,  which 
cannot  be  performed  without  me.  My  view  of  the  world 
of  spirits,  young  man,  is  much  clearer  and  more  distinct 
than  yours  of  this  variable  scene  at  your  feet.  There  is  no 
mist  to  obstruct  the  eye,  nor  any  doubts  as  to  the  colors 
it  presents." 

"You  are  happy,  sir,  in  the  extremity  of  your  age,  to  be 
so  assured.  But  I  fear  your  sudden  determination  last 
night  subjected  you  to  inconvenience  in  the  tenement  of 
this  changeling." 

"  The  boy  is  a  good  boy,"  said  the  old  man,  stroking  the 
head  of  the  natural  complacently;  "we  understand  each 
other,  Major  Lincoln,  and  that  shortens  introductions,  and 
renders  communion  easy." 

"That  you  feel  alike  on  one  subject,  I  have  already  dis- 
covered ;  but  there  I  should  think  the  resemblance  and 
the  intelligence  must  end." 

"The  propensities  of  the  mind  in  its  infancy  and  in  its 
maturity,  are  but  a  span  apart,"  said  the  stranger  ;  "  the 
amount  of  human  knowledge  is  but  to  know  how  much  we 
are  under  the  dominion  of  our  passions  ;  and  he  who  has 
learned  by  experience  how  to  smother  the  volcano,  and  he 
who  never  felt  its  fires,  are  surely  fit  associates." 

Lionel  bowed  in  silence  to  an  opinion  so  humbling  to 
the  other,  and,  after  a  pause  of  a  moment,  adverted  to  their 
situation. 

"  The  sun  begins  to  make  himself  felt,  and  when  he  has 
driven  away  these  ragged  remnants  of  the  fog,  we  shall  see 
those  places  each  of  us  have  frequented  in  his  day." 

"  Shall  we  find  them  as  we  left  them,  think  you  ?  or  will 
you  see  the  stranger  in  possession  of  the  haunts  of  your 
infancy  ? " 

"  Not  the  stranger,  certainly,  for  we  are  the  subjects  of 
one  king  ;  children  who  own  a  common  parent." 

"  I  will  not  reply  that  he  has  proved  himself  an  un- 
natural father,"  said  the  old  man,  calmly;  "the  gentleman 
who  now  fills  the  British  throne  is  less  to  be  censured  than 
his  advisers,  for  the  oppression  of  his  reign " 

"  Sir,"  interrupted  Lionel,  "  if  such  allusions  are  made  to 


46  LIONEL   LINCOLtf. 

the  person  of  my  sovereign,  we  must  separate  ;  for  it  ill 
becomes  a  British  officer  to  hear  his  master  mentioned 
with  levity." 

"  Levity  !  "  repeated  the  other  slowly.  "  It  is  a  fault  in« 
deed  to  accompany  gray  locks  and  wasted  limbs  !  but  your 
jealous  watchfulness  betrays  you  into  error.  I  have 
breathed  in  the  atmosphere  of  kings,  young  man,  and  know 
how  to  separate  the  individual  and  his  purpose  from  the 
policy  of  his  government.  '  Tis  the  latter  that  will  sever 
this  great  empire,  and  deprive  the  third  George  of  what 
has  so  often  and  so  well  been  termed  '  the  brightest  jewel 
in  his  crown.' " 

"  I  must  leave  you,  sir,"  said  Lionel ;  "  the  opinions  you 
so  freely  expressed  during  our  passage,  were  on  principles 
which  I  can  hardly  call  opposed  to  our  own  constitution, 
and  might  be  heard,  not  only  without  offence,  but  fre- 
quently with  admiration  ;  but  this  language  approaches  to 
treason  ! " 

"  Go,  then,"  returned  the  unmoved  stranger  ;  "  descend 
to  yon  degraded  common,  and  bid  your  mercenaries  seize 
me — '  twill  be  only  the  blood  of  an  old  man,  but  '  twill  help 
to  fatten  the  land  ;  or  send  your  merciless  grenadiers  to 
torment  their  victim  before  the  axe  shall  do  its  work  ;  a 
man  who  has  lived  so  long,  can  surely  spare-  a  little  of  his 
time  to  the  tormentors  !  " 

"  I  could  have  thought,  sir,  that  you  might  spare  such  a 
reproach  to  me,"  said  Lionel. 

"  I  do  spare  it,  and  I  do  more  ;  I  forget  my  years,  and 
solicit  forgiveness.  But  had  you  known  slavery,  as  I  have 
done,  in  its  worst  of  forms,  you  would  know  how  to  prize 
the  inestimable  blessing  of  freedom." 

"  Have  you  ever  known  slavery,  in  your  travels,  more 
closely  than  in  what  you  deem  the  violations  of  principle  ? " 

"  Have  I  not  ?  "  said  the  stranger,  smiling  bitterly  ;  "  I 
have  known  it  as  man  should  never  know  it ;  in  act  and 
will.  I  have  lived  days,  months,  and  even  years,  to  hear 
others  coldly  declare  my  wants  ;  to  see  others  dole  out 
their  meagre  pittances  .to  my  necessities,  and  to  hear  others 
assume  the  right,  to  express  the  sufferings,  and  to  control  the 
enjoyments  of  sensibilities  that  God  had  given  to  me  only ! " 

"  To  endure  such  thraldom,  you  must  have  fallen  into 
the  power  of  the  infidel  barbarians  !  " 

"  Ay  !  boy,  I  thank  you  for  the  words  ;  they  were  indeed 
most  worthy  of  the  epithets  !  infidels  that  denied  the  pre* 
cepts  of  our  blessed  Redeemer  ;  and  barbarians  that  treated 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  47 

one  having  a  soul,  and  possessing  reason  like  themselves, 
as  a  beast  of  the  field." 

"  Why  didn't  you  come  to  Boston,  Ralph,  and  tell  that 
to  the  people  in  Funnel-Hall  ? "  exclaimed  Job  ;  "  ther'd 
ha'  been  a  stir  about  it !  " 

"  Child,  I  did  come  to  Boston,  again  and  again,  in 
thought ;  and  the  appeals  that  I  made  to  my  townsmen 
would  have  moved  the  very  roof  of  old  Faneuil,  could  they 
have  been  uttered  within  her  walls.  But  '  twas  in  vain  ! 
they  had  the  power,  and  like  demons — or  rather  like  misera- 
ble men — they  abused  it." 

Lionel,  sensibly  touched,  was  about  to  reply  in  a  suit- 
able manner,  when  he  heard  a  voice  calling  his  own  name 
aloud,  as  if  the  speaker  were  ascending  the  opposite  ac- 
clivity of  the  hill.  The  instant  the  sounds  reached  his 
ears,  the  old  man  rose  from  his  seat,  on  the  foundation  of 
the  beacon,  and  gliding  over  the  brow  of  the  platform,  fol- 
lowed by  Job,  they  descended  into  a  volume  of  mist  that  was 
still  clinging  to  the  side  of  the  hill,  with  amazing  swiftness. 

"  Why,  Leo  !  thou  lion  in  name,  and  deer  in  activity  I " 
exclaimed  the  intruder,  as  he  surmounted  the  steep  as- 
cent, "  what  can  have  brought  you  up  into  the  clouds  so 
early  !  whew — a  man  needs  a  New-Market  training  to  scale 
such  a  precipice.  But,  Leo,  my  dear  fellow,  I  rejoice  to 
see  you — we  knew  you  were  expected  in  the  first  ship,  and 
as  I  was  coming  from  morning  parade^  I  met  a  couple  of 
grooms  in  the  '  Lincoln  green,'  you  know,  leading  each  a 
blooded  charger — faith,  one  of  them  would  have  been  quite 
convenient  to  climb  this  accursed  hill  on — whew  and 
whew-w,  again — well,  I  knew  the  liveries  at  a  glance  ;  as 
to  the  horses,  I  hope  to  be  better  acquainted  with  them 
hereafter.  *  Pray,  sir,'  said  I,  to  one  of  the  liveried  scoun- 
drels, *  whom  do  you  serve  ? '  '  Major  Lincoln,  of  Ravens- 
cliffe,  sir,'  said  he,  with  a  look  as  impudent  as  if  he  could 
have  said,  like  you  and  I,  *  His  sacred  majesty,  the  king.' 
That's  the  answer  of  the  servants  of  your  ten  thousand  a 
year  men  !  Now,  if  my  fool  had  been  asked  such  a  ques- 
tion, his  answer  would  have  been,  craven  dog  as  he  is, 
*  Captain  Polwarth,  of  the  47th  ;'  leaving  the  inquirer,  though 
it  should  even  be  some  curious  maiden  who  had  taken  a 
fancy  to  the  tout  ensemble  of  my  outline,  in  utter  ignorance 
that  there  is  such  a  place  in  the  world  as  Polwarth-Hall !  '* 

During  this  voluble  speech,  which  was  interrupted  by 
sundry  efforts  to  regain  the  breath  lost  in  the  ascent, 
Lionel  shook  his  friend  cordially  by  the  hand,  antl  at 


48  LIONEL   LINCOLN-. 

tempted  to  express  his  own  pleasure  at  the  meeting.  The? 
failure  of  wind,  however,  which  was  a  sort  of  besetting  sin 
with  Captain  Polwarth,  had  now  compelled  him  to  pause, 
and  gave  time  to  Lionel  to  reply. 

"  This  hill  is  the  last  place  where  I  should  have  expected 
to  meet  you,"  he  said.  "  I  took  it  for  granted  you  would 
not  be  stirring  until  nine  or  ten  at  least,  when  it  was  my 
intention  to  inquire  you  out,  and  to  give  you  a  call  before 
I  paid  my  respects  to  the  commander-in-chief." 

"  Ah  !  you  may  thank  his  excellency,  the  *  Hon.  Thomas 
Gage,  governor  and  commander-in-chief  in  and  over  the 
Province  of  Massachusetts  Bay,  and  vice-admiral  of  the 
same,'  as  he  styles  himself  in  his  proclamations,  for  this 
especial  favor ;  though,  between  ourselves,  Leo,  he  is 
about  as  much  governor  over  the  Province  as  he  is  o\vner 
of  those  hunters  you  have  just  landed." 

"  But  why  am  I  to  thank  him  for  this  interview  ?" 

"  Why  !  look  about  you,  and  tell  me  what  you  behold — 
nothing  but  fog — nay,  I  see  there  is  a  steeple,  and  yonder  is 
the  smoking  sea,  and  here  are  the  chimneys  of  Hancock's 
house  beneath  us,  smoking  too,  as  if  their  rebellious  mas- 
ter were  at  home,  arid  preparing  his  feed  !  but  everything 
in  sight  is  essentially  smoky,  and  there  is  a  natural  aver- 
sion, in  us  epicures,  to  smoke.  Nature' dictates  that  a 
man  who  has  as  much  to  do  in  a  day,  in  carrying  himself 
about,  as  your  humble  servant,  should  not  cut  his  rest  too 
abruptly  in  the  morning.  But  the  honorable  Thomas, 
governor  and  vice-admiral,  etc.,  has  ordered  us  under  arms 
with  the  sun,  officers  as  well  as  men  ! " 

"  Surely  that  is  no  great  hardship  to  a  soldier,"  returned 
Lionel  ;  "  and  moreover,  it  seems  to  agree  with  you  mar- 
vellously !  Now  I  look  again,  Polwarth,  I  am  amazed  ! 
Surely  you  are  not  in  a  light-infantry  jacket !  " 

"  Certes — what  is  there  in  that  so  wonderful  ? "  returned 
the  other,  with  great  gravity.  "  Don't  I  become  the  dress, 
or  is  it  the  dress  which  does  not  adorn  me,  that  you  look 
ready  to  die  with  mirth  ?  Laugh  it  out,  Leo.  I  am  used 
to  it  these  three  days — but  what  is  there,  after  all,  so  re- 
markable in  Peter  Polwarth's  commanding  a  company  of 
light  infantry  ?  Am  I  not  just  five  feet,  six  and  one-eighth 
of  an  inch  ? — the  precise  height !  " 

;i  You  appear  to  have  been  so  accurate  in  your  longitu- 
dinal admeasurement,  that  you  must  carry  one  of  Harrison's 
timepieces  in  your  pocket  ;  did  it  ever  suggest  itself  to  you 
to  use  the  quadrant  also  ?  " 


LINCOLN;  49 

"  For  my  latitude !  I  understand  you,  Leo  ;  because  I  am 
shaped  a  little  like  mother  earth,  does  it  argue  that  I  cannot 
command  a  light-infantry  company  ?  " 

"  Ay,  even  as  Joshua  commanded  the  sun.  But  the  stop- 
ping oi  the  planet  itself,  is  not  a  greater  miracle  in  my 
eyes,  than  to  see  you  in  that  attire." 

"Well,  then,  the  mystery  shall  be  explained  ;  but  first  let 
us  be  seated  on  this  beacon,"  said  Captain  Polvvarth,  estab- 
lishing himself  with  great  method  in  the  place  so  lately 
occupied  by  the  attenuated  form  of  the  stranger  ;  "  a  true 
soldier  husbands  his  resources  for  a  time  of  need  ;  that  word, 
husbands,  brings  me  at  once  to  the  point — I  am  in  love." 

"  That  is  surprising  !  " 

"  But  what   is   much  more  so,  I  would  fain  be  married." 

"  It  must  be  a  woman  of  no  mean  endowments  that 
could  excite  such  desires  in  Captain  Polwarth,  of  the  47th, 
and  of  Polwarth-Hall !  " 

"She  is  a  wo  man  of  great  qualifications,  Major  Lincoln," 
said  the  lover,  with  a  sudden  gravity  that  indicated  his 
gayety  of  manner  was  not  entirely  natural.  "  In  figure  she 
may  be  said  to  be  done  to  a  turn.  When  she  is  grave,  she 
walks  with  the  stateliness  of  a  show  beef  ;  when  she  runs, 
'tis  with  the  activity  of  a  turkey  ;  and  when  at  rest,  I  can 
only  compare  her  to  a  dish  of  venison,  savory,  delicate, 
and  what  one  can  never  get  enough  of." 

"  You  have,  to  adopt  your  own  metaphors,  given  such  a 
*  rare  '  sketch  of  her  person,  I  am  '  burning '  to  hear  some- 
thing of  her  mental  qualifications." 

"  My  metaphors  are  not  poetical,  perhaps,  but  they  are 
the  first  that  offer  themselves  to  my  mind,  and  they  are 
natural.  Her  accomplishments  exceed  her  native  gifts 
greatly.  In  the  first  place,  she  is  witty ;  in  the  second, 
she  is  as  impertinent  as  the  devil ;  and  in  the  third,  as 
inveterate  a  little  traitor  to  King  George  as  there  is  in  all 
Boston." 

"  These  are  strange  recommendations  to  your  favor ! " 

"  The  most  infallible  of  all  recommendations.  They  are 
piquant,  like  savory  sauces,  which  excite  the  appetite,  and 
season  the  dish.  Now  her  treason  (for  it  amounts  to  that 
in  fact)  is  like  olives,  and  gives  a  gusto  to  the  generous 
port  of  my  loyalty.  Her  impertinence  is  oil  to  the  cold 
salad  of  my  modesty,  and  her  acid  wit  mingles  with  the 
sweetness  of  my  temperament,  in  that  sort  of  pleasant  com* 
bination,  with  which  sweet  and  sour  blend  in  sherbet." 

"  It  would  be  idle  for  me  to  gainsay  the  charms  of  such 


50  LIONEL   LINCOLN". 

a  woman,"  returned  Lionel,  a  good  deal  amused  with  th« 
droll  mixture  of  seriousness  and  humor  in  the  other's 
manner  ;  "  now  for  her  connection  with  the  light-infantry 
— she  is  not  of  the  light  corps  of  her  own  sex,  Polwarth  ? " 

"Pardon  me,  Major  Lincoln  ;  I  cannot  joke  on  this  sub- 
ject. Miss  Danforth  is  of  one  of  the  best  families  in 
Boston." 

"  Danforth !  not  Agnes,  surely  !  " 

"  The  very  same!"  exclaimed  Polwarth,  in  surprise; 
"what  do  you  know  of  her  ?  " 

"Only  that  she  is  a  sort  of  cousin  of  my  own,  and  that 
we  are  inmates  of  the  same  house.  We  bear  equal  affinity 
to  Mrs.  Lechmere,  and  the  good  lady  has  insisted  that  I 
shall  make  my  home  in  Tremont  Street." 

"  I  rejoice  to  hear  it  !  At  all  events,  our  intimacy  may 
now  be  improved  to  some  better  purpose  than  eating  and 
drinking.  But  to  the  point — there  were  certain  damnable 
innuendoes  getting  into  circulation,  concerning  my  pro- 
portions, which  I  considered  it  prudent  to  look  down  at 
once." 

"  In  order  to  do  which,  you  had  only  to  look  thinner." 

"  And  do  I  not,  in  this  appropriate  dress  ?  To  be  per- 
fectly serious  with  you,  Leo, — for  to  you  I  can  freely  un- 
burden myself, — you  know  what  a  set  we  are  in  the  47th: 
let  them  once  fasten  an  opprobrious  term,  or  a  nickname, 
on  you,  and  you  take  it  to  the  grave,  be  it  ever  so  burden- 
some." 

"There  is  a  way,  certainly,  to  check  ungentleman-like 
liberties,"  said  Lionel,  gravely. 

"  Poh  !  poh  !  a  man  wouldn't  wish  to  fight  about  a  pound 
more  or  a  pound  less  of  fat  !  still  the  name  is  a  great  deal, 
and  first  impressions  are  everything.  Now,  whoever  thinks 
of  Grand  Cairo,  as  a  village  ;  of  the  Grand  Turk  and  Great 
Mogul,  as  little  boys ;  or,  who  would  believe,  by  hearsay, 
that  Captain  Polwarth,  of  the  light  infantry,  could  weigh 
one  hundred  and  eighty  !  " 

"Add  twenty  to  it." 

"  Not  a  pound  more,  as  I  am  a  sinner.  I  was  weighed 
in  the  presence  of  the  whole  mess  no  later  than  last  week, 
since  when  I  have  rather  lost  than  gained  an  ounce,  fo/ 
this  early  rising  is  no  friend  to  a  thriving  condition. 
'Twas  in  my  nightgown,  you'll  remember,  Leo,  for  we, 
who  tally  so  often,  can't  afford  to  throw  in  boots,  and 
buckles,  and  all  those  sorts  of  things,  like  your  feather* 
weights." 


LINCOLN.  51 

"  But  I  marvel  how  Nesbitt  was  induced  to  consent  to 
the  appointment,"  said  Lionel ;  "  he  loves  a  little  dis- 
play." 

"  I  am  your  man  for  that,"  interrupted  the  captain  ;  "we 
are  embodied  you  know,  and  I  make  more  display,  if  that 
be  what  you  require,  than  any  captain  in  the  corps.  But 
I  will  whisper  a  secret  in  your  ear.  There  has  been  a  nasty 
business  here,  lately,  in  which  the  47th  has  gained  no  new 
laurels — a  matter  of  tarring  and  feathering,  about  an  old 
rusty  musket." 

"I  have  heard  something  of  the  affair  already,"  returned 
Lionel,  "  and  was  grieved  to  find  the  men  justifying  some 
of  their  own  brutal  conduct  last  night,  by  the  example  of 
their  commander." 

"  Mum — 'tis  a  delicate  matter — well,  that  tar  has  brought 
the  colonel  into  particularly  bad  odor  in  Boston,  especially 
among  the  women,  in  whose  good  graces  we  are  all  of  us 
lower  than  I  have  ever  known  scarlet  coats  to  stand  be- 
fore. Why,  Leo,  the  Mohairs  are  altogether  the  better 
men,  here  !  But  there  is  not  an  officer  in  the  whole  army 
who  has  made  more  friends  in  the  place  than  your  humble 
servant.  I  have  availed  myself  of  my  popularity,  which 
just  now  is  no  trifling  thing,  and  partly  by  promises,  and 
partly  by  secret  interest,  I  have  the  company  ;  to  which, 
you  know,  my  rank  in  the  regiment  gives  me  an  undoubted 
title." 

"  A  perfectly  satisfactory  explanation  ;  a  most  com- 
mendable ambition  on  your  part,  and  a  certain  symptom 
that  the  peace  is  not  to  be  disturbed  ;  for  Gage  would  never 
permit  such  an  arrangement,  had  he  any  active  operations 
in  his  eye." 

"Why,  there  I  think  you  are  more  than  half  right ;  these 
Yankees  have  been  talking,  and  resolving,  and  approbating 
their  resolves,  as  they  call  it,  these  ten  years  past ;  and 
what  does  it  all  amount  to  ?  To  be  sure,  things  grow 
worse  and  worse  every  day — but  Jonathan  is  an  enigma 
to  me.  Now  you  know,  wrhen  we  were  in  the  cavalry 
together — God  forgive  me  the  suicide  I  committed  in  ex- 
changing into  the  foot,  which  I  never  should  have  done, 
could  I  have  found  in  all  England  such  a  thing  as  an  easy 
goer,  or  a  safe  leaper — but  then,  if  the  commons  took 
offence  at  a  new  tax,  or  a  stagnation  in  business,  why,  they 
got  together  in  mobs,  and  burnt  a  house  or  two,  frightened 
a  magistrate,  and  perhaps  hustled  a  constable  ;  then  in  we 
came  at  a  hand  gallop,  you  know,  flourished  our  sword% 


52  LIONEL 

and  scattered  the  ragged  devils  to  the  four  winds  ;  when 
the  courts  did  the  rest,  leaving  us  a  cheap  victory  at  the 
expense  of  a  little  wind,  which  was  amply  compensated  by 
an  increased  appetite  for  dinner.  But  here  it  is  altogether 
a  different  sort  of  thing." 

"And  what  are  the  most  alarming  symptoms,  just  now, 
in  the  colonies?"  asked  Major  Lincoln,  with  a  sensible 
interest  in  the  subject. 

"They  refuse  their  natural  aliment  to  uphold  what  they 
call  their  principles;  the  women  abjure  tea,  and  the  men 
abandon  their  fisheries !  There  has  been  hardly  such  a 
thing  as  even  a  wild-duck  brought  into  the  market  this 
spring,  in  consequence  of  the  Port-Bill,  and  yet  they  grow 
more  stubborn  every  day.  If  it  should  come  to  blows, 
however,  thank  God  we  are  strong  enough  to  open  a  pas- 
sage for  ourselves  to  any  part  of  the  continent  where  pro- 
visions may  be  plentier  ;  and  I  hear  more  troops  are  already 
on  the  way." 

"  If  it  should  come  to  blows,  which  heaven  forbid/'  said 
Major  Lincoln,  "we  shall  be  besieged  where  we  now  are." 

"  Besieged  !  "  exclaimed  Polwarth,  in  evident  alarm  ;  "  if 
I  thought  there  was  the  least  prospect  of  such  a  calamity, 
I  would  sell  out  to-morrow.  It  is  bad  enough  now  ;  our 
mess-table  is  never  decently  covered,  but'  if  there  should 
come  a  siege,  'twould  be  absolute  starvation. — No,  no,  Leo, 
their  minute  men,  and  their  long-tailed  rabble,  would 
hardly  think  of  besieging  four  thousand  British  soldiers 
with  a  fleet  to  back  them.  Four  thousand  !  if  the  regi- 
ments I  hear  named  are  actually  on  the  way,  there  will  be 
eight  thousand  of  us — as  good  men  as  ever  wore " 

"Light-infantry  jackets,"  interrupted  Lionel.  "  But 
the  regiments  are  certainly  coming  ;  Clinton,  Burgoyne, 
and  Howe,  had  an  audience  to  take  leave  on  the  same  day 
with  myself.  The  service  is  exceedingly  popular  with  the 
king,  and  our  reception,  of  course,  was  most  gracious  ; 
though  I  thought  the  eye  of  royalty  looked  on  me  as  if  it 
remembered  one  or  two  of  my  juvenile  votes  in  the  house, 
on  the  subject  of  these  unhappy  dissensions." 

"You  voted  against  the  Port-Bill,"  said  Polwarth,  "out 
of  regard  to  me  ?  " 

"No  ;  there  I  joined  the  ministry.  The  conduct  of  the 
people  of  Boston  had  provoked  the  measure,  and  there 
were  hardly  two  minds  in  Parliament  on  that  question." 

"Ah  !  Major  Lincoln,  you  are  a  happy  man,"  said  the 
captain;  "a  seat  in  Parliament  at  five-and-twenty !  { 


Z/0JVEX 

must  think  that  I  should  prefer  just  such  an  occupation  to 
all  others — the  very  name  is  taking  ;  a  seat !  you  have  two 
members  for  your  borough — who  fills  the  second  now?" 

"  Say  nothing  on  that  subject,  I  entreat  you,"  whispered 
Lionel,  pressing  the  arm  of  the  other,  as  he  rose  ;  "  'tis 
not  filled  by  him  who  should  occupy  it,  as  you  know. — 
Shall  we  descend  to  the  common  ?  there  are  many  friends 
that  I  could  wish  to  see  before  the  bell  calls  us  to  church." 

"  Yes  ;  this  is  a  church-going,  or,  rather,  meeting-going 
place  ;  for  most  of  the  good  people  forswear  the  use  of 
the  word  church,  as  we  abjure  the  supremacy  of  the  pope," 
returned  Polwarth,  following  in  his  companion's  foot- 
steps ;  "  I  never  think  of  attending  any  of  •their  schism- 
shops,  for  I  would  any  day  rather  stand  sentinel  over  a 
baggage-wagon  than  stand  up  to  hear  one  of  their  pray- 
ers. I  can  do  very  well  at  the  King's  Chapel,  as  they  call 
it  ;  for  when  I  am  once  comfortably  fixed  on  my  knees, 
I  make  out  as  well  as  my  lord  archbishop  of  Canterbury  ; 
though  it  has  always  been  matter  of  surprise  to  me,  how 
any  man  can  find  breath  to  go  through  their  work  of  a 
morning." 

They  descended  the  hill,  as  Lionel  replied,  and  their 
forms  were  soon  blended  with  those  of  twenty  others,  who 
wore  scarlet  coats,  on  the  common. 


CHAPTER  V. 

"For  us,  and  for  our  tragedy, 
Here  stooping  to  your  clemency, 
We  beg  your  hearing  patiently." — Hamlet. 

WE  must,  now,  carry  the  reader  back  a  century,  in  order 
to  clear  our  tale  of  every  appearance  of  ambiguity.  Regi- 
nald Lincoln  was  a  cadet  of  an  extremely  ancient  and 
wealthy  family,  whose  possessions  were  suffered  to  con- 
tinue as  appendages  to  a  baronetcy,  throughout  all  the 
changes  which  marked  the  eventful  periods  of  the  com 
monwealth,  and  the  usurpation  of  Cromwell.  He  had 
himself,  however,  inherited  little  more  than  a  morbid 
sensibility,  which,  even  in  that  age,  appeared  to  be  a  sort 
of  heirloom  to  his  family.  While  still  a  young  man,  he 
had  married  a  woman  to  whom  he  was  much  attached, 
who  died  in  giving  birth  to  her  first  child.  The  grief  of 
the  husband  took  a  direction  toward  religion  ;  but  un- 


54  LIONEL 

happily,  instead  of  deriving  from  his  researches  that 
healing  consolation,  with  which  our  faith  abounds,  his 
mind  became  soured  by  the  prevalent,  but  discordant 
views  of  the  attributes  of  the  Deity  ;  and  the  result  of 
his  conversion  was,  to  leave  him  an  ascetic  puritan,  and 
an  obstinate  predestinarian.  That  such  a  man,  finding 
but  little  to  connect  him  with  his  native  country,  should 
revolt  at  the  impure  practices  of  the  court  of  Charles, 
is  not  surprising  ;  and,  accordingly,  though  not  a,t  all 
implicated  in  the  guilt  of  the  regicides,  he  departed  for 
the  religious  province  of  Massachusetts-Bay,  in  the  first 
years  of  the  reign  of  that  merry  prince. 

It  was  not  difficult  for  a  man  of  the  rank  and  reputed 
sanctity  of  Reginald  Lincoln,  to  obtain  both  honorable  and 
lucrative  employments  in  the  plantations  ;  and,  after  the 
first  glow  of  his  awakened  ardor  in  behalf  of  spiritual  mat- 
ters had  a  little  abated,  he  failed  not  to  improve  a  due  por- 
tion of  his  time  by  a  commendable  attention  to  temporal 
things.  To  the  day  of  his  death,  however,  he  continued  a 
gloomy,  austere,  and  bigoted  religionist,  seemingly  too  re- 
gardless of  the  vanities  of  this  world  to  permit  his  pure 
imagination  to  mingle  with  its  dross,  even  while  he  sub- 
mitted to  discharge  its  visible  duties.  Notwithstanding 
this  elevation  of  mind,  his  son,  at  the  decease  of  his  father, 
found  himself  in  the  possession  of  many  goodly  effects  ; 
which  were,  questionless,  the  accumulations  of  a  neglected 
use  during  the  days  of  his  sublimated  progenitor. 

Young  Lionel  so  far  followed  in  the  steps  of  his  worthy 
parent,  as  to  continue  gathering  honors  and  riches  into 
his  lap  ;  though,  owing  to  an  early  disappointment,  and  the 
inheritance  of  the  "heirloom"  already  mentioned,  it  was 
late  in  life  before  he  found  a  partner  to  share  his  happi- 
ness. Contrary  to  all  the  usual  calculations  that  are  made 
on  the  choice  of  a  man  of  self-denial,  he  was  then  united 
to  a  youthful  and  gay  Episcopalian,  who  had  little,  beside 
her  exquisite  beauty  and  good  blood,  to  recommend  her. 
By  this  lady  he  had  four  children,  three  sons  and  a  daugh- 
ter, when  he  also  was  laid  in  the  vault,  by  the  side  of  his 
deceased  parent.  The  eldest  of  these  sons  was  yet  a  boy 
when  he  was  called  to  the  mother-country,  to  inherit  the 
estates  and  honors  of  his  family.  The  second,  named  Reg- 
inald, who  was  bred  to  arms,  married,  had  a  son,  and  lost 
his  life  in  the  wilds  where  he  was  required  to  serve,  before 
he  was  five-and-twenty.  The  third  was  the  grandfather  of 
Agnes  Danforth ;  and  the  daughter  was  Mrs.  Lechmere. 


LIONEL   LINCOLN-.  55 

The  family  of  Lincoln,  considering  the  shortness  of 
their  marriages,  had  been  extremely  prolific  while  in  the 
colonies,  according  to  that  wise  allotment  of  Providence, 
which  ever  seems  to  regulate  the  functions  of  our  nature 
by  our  wants  ;  but  the  instant  it  was  reconveyed  to  the 
populous  island  of  Britain,  it  entirely  lost  its  reputation 
for  fruitfulness.  Sir  Lionel  lived  to  a  good  age,  married, 
but  died  childless  ;  notwithstanding,  when  his  body  lay  in 
state,  it  was  under  a  splendid  roof,  and  in  halls  so  ca- 
pacious that  they  would  have  afforded  comfortable  shelter 
to  the  whole  family  of  Priam. 

By  this  fatality,  it  became  necessary  to  cross  the  Atlan- 
tic once  more,  to  find  an  heir  to  the  wide  domains  of  Rav- 
enscliffe,  and  to  one  of  the  oldest  baronetcies  in  the  king- 
dom. 

We  have  planted  and  reared  this  genealogical  tree  to  but 
little  purpose,  if  it  be  necessary  to  tell  the  reader  that  the 
individual,  who  had  now  become  the  head  of  his  race,  was 
the  orphan  son  of  the  deceased  officer.  He  was  married, 
and  the  father  of  one  blooming  boy,  when  this  elevation, 
which  was  not  unlooked  for,  occurred.  Leaving  his  wife 
and  child  behind  him,  Sir  Lionel  immediately  proceeded 
to  England,  to  assert  his  rights  and  secure  his  possessions. 
As  he  was  the  nephew  and  acknowledged  heir  of  the  late  in- 
cumbent, he  met  with  no  opposition  to  the  more  important 
parts  of  his  claims.  Across  the  character  and  fortunes  of 
this  gentleman,  however,  a  dark  cloud  had  early  passed, 
which  prevented  the  common  eye  from  reading  the  events 
of  his  life,  like  those  of  other  men,  in  its  open  and  intelli- 
gible movements.  After  his  accession  to  fortune  and  rank, 
but  little  was  known  of  him,  even  by  his  earliest  and  most 
intimate  associates.  It  was  rumored,  it  is  true,  that  he 
had  been  detained  in  England,  for  two  years,  by  a  vexa- 
tious contention  for  a  petty  appendage  to  his  large  estates, 
a  controversy  which  was,  however,  known  to  have  been  de- 
cided in  his  favor,  before  he  was  recalled  to  Boston  by  the 
sudden  death  of  his  wife.  This  calamity  befell  him  during 
the  period  when  the  war  of  '56  was  raging  in  its  greatest 
violence  :  a  time  when  the  energies  of  the  colonies  were 
directed  to  the  assistance  of  the  mother-country,  who,  ac- 
cording to  the  language  of  the  day,  was  zealously  endeav- 
oring to  defeat  the  ambitious  views  of  the  French,  in  this 
hemisphere  ;  or,  what  amounted  to  the  same  thing  in  effect, 
in  struggling  to  advance  her  own. 

It  was  an  interesting  period,  when  the  mild  and  peaceful 


56  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

colonists  were  seen  to  shake  off  their  habits  of  forbearance, 
and  to  enter  into  the  strife  with  an  alacrity  and  spirit  that 
soon  emulated  the  utmost  daring  of  their  more  practised 
confederates.  To  the  amazement  of  all  who  knew  his 
fortunes,  Sir  Lionel  Lincoln  was  seen  to  embark  in  many 
of  the  most  desperate  adventures  that  distinguished  the 
war,  with  a  hardihood  that  rather  sought  death  than 
courted  honor.  He  had  been,  like  his  father,  trained  to 
arms,  but  the  regiment  in  which  he  held  the  commission 
of  lieutenant  colonel,  was  serving  his  master  in  the  most 
eastern  of  his  dominions,  while  the  uneasy  soldier  was  thus 
rushing  from  point  to  point,  hazarding  his  life,  and  more 
than  once  shedding  his  blood,  in  the  enterprises  that  sig- 
nalized his  war  in  his  most  \vestern. 

This  dangerous  career,  however,  was  at  length  suddenly 
and  mysteriously  checked.  By  the  influence  of  some  pow- 
erful agency  that  was  never  explained,  the  baron  was  in- 
duced to  take  his  son,  and  embark  once  more  for  the  land 
of  their  fathers,  from  which  the  former  had  never  been 
known  to  return.  For  many  years,  all  those  inquiries 
which  the  laudable  curiosity  of  the  townsmen  and  towns- 
women  of  Mrs.  Lechmere,  prompted  them  to  make,  con- 
cerning the  fate  of  her  nephew,  (and  we  leave  each  of 
our  readers  to  determine  their  numbers,)  were  answered  by 
that  lady  with  the  most  courteous  reserve  ;  and  sometimes 
with  such  exhibitions  of  emotion,  as  we  have  already  at- 
tempted to  describe  in  her  first  interview  with  his  son. 
But  constant  dropping  will  wear  away  a  stone.  At  first 
there  were  rumors  that  the  baronet  had  committed  treason, 
and  had  been  compelled  to  exchange  Ravenscliffe  for  a  less 
comfortable  dwelling  irj,  the  Tower  of  London.  This  report 
was  succeeded  by  that  of  an  unfortunate  private  marriage 
with  one  of  the  princesses  of  the  house  of  Brunswick  ;  but 
a  reference  to  the  calendars  of  the  day  showed,  that  there 
was  no  lady  of  a  suitable  age  disengaged  ;  and  this  amour, 
so  creditable  to  the  provinces,  was  necessarily  abandoned. 
Finally,  the  assertion  was  made,  with  much  more  of  the 
confidence  of  truth,  that  the  unhappy  Sir  Lionel  was  the 
tenant  of  a  private  mad-house. 

The  instant  this  rumor  was  circulated,  a  film  fell  from 
every  eye,  and  none  were  so  blind  as  not  to  have  seen  in- 
dications of  insanity  in  the  baronet  long  before  ;  and  not 
a  few  were  enabled  to  trace  his  legitimate  right  to  lunacy 
through  the  hereditary  bias  of  his  race.  To  account  for 
its  sudden  exhibition,  was  a  more  difficult  task  and  exer* 


LIONEL    LINCOLN'.  57 

cised  the  ingenuity  of  an  exceedingly  ingenious  people, 
for  a  long  period. 

The  more  sentimental  part  of  the  community,  such  as  the 
maidens  and  bachelors,  and  those  votaries  of  Hymen  who 
had  twice  and  thrice  proved  the  solacing  power  of  the 
god,  did  not  fail  to  ascribe  the  misfortune  of  the  baronet 
to  the  unhappy  loss  of  his  wife  *  a  lady  to  whom  he  was 
known  to  be  most  passionately  attached.  A  few,  the  relics 
of  the  good  old  school,  under  whose  intellectual  sway  the 
incarnate  persons  of  so  many  godless  dealers  in  necro- 
mancy had  been  made  to  expiate  for  their  abominations, 
pointed  to  the  calamity  as  a  merited  punishment  on  the 
backslidings  of  a  family  that  had  once  known  the  true 
faith  ;  while  the  third,  and  by  no  means  a  small  class, 
composed  of  those  worthies  who  braved  the  elements  in 
King  Street,  in  quest  of  filthy  lucre,  did  not  hesitate  to  say, 
that  the  sudden  acquisition  of  vast  wealth  had  driven  many 
a  better  man  mad.  But  the  time  was  approaching,  when 
the  apparently  irresistible  propensity  to  speculate  on  the 
fortunes  of  a  fellow-creature  was  made  to  yield  to  more 
important  considerations.  The  hour  soon  arrived  when  the 
merchant  forgot  his  momentary  interests  to  look  keenly 
into  the  distant  effects  that  were  to  succeed  the  move- 
ments of  the  day  ;  which  taught  the  fanatic  the  wholesome 
lesson,  that  Providence  smiled  most  beneficently  on  those 
who  most  merited,  by  their  own  efforts,  its  favors  ;  and 
which  even  purged  the  breast  of  the  sentimentalist  of  its 
sickly  tenant,  to  be  succeeded  by  the  healthy  and  enno- 
bling passion  of  love  of  country.- 

It  was  about  this  period  that  the  contest  for  principle 
between  the  Parliament  of  Great  Britain,  and  the  colonies 
of  North  America,  commenced,  that  in  time  led  to  those 
important  results  which  have  established  a  new  era  in 
political  liberty,  as  well  as  a  mighty  empire.  A  brief  glance 
at  the  nature  of  this  controversy  may  assist  in  rendering 
many  of  the  allusions  in  this  legend  more  intelligible  to 
some  of  its  readers. 

The  increasing  wealth  of  the  provinces  had  attracted  the 
notice  of  the  English  ministry  so  early  as  the  year  1763. 
In  that  year  the  first  effort  to  raise  a  revenue  which  was  to 
meet  the  exigenices  of  the  empire,  was  attempted  by  the 
passage  of  a  law  to  impose  a  duty  on  certain  stamped 
paper,  which  was  made  necessary  to  give  validity  to  con- 
tracts. This  method  of  raising  a  revenue  was  not  new 
in  itself,  nor  was  the  imposition  heavy  in  amount.  But 


58  LIONEL  LINCOLN. 

the  Americans,  not  less  sagacious  than  wary,  perceived 
at  a  glance  the  importance  of  the  principles  involved  in 
the  admission  of  a  right  as  belonging  to  any  body  to 
lay  taxes,  in  which  they  were  not  represented.  The  ques- 
tion was  not  without  its  difficulties,  but  the  direct  and 
plain  argument  was  clearly  on  the  side  of  the  colonists. 
Aware  of  the  force  of  their  reasons,  arid  perhaps  a  little 
conscious  of  the  strength  of  their  numbers,  they  approach- 
ed the  subject  with  a  spirit  which  betokened  this  con- 
sciousness, but  with  a  coolness  that  denoted  the  firmness 
of  their  purpose.  After  a  struggle  of  nearly  two  years, 
during  which  the  law  was  rendered  completely  profitless 
by  the  unanimity  among  the  people,  as  well  as  by  a 
species  of  good-humored  violence  that  rendered  it  exceed- 
ingly inconvenient,  and  perhaps  a  little  dangerous,  to  the 
servants  of  the  crown  to  exercise  their  obnoxious  functions, 
the  ministry  abandoned  the  measure.  But,  at  the  same 
time  that  the  law  was  repealed,  the  Parliament  maintained 
its  right  to  bind  the  colonies  in  all  cases  whatsoever,  by 
recording  a  resolution  to  that  effect  in  its  journals. 

That  an  empire,  whose  several  parts  were  separated  by 
oceans,  and  whose  interests  were  so  often  conflicting, 
should  become  unwieldy,  and  fall,  in  time,  by  its  own 
weight,  was  an  event  that  all  wise  men  must  have  ex- 
pected to  arrive.  But,  that  the  Americans  did  not  con- 
template such  a  division  at  that  early  day,  may  be  fairly 
inferred,  if  there  were  no  other  testimony  in  the  matter, 
by  the  quiet  and  submission  that  pervaded  the  colonies 
the  instant  that  the  repeal  of  the  stamp  act  was  known. 
Had  any  desire  for  premature  independence  existed, 
the  Parliament  had  unwisely  furnished  abundant  fuel 
to  feed  the  flame,  in  the  very  resolution  already  men- 
tioned. But,  satisfied  with  the  solid  advantages  they  had 
secured,  peaceful  in  their  habits,  and  loyal  in  their  feel- 
ings, the  colonists  laughed  at  the  empty  dignity  of  their 
self-constituted  rulers,  while  they  congratulated  each  other 
on  their  own  more  substantial  success.  If  the  besotted 
servants  of  the  King  had  learned  wisdom  by  the  past,  the 
storm  would  have  blown  over,  and  another  age  would 
have  witnessed  the  events  which  we  are  about  to  relate. 
Things  were  hardly  suffered,  however,  to  return  to  their 
old  channels  again,  before  the  ministry  attempted  to  re- 
vive their  claims  by  new  impositions.  The  design  to  raise 
a  revenue  had  been  defeated  in  the  case  of  the  stamp  act, 
by  the  refusal  of  the  colonists  to  use  the  paper;  but  in 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  5$ 

the  present  instance,  expedients  were  adopted,  which,  it 
was  thought,  would  be  more  effective — as  in  the  case  of 
tea,  where  the  duty  was  paid  by  the  East-India  Company 
in  the  first  instance,  and  the  exaction  was  to  be  made  on 
the  Americans,  through  their  appetites.  These  new  inno- 
vations on  their  rights  were  met  by  the  colonists  with  the 
same  promptitude,  but  with  much  more  of  seriousness 
than  in  the  former  instances.  All  the  provinces  south  of 
the  Great  Lakes,  acted  in  concert  on  this  occasion  ;  and 
preparations  were  made  to  render  not  only  their  remon- 
strances and  petitions  more  impressive  by  a  unity  of  ac- 
tion, but  their  more  serious  struggles  also,  should  an  ap- 
peal to  force  become  necessary.  The  tea  was  stored  or 
sent  back  to  England,  in  most  cases,  though  in  the  town 
of  Boston,  a  concurrence  of  circumstances  led  to  the  vio- 
lent measure,  on  the  part  of  the  people,  of  throwing  a 
large  quantity  of  the  offensive  article  into  the  sea.  To 
punish  this  act,  which  took  place  in  the  early  part  of  1774, 
the  port  of  Boston  was  closed,  and  different  laws  were 
enacted  in  Parliament,  which  were  intended  to  bring  the 
people  back  to  a  sense  of  their  dependence  on  the  British 
power. 

Although  the  complaints  of  the  colonists  were  hushed 
during  the  short  interval  that  had  succeeded  the  suspen- 
sion of  the  efforts  of  the  ministry  to  tax  them,  the  feelings 
of  alienation  which  were  engendered  by  the  attempt,  had 
not  time  to  be  lost  before  the  obnoxious  subject  was  re- 
vived in  its  new  shape.  From  1763  to  the  period  of  our 
tale,  all  the  younger  part  of  the  population  of  the  prov- 
inces had  grown  into  manhood,  but  they  were  no  longer 
imbued  with  that  profound  respect  for  the  mother-coun- 
try which  had  been  transmitted  from  their  ancestors,  or 
with  that  deep  loyalty  to  the  crowrn  that  usually  charac- 
terizes a  people  who  view  the  pageant  of  royalty  through 
the  medium  of  distance.  Still,  those  who  guided  the  feel- 
ings, and  controlled  the  judgments  of  the  Americans,  were 
averse  to  a  dismemberment  of  the  empire,  a  measure 
which  they  continued  to  believe  both  impolitic  and  un- 
natural. 

In  the  meantime,  though  equally  reluctant  to  shed 
blood,  the  adverse  parties  prepared  for  that  final  struggle, 
which  seemed  to  be  unavoidably  approaching.  The  situa- 
tion of  the  colonies  was  now  so  peculiar,  that  it  may  be 
doubted  whether  history  furnishes  a  precise  parallel. 
Their  fealty  to  the  prince  was  everywhere  acknowledged, 


60  LIONEL   LINCOLN-. 

while  the  laws -which  emanated  from  his  counsellors  were 
sullenly  disregarded  and  set  at  naught.  Each  province 
possessed  its  distinct  government,  and  in  most  of  them  the 
political  influence  of  the  crown  was  direct  and  great ;  but 
the  time  had  arrived  when  it  was  superseded  by  a  moral 
feeling  that  defied  the  machinations  and  intrigues  of  the 
ministry.  Such  of  the  provincial  legislatures  as  possessed 
a  majority  of  the  "  Sons  of  Liberty,"  as  they  who  resisted 
the  unconstitutional  attempts  of  the  ministry  were  termed, 
elected  delegates  to  meet  in  a  general  congress  to  consult 
on  the  ways  and  means  of  effecting  the  common  objects. 
In  one  or  two  provinces,  where  the  inequality  of  repre- 
sentation afforded  a  different  result,  the  people  supplied 
the  deficiencies  by  acting  in  their  original  capacity.  This 
body,  meeting,  unlike  conspirators,  with  the  fearless  con- 
fidence of  integrity,  and  acting  under  the  excitement  of  a 
revolution  in  sentiment,  possessed  an  influence,  which  at 
a  later  day,  has  been  denied  to  their  more  legally  con' 
stituted  successors.  Their  recommendations  possessed  all 
the  validity  of  laws,  without  incurring  their  odium. 
While,  as  the  organ  of  their  fellow-subjects,  they  still  con- 
tinued to  petition  and  remonstrate,  they  did  not  forget  to 
oppose,  by  such  means  as  were  then  thought  expedient, 
the  oppressive  measures  of  the  ministry.  • 

An  association  was  recommended  to  the  people,  for 
those  purposes  that  are  amply  expressed  in  the  three 
divisions  which  were  significantly  given  to  the  subjects,  in 
calling  them  by  the  several  names  of  "  non-importation," 
"non-exportation,"  and  "non-consumption"  resolutions. 
These  negative  expedients  were  all  that  was  constitution- 
ally in  their  power,  and,  throughout  the  whole  contro- 
versy, there  had  been  a  guarded  care  not  to  exceed  the 
limits  which  the  laws  had  affixed  to  the  rights  of  the  sub- 
ject. Though  no  overt  act  of  resistance  was  committed, 
they  did  not,  however,  neglect  such  means  as  were  attain- 
able to  be  prepared  for  the  last  evil,  whenever  it  should 
arrive.'  In  this  manner  a  feeling  of  resentment  and  dis- 
affection was  daily  increasing  throughout  the  provinces, 
while  in  Massachusetts  Bay,  the  more  immediate  scene  of 
our  story,  the  disorder  in  the  body  politic  seemed  to  be 
inevitably  gathering  to  its  head. 

The  great  principles  of  the  controversy  had  been  blend- 
ed, in  different  places,  with  various  causes  of  local  com- 
plaint, and  in  none  more  than  in  the  town  of  Boston. 
The  inhabitants  of  this  place  had  been  distinguished  foi 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  & 

an  early,  open,  and  fearless  resistance  to  the  ministry.  An 
armed  force  had  long  been  thought  necessary  to  intimi' 
date  this  spirit,  to  effect  which  the  troops  were  drawn 
from  different  parts  of  the  provinces,  and  concentrated  in 
this  devoted  town.  Early  in  1774,  a  military  man  was 
placed  in  the  executive  chair  of  the  province,  and  an  atti- 
tude of  more  determination  was  assumed  by  the  govern- 
ment. One  of  the  first  acts  of  this  gentleman,  who  held 
the  high  station  of  lieutenant  general,  and  who  com- 
manded all  the  forces  of  the  king  in  America,  was  to  dis- 
solve the  colonial  assembly.  About  the  same  time  a  new 
charter  was  sent  from  England,  and  a  material  change 
was  contemplated  in  the  polity  of  the  colonial  govern- 
ment. From  this  moment  the  power  of  the  king,  though 
it  was  not  denied,  became  suspended  in  the  province.  A 
provincial  congress  was  elected,  and  assembled  within 
seven  leagues  of  the  capital,  where  they  continued,  from 
time  to  time,  to  adopt  such  measures  as  the  exigencies  of 
the  times  were  thought  to  render  necessary.  Men  were 
enrolled,  disciplined,  and  armed,  as  well  as  the  imperfect 
means  of  the  colony  would  allow.  These  troops,  who 
were  no  more  than  the  elite  of  the  inhabitants,  had  little 
else  to  recommend  them  besides  their  spirit,  and  their 
manual  dexterity  with  fire-arms.  From  the  expected 
nature  of  their  service,  they  were  not  unaptly  termed 
"  minute-men."  The  munitions  of  war  were  seized,  and 
hoarded  with  a  care  and  diligence  that  showed  the  char- 
acter of  the  impending  conflict. 

On  the  other  hand,  General  Gage  adopted  a  similar 
course  of  preparation  and  prevention,  by  fortifying  himself 
in  the  strong  hold  which  he  possessed,  and  by  anticipating 
the  intentions  of  the  colonists,  in  their  attempts  to  form 
magazines,  whenever  it  was  in  his  power.  He  had  an  easy 
task  in  the  former,  both  from  the  natural  situation  of  the 
place  he  occupied,  and  the  species  of  force  he  commanded. 

Surrounded  by  broad  and  chiefly  by  deep  waters,  except 
at  one  extremely  narrow  point,  and  possessing  its  triple 
hills,  which  are  not  commanded  by  any  adjacent  eminen- 
ces, the  peninsula  of  Boston  could,  with  a  competent  gar- 
rison, easily  be  made  impregnable,  especially  when  aided 
by  a  superior  fleet.  The  works  erected  by  the  English 
general  were,  however,  by  no  means  of  magnitude  ;  for  it 
was  well  known  that  the  whole  park  of  the  colonists  could 
not  exceed  some  half  dozen  pieces  of  field  artillery,  with  a 
small  battering  train  that  must  be  entirely  composed  of 


62  LIONEL  LINCOLN. 

old  and  cumbrous  ship  guns.  Consequently,  when  Lionel 
arrived  in  Boston,  he  found  a  few  batteries  thrown  up  on 
the  eminences,  some  of  which  were  intended  as  much  to 
control  the  town  as  to  repel  an  enemy  from  without,  while 
lines  were  drawn  across  the  neck  which  communicated 
with  the  main.  The  garrison  consisted  of  something  less 
than  live  thousand  men,  besides  which  there  was  a  fluctu- 
ating  force  of  seamen  and  marines,  as  the  vessels  of  war 
arrived  and  departed. 

All  this  time,  there  was  no  other  interruption  to  the  in- 
tercourse between  the  town  and  the  country,  than  such  as 
unavoidably  succeeded  the  stagnation  of  trade,  and  the  dis- 
trust engendered  by  the  aspect  of  affairs.  Though  num- 
berless families  had  deserted  their  homes,  many  known 
whigs  continued  to  dwell  in  their  habitations,  where  their 
ears  were  deafened  by  the  sounds  of  the  British  drums,  and 
where  their  spirits  were  but  too  often  galled  by  the  sneers 
of  the  officers  on  the  uncouth  military  preparations  of 
their  countrymen.  Indeed,  an  impression  had  spread  fur- 
ther than  among  the  idle  and  thoughtless  youths  of  the 
army,  that  the  colonists  were  but  little  gifted  with  martial 
qualities  ;  and  many  of  their  best  friends  in  Europe  were 
in  dread,  lest  an  appeal  to  force  should  put  the  contested 
points  forever  at  rest,  by  proving  the  incompetency  of  the 
Americans  to  maintain  them  to  the  last  extremity. 

In  this  manner,  both  parties  stood  at  bay  ;  the  people 
living  in  perfect  order  and  quiet,  without  the  administra- 
tion of  law,  sullen,  vigilant,  and,  through  their  leaders, 
secretly  alert  ;  and  the  army,  gay,  haughty,  and  careless 
of  the  consequences,  though  far  from  being  oppressive  or 
insolent,  until  after  the  defeat  of  one  or  two  abortive  ex- 
cursions into  the  country  in  quest  of  arms.  Each  hour, 
however,  was  rapidly  adding  to  the  disaffection  on  one 
side,  and  to  the  contempt  and  resentment  on  the  other, 
through  numberless  public  and  private  causes,  that  belong 
rather  to  history  than  to  a  legend  like  this.  All  extraordi- 
nary occupations  were  suspended,  and  men  awaited  the 
course  of  things  in  anxious  expectation.  It  was  known 
that  the  Parliament,  instead  of  retracing  their  political 
errors,  had  imposed  new  restraints,  and,  as  has  been  men- 
tioned, it  was  also  rumored  that  regiments  and  fleets  were 
on  their  way  to  enforce  them. 

How  long  a  country  could  exist  in  such  a  primeval  con- 
dition remained  to  be  seen,  though  it  was  difficult  to  say 
when  or  how  it  was  to  terminate.  The  people  of  the  land 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  63 

appeared  to  slumber  ;  but,  like  vigilant  and  wary  soldiers, 
they  might  be  said  to  sleep  on  their  arms ;  while  the 
troops  assumed,  each  day,  more  of  that  fearful  prepara- 
tion which  gives,  even  to  the  trained  warrior,  a  more 
martial  aspect — though  both  parties  still  continued  to 
manifest  a  becoming  reluctance  to  shed  blood. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

"Would  he  were  fatter  : — but  I  fear  him  not : — 
Seldom  he  smiles  ;  and  smiles  in  such  a  sort, 
As  if  he  mocked  himself,  and  scorned  his  spirit 
That  could  be  moved  to  smile  at  any  thing." 

— Julius  Ccesar. 

IN  the  course  of  the  succeeding  week,  Lionel  acquired 
a  knowledge  of  many  minor  circumstances  relating  to  the 
condition  of  the  colonies,  which  may  be  easily  imagined 
as  incidental  to  the  times,  but  which'  \vould  greatly  exceed 
our  limits  to  relate.  He  was  received  by  his  brethren 
in  arms,  with  that  sort  of  cordiality  that  a  rich,  high- 
spirited,  and  free,  if  not  a  jovial  comrade,  was  certain  of 
meeting  among  men  who  lived  chiefly  for  pleasure  and 
appearance.  Certain  indications  of  more  than  usually  im- 
portant movements  were  discovered  among  the  troops,  the 
first  day  of  the  week,  and  his  own  condition  in  the  army 
was  in  some  measure  affected  by  the  changes.  Instead  of 
joining  his  particular  regiment,  he  was  ordered  to  hold 
himself  in  readiness  to  take  a  command  in  the  light  corps, 
which  had  begun  its  drill  for  the  service  that  was  peculiar 
to  such  troops.  As  it  was  well  known  that  Boston  was 
Major  Lionel's  place  of  nativity,  the  commander-in-chief, 
with  the  indulgence  and  kindness  of  his  character,  granted 
to  him,  however,  a  short  respite  from  duty,  in  order  that 
he  might  indulge  in  the  feelings  natural  to  his  situation. 
It  was  soon  generally  understood,  that  Major  Lincoln, 
though  intending  to  serve  with  the  army  in  America, 
should  the  sad  alternative  of  an  appeal  to  arms  become 
necessary,  had  permission  to  amuse  himself  in  such  a 
manner  as  he  saw  fit,  for  two  months  from  the  date  of  his 
arrival.  Those  who  affected  to  be  more  wise  than  com- 
mon, saw,  or  thought  they  saw,  in  this  arrangement,  a  deep 
laid  plan  on  the  part  of  Gage,  to  use  the  influence  and 


64  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

address  of  the  young  provincial  among  his  connections 
and  natural  friends,  to  draw  them  back  to  those  senti- 
ments of  loyalty  which  it  was  feared  so  many  among  them 
had  forgotten  to  entertain.  But  it  was  the  characteristic 
of  the  times  to  attach  importance  to  trifling  incidents,  and 
to  suspect  a  concealed  policy  in  movements  which  ema- 
nated only  in  inclination. 

There  was  nothing,  however,  in  the  deportment,  or  man- 
ner of  life  adopted  by  Lionel,  to  justify  any  of  these  con- 
jectures. He  continued  to  dwell  in  the  house  of  Mrs. 
Lechmere,  in  person,  though,  unwilling  to  burden  the  hos- 
pitality of  his  aunt  too  heavily,  he  had  taken  lodgings  in  a 
dwelling  at  no  great  distance,  where  his  servants  resided, 
and  where  it  was  generally  understood,  that  his  visits  of 
ceremony  and  friendship  were  to  be  received.  Captain 
Polwarth  did  not  fail  to  complain  loudly  of  this  arrange- 
ment, as  paralyzing  at  once  all  the  advantages  he  had  an- 
ticipated from  enjoying  the  entre  to  the  dwelling  of  his 
mistress,  in  the  right  of  his  friend.  But  as  the  establish- 
ment of  Lionel  was  supported  with  much  of  that  liberality 
which  was  becoming  in  a  youth  of  his  large  fortune,  the 
exuberant  light-infantry  officer  found  many  sources  of  con- 
solation in  the  change,  which  could  not  have  existed,  had 
the  staid  Mrs.  Lechmere  presided  over  the  domestic  de- 
partment. Lionel  and  Polwarth  had  been  boys  together 
at  the  same  school,  members  of  the  same  college  at  Oxford, 
and  subsequently,  for  many  years,  comrades  in  the  same 
corps.  Though,  perhaps,  no  two  men  in  their  regiment 
were  more  essentially  different  in  mental  as  well  as  physical 
constitution,  yet.  by  that  unaccountable  caprice,  which 
causes  us  to  like  our  opposites,  it  is  certain  that  no  two 
gentlemen  in  the  service  were  known  to  be  on  better  terms, 
or  to  maintain  a  more  close  and  unreserved  intimacy.  It 
is  unnecessary  to  dilate  here  on  this  singular  friendship  : 
it  occurs  every  day,  between  men  still  more  discordant,  the 
result  of  accident  and  habit,  and  is  often,  as  in  the  present 
instance,  cemented  by  unconquerable  good-nature  in  one 
of  the  parties.  For  this  latter  qualification  Captain  Pol- 
warth was  eminent,  if  for  no  other.  It  contributed  quite 
as  much  as  his  science  in  the  art  of  living  to  the  thriving 
condition  of  the  corporeal  moiety  of  the  man,  and  it  ren- 
dered a  communion  with  the  less  material  part  at  all  times 
inoffensive,  if  not  agreeable. 

On  the  present  occasion,  the  captain  took  charge  of  the 
internal  economy  of  Lionel's  lodgings,  with  a  zeal  which 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  6$ 

he  did  not  even  pretend  was  disinterested.  By  the  rules 
of  the  regiment  he  was  compelled  to  live  nominally  with 
the  mess,  where  he  found  his  talents  and  his  wishes  fet- 
tered by  divers  indispensable  regulations,  and  economical 
practices,  that  could  not  be  easily  overleaped  ;  but  with 
Lionel,  just  such  an  opportunity  offered  for  establishing 
rules  of  his  own,  and  disregarding  expenditure,  as  he  had 
been  long  pining  for  in  secret.  Though  the  poor  of  the 
town  were,  in  the  absence  of  employment,  necessarily  sup- 
ported by  large  contributions  of  money,  clothing,  and  food, 
which  were  transmitted  to  their  aid  from  the  furthermost 
parts  of  the  colonies,  the  markets  were  not  yet  wanting  in 
all  the  necessaries  of  life,  to  those  who  enjoyed  the  means 
of  purchasing.  With  this  disposition  of  things,  therefore, 
he  became  wrell  content,  and  within  the  first  fortnight  after 
the  arrival  of  Lionel,  it  became  known  to  the  mess  that 
Captain  Polvvarth  took  his  dinners  regularly  with  his  old 
friend,  Major  Lincoln  ;  though  in  truth  the  latter  was  en- 
joying, more  than  half  the  time,  the  hospitality  of  the 
respective  tables  of  the  officers  of  the  staff. 

In  the  meantime  Lionel  cultivated  his  acquaintance  in 
Tremont  Street,  where  he  still  slept,  with  an  interest  and 
assiduity  that  the  awkwardness  of  his  first  interview  would 
not  have  taught  us  to  expect.  With  Mrs.  Lechmere,  it  is 
true,  he  made  but  little  progress  in  intimacy  ;  for,  equally 
formal,  though  polite,  she  was  at  all  times  enshrouded  in  a 
cloud  of  artificial,  but  cold  management,  that  gave  him 
little  opportunity,  had  he  possessed  the  desire,  to  break 
through  the  reserve  of  her  calculating  temperament.  With 
his  more  youthful  kinswomen,  the  case  was,  however,  in  a 
very  few  days,  entirely  reversed.  Agnes  Danforth,  who 
had  nothing  to  conceal,  began  insensibly  to  yield  to  the 
manliness  and  grace  of  his  manner,  and  before  the  end  of 
the  first  week,  she  maintained  the  rights  of  the  colonists, 
laughed  at  the  follies  of  the  officers,  and  then  acknowledged 
her  own  prejudices,  with  a  familiarity  and  good-humor 
that  soon  made  her,  in  her  turn,  a  favorite  with  her  Eng- 
lish cousin,  as  she  termed  Lionel.  But  he  found  the 
demeanor  of  Cecil  Dynevor  much  more  embarrassing,  if 
not  inexplicable.  For  days  she  would  be  distant,  silent, 
and  haughty,  and  then  again,  as  it  were  by  sudden  im- 
pulses, she  became  easy  and  natural  ;  her  whole  soul 
beaming  in  her  speaking  eyes,  or  her  innocent  and  merry 
humor  breaking  through  the  bounds  of  her  restraint,  and 
rendering  not  only  herself,  but  all  around  her,  happy  and 


66  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

delighted.  Full  many  an  hour  did  Lionel  ponder  on  this 
unaccountable  difference  in  the  manner  of  this  young  lady, 
at  different  moments.  There  was  a  secret  excitement  in 
the  very  caprices  of  her  humors,  that  had  a  piquant  in- 
terest in  his  eyes,  and  which,  aided  by  her  exquisite  form 
and  intelligent  face,  gradually  induced  him  to  become  a 
more  close  observer  of  their  waywardness,  and  consequently 
a  more  assiduous  attendant  on  her  movements.  In  con- 
sequence of  this  assiduity,  the  manner  of  Cecil  grew,  al- 
most imperceptibly,  less  variable,  and  more  uniformly 
fascinating,  while  Lionel,  by  some  unaccountable  over- 
sight, soon  forgot  to  note  its  changes,  or  even  to  miss  the 
excitement. 

In  a  mixed  society,  where  pleasure,  company,  and  a 
multitude  of  objects,  conspired  to  distract  the  attention, 
such  alterations  would  be  the  result  of  an  intercourse  for 
months,  if  they  ever  occurred  ;  but  in  a  town  like  Boston, 
from  which  most  of  those  with  whom  Cecil  had  once 
mingled  were  already  fled,  and  where,  consequently,  those 
who  remained  behind  lived  chiefly  for  themselves  and  by 
themselves,  it  was  no  more  than  the  obvious  effect  of  very 
apparent  causes.  In  this  manner  something  like  good- 
will, if  not  a  deeper  interest  in  each  other  was  happily 
effected  within  that  memorable  fortnight/which  was  teem- 
ing with  events  vastly  more  important  in  their  results  than 
any  that  can  appertain  to  the  fortunes  of  a  single  family. 

The  winter  of  1774-5  had  been  as  remarkable  for  its 
mildness,  as  the  spring  was  cold  and  lingering.  Like  every 
season  in  our  changeable  climate,  however,  the  chilling 
days  of  March  and  April  were  intermingled  with  some, 
when  a  genial  sun  recalled  the  ideas  of  summer,  which,  in 
their  turn,  were  succeeded  by  others,  when  the  torrents  of 
cold  rain,  that  drove  before  the  easterly  gales,  would  seem 
to  repel  every  advance  toward  a  milder  temperature. 
Many  of  those  stormy  days  occurred  in  the  middle  of  April, 
and  during  their  continuance  Lionel  was  necessarily  com- 
pelled to  keep  himself  housed. 

He  had  retired  from  the  parlor  of  Mrs.  Lechmere,  one 
evening  when  the  rain  was  beating  against  the  windows  of 
the  house,  in  nearly  horizontal  lines,  to  complete  some 
letters  which,  before  dining,  he  had  commenced  to  the 
agent  of  his  family,  in  England.  On  entering  his  own 
apartment,  he  was  startled  to  find  the  room,  which  he  had 
left  vacant,  and  which  he  expected  to  find  in  the  same 
state,  occupied  in  a  manner  that  he  could  not  anticipate. 


LIONEL  LINCOLN.  67 

The  light  of  a  strong  wood  fire  was  blazing  on  the  hearth^ 
and  throwing  about,  in  playful  changes,  the  flickering 
shadows  of  the  furniture,  and  magnifying  each  object  into 
some  strange  and  fantastical  figure.  As  he  stepped  with- 
in the  door,  his  eye  fell  upon  one  of  these  shadows,  which 
extended  along  the  wall,  and,  bending  against  the  ceiling, 
exhibited  the  gigantic  but  certain  outlines  of  the  human 
form.  Recollecting  that  he  had  left  his  letters  open,  and 
a  little  distrusting  the  discretion  of  Meriton,  Lionel  ad- 
vanced lightly,  for  a  few  feet,  so  far  as  to  be  able  to  look 
round  the  drapery  of  his  bed,  and,  to  his  amazement,  per- 
ceived that  the  intruder  was  not  his  valet,  but  the  aged 
stranger.  The  old  man  sat  holding  in  his  hand  the  open 
letter  which  Lionel  had  been  writing,  and  continued  so 
deeply  absorbed  in  its  contents,  that  the  footsteps  of  the 
other  were  still  disregarded.  A  large,  coarse  overcoat, 
dripping  with  water,  concealed  most  of  his  person,  though 
the  white  hairs  that  strayed  about  his  face,  and  the  deep  lines 
of  his  remarkable  countenance,  could  not  be  mistaken. 

"  I  was  ignorant  of  this  unexpected  visit,"  said  Lionel, 
advancing  quickly  into  the  centre  of  the  room,  "  or  I  should 
not  have  been  so  tardy  in  returning  to  my  apartment, 
where,  sir,  I  fear  you  must  have  found  your  time  irksome, 
with  nothing  but  that  scrawl  to  amuse  you." 

The  old  man  dropped  the  paper  from  before  his  features, 
and  betrayed,  by  the  action,  the  large  drops  that  followed 
each  other  down  his  hollow  cheeks,  until  they  fell  even  to 
the  floor.  The  haughty  and  displeased  look  disappeared 
from  the  countenance  of  Lionel  at  this  sight,  and  he  was 
on  the  point  of  speaking  in  a  more  conciliating  manner, 
when  the  stranger,  whose  eye  had  not  quailed  before  the 
angry  frown  it  encountered,  anticipated  his  intention. 

"I  comprehend  you,  Major  Lincoln,"  he  said,  calmly ; 
"  but  there  can  exist  justifiable  reasons  for  a  greater 
breach  of  faith  than  this,  of  which  you  accuse  me.  :  Acci- 
dent, and  not  intention,  has  put  me  in  possession,  here,  of 
your  most  secret  thoughts  on  a  subject  that  has  deep  in- 
terest for  me.  You  have  urged  me  often,  during  our  voy- 
age, to  make  you  acquainted  with  all  that  you  most  desire 
to  know  ;  to  which  request,  as  you  may  remember,  I  have 
ever  been  silent." 

"  You  have  said,  sir,  that  you  are  master  of  a  secret  in 
which  my  feelings,  I  will  acknowledge,  are  deeply  inter- 
ested, and  I  have  urged  you  to  remove  my  doubts  by  de* 
claring  the  truth  ;  but  I  do  not  perceive " 


68  LIONEL  LINCOLN. 

"  How  a  desire  to  possess  my  secret  gives  me  a  claim  to 
inquire  into  yours,  you  would  say,"  interrupted  the 
stranger ;  "  nor  does  it.  But  an  interest  in  your  affairs, 
that  you  cannot  yet  understand,  and  which  is  vouched  for 
by  these  scalding  tears,  the  first  that  have  fallen  in  years 
from  a  fountain  that  I  had  thought  dried,  should,  and 
must,  satisfy  you." 

"  It  does,"  said  Lionel,  deeply  affected  by  the  melan- 
choly tones  of  his  voice,  "  it  does,  it  does,  and  I  will  listen 
to  no  further  explanation  on  the  unpleasant*subject.  You 
see  nothing  there,  I  am  sure,  of  which  a  son  can  have  rea- 
son to  be  ashamed." 

"  I  see  much  here,  Lionel  Lincoln,  of  which  a  father 
would  have  reason  to  be  proud,"  returned  the  old  man. 
"  It  was  the  filial  love  which  you  have  displayed  in  this  pa- 
per, which  has  drawn  these  drops  from  my  eyes  ;  for  he 
who  has  lived  as  I  have  done,  beyond  the  age  of  man,  with- 
out knowing  the  love  that  the  parent  feels  for  its  offspring, 
or  which  the  child  bears  to  the  author  of  its  being,  must 
have  outlived  his  natural  sympathies,  not  to  be  conscious 
of  his  misfortune,  when  chance  makes  him  sensible  of  af- 
fections like  these." 

"  You  have  never  been  a  father,  then?"  said  Lionel, draw- 
ing a  chair  nigh  to  his  aged  companion,  and  seating  himself 
with  an  air  of  powerful  interest,  that  he  could  not  control. 

"  Have  I  not  told  you  that  I  am  alone  ?"  returned  the 
old  man,  with  a  solemn  manner.  After  an  impressive 
pause,  he  continued,  though  his  tones  were  husky  and  low 
— "  I  have  been  both  husband  and  parent,  in  my  day,  but 
'  tis  so  long  since,  that  no  selfish  tie  remains  to  bind  me  to 
earth.  Old  age  is  the  neighbor  of  death,  and  the  chill  of 
the  grave  is  to  be  found  in  its  warmest  breathings." 

"Say  not  so,"  interrupted  Lionel,  "for  you  do  injustice 
to  your  own  warm  nature — you  forget  your  zeal  in  behalf 
of  what  you  deem  these  oppressed  colonies." 

"'Tis  no  more  than  the  flickering  of  the  dying  lamp, 
which  flares  and  dazzles  most  when  its  source  of  heat  is 
nighest  to  extinction.  But  though  I  may  not  infuse  into 
your  bosom  a  warmth  that  I  do  not  possess  myself,  I  can 
point  out  the  dangers  with  which  life  abounds,  and  serve 
as  a  beacon,  when  no  longer  useful  as  a  pilot.  It  is  for 
such  a  purpose,  Major  Lincoln,  that  I  have  braved  the 
tempest  of  to-night." 

"  Has  anything  occurred,  which,  by  rendering  danger 
pressing,  can  make  such  an  exposure  necessary  ?" 


LIONEL 

"  Look  at  me,"  said  the  old  man,  earnestly — "  I  have  seen 
most  of  this  flourishing  country  a  wilderness;  my  recol- 
lection goes  back  into  those  periods  when  the  savage,  and 
the  beast  of  the  forest,  contended  with  our  fathers  for 
much  of  that  soil  which  now  supports  its  hundreds  of 
thousands  in  plenty  ;  and  my  time  is  to  be  numbered;  not 
by  years,  but  by  ages.  For  such  a  being,  think  you  there 
can  yet  be  many  months,  or  weeks,  or  even  days,  in  store  ? " 

Lionel  dropped  his  eyes,  in  embarrassment,  to  the  floor, 
as  he  answered — 

"  You  cannot  have  very  many  years,  surely,  to  hope 
for  ;  but  with  the  activity  and  temperance  you  possess, 
days  and  months  confine  you,  I  trust,  in  limits  much  too 
small." 

"  What !  "  exclaimed  the  other,  stretching  forth  a  color- 
less hand,  in  which  even  the  prominent  veins  partook  in 
the  appearance  of  a  general  decay  of  nature  ;  "  with  these 
wasted  limbs,  these  gray  hairs,  and  this  sunken  and  sepul- 
chral cheek,  would  you  talk  to  me  of  years  !  to  me,  who 
have  not  the  effrontery  to  petition  for  even  minutes,  were 
they  worth  the  praver — so  long  alreadv  has  been  my  pro% 
bation  ! " 

"  It  is  certainly  time  to  think  of  the  change,  when  it  ap- 
proaches so  very  near." 

"  Well,  then,  Lionel  Lincoln,  old,  feeble,  and  on  the 
threshold  of  eternity  as  I  stand,  yet  am  I  not  nearer  to  my 
grave  than  that  country,  to  which  you  have  pledged  your 
blood,  is  to  a  mighty  convulsion,  which  will  shake  her  in- 
stitutions to  their  foundations." 

"  I  cannot  admit  the  signs  of  the  times  to  be  quite  so 
portentous  as  your  fears  would  make  them,"  said  Lionel, 
smiling  a  little  proudly.  "  Though  the  worst  that  is  appre- 
hended should  arrive,  England  will  feel  the  shock  but  as 
the  earth  bears  an  eruption  of  one  of  its  volcanoes  !  But 
\ve  talk  in  idle  figures,  sir  :  know  you  anything  to  justify 
the  apprehension  of  immediate  danger  ? " 

The  face  of  the  stranger  lighted  with  a  sudden  and  start- 
ling gleam  of  intelligence,  and  a  sarcastic  smile  passed 
across  his  wan  features,  as  he  answered  slowly— 

"  They  only  have  cause  to  fear  who  will  be  the  losers 
by  the  change  !  A  youth  who  casts  off  the  trammels  of 
his  guardians  is  not  apt  to  doubt  his  ability  to  govern 
himself.  England  has  held-  these  colonies  so  long  in  lead- 
ing-strings, that  she  forgets  her  offspring  is  able  to  go 
alone." 


70  LIONEL  LINCOLN. 

"  Now,  sir,  you  exceed  even  the  wild  projects  of  the  most 
daring  among  those  who  call  themselves  the  *  Sons  of 
Liberty  ' — as  if  liberty  existed  in  any  place  more  favored 
or  more  nurtured  than  under  the  blessed  constitution  of 
England!  The  utmost  required  is  what  they  term  a  redress 
of  grievances,  many  of  which,  I  must  think,  exist  only  in 
imagination." 

"  Was  a  stone  ever  known  to  roll  upward  ?  Let  there  be 
but  one  drop  of  American  blood  spilt  in  anger,  and  its  stain 
will  become  indelible." 

"  Unhappily,  the  experiment  has  been  already  tried  ;  and 
yet  years  have  rolled  by,  while  England  keeps  her  footing 
and  authority  good." 

"  Her  authority ! "  repeated  the  old  man  ;  "  see  you  not, 
Major  Lincoln,  in  the  forbearance  of  this  people,  when  they 
felt  themselves  in  the  wrong,  the  existence  of  the  very  prin- 
ciples that  will  render  them  invincible  and  unyielding  when 
right  ?  But  we  waste  our  time — I  came  to  conduct  you  to 
a  place  where,  with  your  own  ears,  and  with  your  own 
eyes,  you  may  hear  and  see  a  little  of  that  spirit  which  per- 
vades the  land — You  will  follow  ?  " 

"  Not  surely  in  such  a  tempest ! " 

"  This  tempest  is  but  a  trifle  to  that  which  is  about  to 
break  upon  you,  unless  you  retrace  your  steps  ;  but  follow, 
I  repeat ;  if  a  man  of  my  years  disregards  the  night,  ought 
an  English  soldier  to  hesitate  ?" 

The  pride  of  Lionel  was  touched  ;  and  remembering  an 
engagement  he  had  previously  made  with  his  aged  friend 
to  accompany  him  to  a  scene  like  this,  he  made  such 
changes  in  his  dress  as  would  serve  to  conceal  his  profes- 
sion, threw  on  a  large  cloak  to  protect  his  person,  and  was 
about  to  lead  the  way  himself,  when  he  was  aroused  by  the 
voice  of  the  other. 

"  You  mistake  the  route,"  he  said  ,•  "  this  is  to  be  a  se- 
cret, and  I  hope  a  profitable  visit — none  must  know  of 
your  presence  ;  and  if  you  are  a  worthy  son  of  your  honor- 
able father,  I  need  hardly  add  that  my  faith  is  pledged  for 
your  discretion." 

"  The  pledge  will  be  respected,  sir,"  said  Lionel,  haugh- 
tily ;  "  but  in  order  to  see  what  you  wish,  we  are  not  to  re- 
main here  ?" 

"  Follow,  then,  and  be  silent,"  said  the  old  man,  turning 
and  opening  the  doors  which  led  into  a  little  apartment 
lighted  by  one  of  those  smaller  windows,  already  mentioned 
iii  describing  the  exterior  of  the  building.  The  passage 


LIONEL   LINCOLN".  71 

was  dark  and  narrow  ;  but,  observing  the  warnings  of  his 
companion,  Lionel  succeeded  in  descending,  in  safety,  a 
flight  of  steps  which  formed  a  private  communication 
between  the  offices  of  the  dwelling  and  its  upper  apart- 
ments. They  paused  an  instant  at  the  bottom  of  the 
stairs,  where  the  youth  expressed  his  amazement  that 
a  stranger  should  be  so  much  more  familiar  with  the 
building  than  he  who  had  for  so  many  days  made  it  his 
home. 

"  Have  I  not  often  told  you,"  returned  the  old  man,  with 
a  severity  in  his  voice  which  was  even  apparent  in  its  sup- 
pressed tones,  "  that  I  have  known  Boston  for  near  a'hun- 
dred  years  !  How  many  edifices  like  this  does  it  contain, 
that  I  should  not  have  noted  its  erection  !  But  follow  in 
silence,  and  be  prudent." 

He  now  opened  a  door  which  conducted  them  through 
one  end  of  the  building,  into  the  courtyard  in  which  it  was 
situated.  As  they  emerged  into  the  open  air,  Lionel  per- 
ceived the  figure  of  a  man,  crouching  under  the  walls,  as 
if  seeking  a  shelter  from  the  driving  rain.  The  moment 
they  appeared,  this  person  arose,  and  followed  as  they 
moved  toward  the  street. 

"Are  we  not  watched  ?  "  said  Lionel,  stopping  to  face  the 
unknown  ;  "whom  have  we  skulking  in  our  footsteps  ?" 

"  Tis  the  boy,"  said  the  old  man, — for  whom  we  must 
adopt  the  name  of  Ralph,  which  it  would  appear  was  the 
usual  term  used  by  Job  when  addressing  his  mother's  guest 
— "  'tis  the  boy,  and  he  can  do  us  no  harm.  God  has 
granted  to  him  a  knowledge  between  much  of  what  is  good, 
and  that  which  is  evil,  though  the  mind  of  the  child  is,  at 
times,  sadly  weakened  by  his  bodily  ailings.  His  heart, 
however,  is  with  his  country,  at  a  moment  when  she  needs 
all  hearts  to  maintain  her  rights." 

The  young  British  officer  bowed  his  head  to  meet  the 
tempest,  and  smiled  scornfully  within  the  folds  of  his  cloak, 
which  he  drew  more  closely  around  his  form,  as  they  met 
the  gale  in  the  open  streets  of  the  town.  They  had  passed 
swiftly  through  many  narrow  and  crooked  ways,  before 
another  word  was  uttered  between  the  adventurers.  Lio- 
nel mused  on  the  singular  and  indefinable  interest  that  he 
took  in  the  movements  of  his  companion,  which  could 
draw  him  at  a  time  like  this  from  the  shelter  of  Mrs.  Lech- 
mere's  roof,  to  wander  he  knew  not  whither,  and  on  an  er- 
rand which  might  even  be  dangerous  to  his  person.  Still 
he  followed,  unhesitatingly  ;  for  with  these  passing  thoughts 


72  LIONEL   LINCOLN-. 

was  blended  the  recollection  of  the  many  recent  and  in- 
teresting communications  he  had  held  with  the  old  man 
during  their  long  and  close  association  in  the  ship  ;  nor 
was  he  wanting  in  a  natural  interest  for  all  that  involved 
the  safety  and  happiness  of  the  place  of  his  birth.  He  kept 
the  form  of  his  aged  guide  in  his  eye,  as  the  other  moved 
before  him,  careless  of  the  tempest  which  beat  on  his  with- 
ered frame,  and  he  heard  the  heavy  footsteps  of  Job  in  his 
rear,  who  had  closed  so  near  his  own  person  as  to  share,  in 
some  measure,  in  the  shelter  of  his  ample  cloak.  But  no 
other  living  being  seemed  to  have  ventured  abroad  ;  and 
even  the  few  sentinels  they  passed,  instead  of  pacing  in 
front  of  those  doors  which  it  was  their  duty  to  guard,  were 
concealed  behind  the  angles  of  walls,  or  sought  shelter 
under  the  projections  of  some  favoring  roof.  At  moments 
the  wind  rushed  into  the  narrow  avenues  of  the  streets, 
along  which  it  swept,  with  a  noise  not  unlike  the  hollow 
roaring  of  the  sea,  and  with  a  violence  which  was  nearly 
irresistible.  At  such  times  Lionel  was  compelled  to  pause, 
and  even  frequently  to  recede  a  little  from  his  path,  while 
his  guide,  supported  by  his  high  purpose,  and  but  little 
obstructed  by  his  garments,  seemed,  to  the  bewildered  im- 
agination of  his  follower,  to  glide  through  the  night  with 
a  facility  that  was  supernatural.  At  length  the  old  man, 
who  had  got  some  distance  ahead  of  his  followers,  sudden- 
ly paused,  and  allowed  Lionel  to  approach  to  his  side.  The 
latter  observed  with  surprise,  that  he  had  stopped  before 
the  root  and  stump  of  a  tree,  which  had  once  grown  on  the 
borders  of  the  street,  and  which  appeared  to  have  been  re- 
cently felled. 

"'Do  you  see  this  remnant  of  the  elm  ?  "  said  Ralph,  when 
the  others  had  stopped  also  ;  "  their  axes  have  succeeded 
in  destroying  the  mother-plant,  but  her  scions  are  flourish- 
ing throughout  the  continent !  " 

"  I  do  not  comprehend  you  !  "  returned  Lionel ;  "  I  see 
here  nothing  but  the  stump  of  some  tree  ;  surely  the  min- 
isters of  the  king  are  not  answerable  that  it  stands  no 
longer  ? " 

"The  ministers  of  the  king  are  answerable  to  their  mas- 
ter, that  it  has  ever  become  what  it  is — but  speak  to  the 
boy  at  your  side  ;  he  will  tell  you  of  its  virtues." 

Lionel  turned  towards  Job,  and  perceived  by  the  ob- 
scure light  of  the  moon,  to  his  surprise,  that  the  changeling 
stood  .with  his  head  bared  to  the  storm,  regarding  the 
root  with  an  extraordinary  degree  of  reverence. 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  73 

"  This  is  all  a  mystery  to  me  ! "  he  said  ;  "  what  do  you 
know  about  this  stump  to  stand  in  awe  of,  boy  ? " 

"  Tis  the  root  of  '  Liberty-tree,' "  said  Job,  "  and  'tis 
wicked  to  pass  it  without  making  your  manners  ! " 

"  And  what  has  this  tree  done  for  liberty,  that  it  has 
merited  so  much  respect  ?  " 

"What!  why,  did  you  ever  see  a  tree  afore  this  that 
could  write  and  give  notices  of  town-meetin'-da's,  or  that 
could  tell  the  people  what  the  king  meant  to  do  with  the 
tea  and  his  stamps  !" 

"  And  could  this  marvellous  tree  work  such  miracles?" 

"To  be  sure  it  could,  and  it  did  too — you  let  stingy  Tom- 
my think  to  get  above  the  people  with  any  of  his  cunning 
over  night,  and  you  might  come  here  next  morning,  and 
read  a  warning  on  the  bark  of  this  tree,  that  would  tell  all 
about  it,  and  how  to  put  down  his  deviltries,  written  out 
fair,  in  a  hand  as  good  as  Master  Lovell  himself  could  put 
on  paper,  the  best  day  of  his  grand  scholarship." 

"  And  who  put  the  paper  there  ? " 

"  Who  !  "  exclaimed  Job,  a  little  positively  ;  "  why,  Lib- 
erty came  in  the  night,  and  pasted  it  up  herself.  When 
Nab  cotildn't  get  a  house  to  live  in,  Job  used  to  sleep 
under  the  tree,  sometimes ;  and  many  a  night  has  he 
seen  Liberty,  with  his  own  eyes,  come  and  put  up  the 
paper." 

"And  was  it  a  woman  ?" 

"  Do  you  think  Liberty  was  such  a  fool  as  to  come  every 
time  in  woman's  clothes,  to  be  followed  by  the  rake-helly 
soldiers  about  the  streets!"  said  Job,  with  great  contempt 
in  his  manner.  "  Sometimes  she  did,  though,  and  some- 
times she  didn't ;  just  as  it  happened.  And  Job  was  in  the 
tree  when  old  Noll  had  to  give  up  his  ungodly  stamps  ; 
though  he  didn't  do  it  till  the  '  Sons  of  Liberty '  had 
chucked  his  stamp-shop  in  the  dock,  and  hung  him  and 
Lord  Boot  together,  on  the  branches  of  the  old  Elm  !  " 

"  Hung  !  "  said  Lionel,  unconsciously  drawing  back  from 
the  spot.  "  Was  it  ever  a  gallows  ? " 

"  Yes,  for  iffigies,"  said  Job,  laughing ;  "  I  wish  you 
could  have  been  here  to  see  how  the^old  boot,  with  Satan 
sticking  out  on't,  whirled  about  when  they  swung  it  off ! 
They  give  the  old  boy  a  big  shoe  to  put  his  cloven  huff  in  ! " 

Lionel,  who  was  familiar  with  the  peculiar  sound  that 
his  townsmen  gave  to  the  letter  »,  now  comprehended  the 
allusion  to  the  Earl  of  Bute,  and,  beginning  to  understand 
more  clearly  the  nature  of  the  transactions,  and  the  uses 


14  LIONEL  LINCOLN. 

to  which  that  memorable  tree  had  been  applied,  he  ex-« 
pressed  his  desire  to  proceed. 

The  old  man  had  suffered  Job  to  make  his  own  explana* 
tions,  though  not  without  a  curious  interest  in  the  effect 
they  would  produce  on  Lionel ;  but  the  instant  the  request 
was  made  to  advance,  he  turned,  and  once  more  led  the 
way.  Their  course  was  now  directed  more  toward  the 
wharves  ;  nor  was  it  long  before  their  conductor  turned 
into  a  narrow  court,  and  entered  a  house  of  rather  mean 
appearance,  without  even  observing  the  formality  of  an- 
nouncing his  visit  by  the  ordinary  summons  of  rapping  a2 
its  door.  A  long,  narrow,  and  dimly-lighted  passage  con-, 
ducted  them  to  a  spacious  apartment  far  in  the  court, 
which  appeared  to  have  been  fitted  as  a  place  for  the  re- 
ception of  large  assemblages  of  people.  In  this  room 
were  collected  at  least  a  hundred  men,  seemingly  intent  on 
some  object  of  more  than  usual  interest,  by  the  gravity  and 
seriousness  of  demeanor  apparent  in  every  countenance. 

As  it  was  Sunday,  the  first  impression  of  Lionel,  on  en- 
tering the  room,  was  that  his  old  friend,  who  often  be- 
trayed a  keen  sensibility  on  subjects  of  religion,  had 
brought  him  there  with  a  design  to  listen  to  some'favorite 
exhorter  of  his  own  peculiar  tenets,  and  as  a  tacit  reproach 
for  a  neglect  of  the  usual  ordinances  of  that  holy  day,  of 
which  the  conscience  of  the  young  mpn  suddenly  accused 
him,  on  finding  himself  unexpectedly  mingled  in  such  a 
throng.  But  after  he  had  forced  his  person  among  a 
dense  body  of  men,  who  stood  at  the  lower  end  of  the 
apartment,  and  became  a  silent  observer  of  the  scene,  he 
was  soon  made  to  perceive  his  error.  The  weather  had  in- 
duced all  present  to  appear  in  sucli  garments  as  were  best 
adapted  to  protect  them  from  its  fury  ;  and  their  exteriors 
were  rough,  and  perhaps  a  little  forbidding  ;  but  there  was 
a  composure  and  decency  in  the  air  common  to  the  whole 
assembly,  which  denoted  that  they  were  men  who  pos- 
sessed, in  a  high  degree,  the  commanding  quality  of  self- 
respect.  A  very  few  minutes  sufficed  to  teach  Lionel  that 
he  was  in  the  midst  of  a  meeting  collected  to  discuss  ques- 
tions connected  with  the  political  movements  of  the  times, 
though  he  felt  himself  a  little  at  a  loss  to  discover  the  pre- 
cise results  it  was  intended  to  produce.  To  every  ques- 
tion there  were  one  or  two  speakers,  men  who  expressed 
their  ideas  in  a  familiar  manner,  and  with  the  peculiar 
tones  and  pronunciation  of  the  province,  that  left  no  room 
to  believe  them  to  be  orators  of  a  higher  character  than 


LIONEL  LINCOLN.  75 

the  mechanics  and  tradesmen  of  the  town.  Most,  if  not  all 
of  them,  wore  an  air  of  deliberation  and  coldness  that 
would  have  rendered  their  sincerity  in  the  cause  they  had 
apparently  espoused  a  little  equivocal,  but  for  occasional 
expressions  of  coarse,  and  sometimes  biting,  invective  that 
they  expended  on  the  ministers  of  the  crown,  and  for  the 
perfect  and  firm  unanimity  that  was  manifested,  as  each 
expression  of  the  common  feeling  was  taken,  after  the 
manner  of  deliberative  bodies,  Certain  resolutions,  in 
which  the  most  respectful  remonstrances  were  singularly 
blended  with  the  boldest  assertions  of  constitutional  prin- 
ciples, were  read  and  passed  without  a  dissenting  voice, 
though  with  a  calmness  that  indicated  no  very  strong  ex- 
citement. Lionel  was  peculiarly  struck  with  the  language 
of  these  written  opinions,  which  were  expressed  with  a 
purity,  and  sometimes  with  an  elegance  of  style,  which 
plainly  showed  that  the  acquaintance  of  the  sober  artisan 
with  the  instrument  through  whose  periods  he  was  blun- 
dering was  quite  recent,  and  far  from  being  very  intimate. 
The  eyes  of  the  young  soldier  wandered  from  face  to  face, 
with  a  strong  desire  to  detect  the  secret  movers  of  the 
scene  he  was  witnessing  ;  nor  was  he  long  without  select- 
ing one  individual  as  an  object  peculiarly  deserving  of  his 
suspicions.  It  was  a  man  apparently  but  just  entering  into 
middle  age,  of  an  appearance,  both  in  person  and  in  such 
parts  of  his  dress  as  escaped  from  beneath  his  overcoat, 
that  denoted  him  to  be  of  a  class  altogether  superior  to 
the  mass  of  the  assembly.  A  deep  but  manly  respect  was 
evidently  paid  to  this  gentleman  by  those  who  stood  near- 
est to  his  person  ;  and  once  or  twice  there  were  close  and 
earnest  communications  passing  between  him  and  the 
more  ostensible  leaders  of  the  meeting,  which  roused  the 
suspicions  of  Lionel  in  the  manner  related.  Notwith- 
standing the  secret  dislike  that  the  English  officer  sud- 
denly conceived  against  a  man  that  he  fancied  wras  thus 
abusing  his  powers,  by  urging  others  to  acts  of  insubor- 
dination, he  could  not  conceal  from  himself  the  favorable 
impression  made  by  the  open,  fearless,  and  engaging 
countenance  of  the  stranger.  Lionel  was  so  situated  as  to 
be  able  to  keep  his  person,  which  was  partly  concealed  by 
the  taller  forms  that  surrounded  him,  in  constant  view  ; 
nor  was  it  long  before  his  earnest  and  curious  gaze  caught 
the  attention  of  the  other.  Glances  of  marked  meaning 
were  exchanged  between  them  during  the  remainder  of 
the  evening,  until  the  chairman  announced  that  the  ob« 


y6  LIONEL  LINCOLN. 

jects  of  the  convocation  were  accomplished,  and  dissolved 
the  meeting. 

Lionel  raised  himself  from  his  reclining  attitude  against 
the  wall,  and  submitted  to  be  carried  by  the  current  of 
human  bodies  into  the  dark  passage,  through  which  he 
had  entered  the  room.  Here  he  lingered  a  moment,  with 
a  view  to  recover  his  lost  companion,  and  with  a  secret 
wish  to  scan  more  narrowly  the  proceedings  of  the  man, 
whose  air  and  manner  had  so  long  chained  his  attention. 
The  crowd  had  sensibly  diminished  before  he  was  aware 
that  few  remained  beside  himself,  nor  would  he  then  have 
discovered  that  he  was  likely  to  become  an  object  of  sus- 
picion to  those  few,  had  not  a  voice  at  his  elbow  recalled 
his  recollection. 

"  Does  Major  Lincoln  meet  his  countrymen  to-night  as 
one  who  sympathizes  in  their  wrongs,  or  as  the  favored 
and  prosperous  officer  of  the  crown  ?"  asked  the  very  man 
for  whose  person  he  had  so  long  been  looking  in  vain. 

"  Is  sympathy  with  the  oppressed  incompatible  with 
loyalty  to  my  prince  ?"  demanded  Lionel. 

"That  it  is  not,"  said  the  stranger,  in  a  friendly  accent, 
"  is  apparent  from  the  conduct  of  many  gallant  English- 
men among  us,  who  espouse  our  cause. — but  we  claim 
Major  Lincoln  as  a  countryman." 

"  Perhaps,  sir,  it  would  be  indiscreet  just  now  to  disavow 
that  title,  let  my  dispositions  be  as  they  may,"  returned 
Lionel,  smiling  a  little  haughtily  ;  "  this  may  not  be  as  se- 
cure a  spot  in  which  to  avow  one's  sentiments,  as  the  town 
common,  or  the  palace  of  St.  James." 

**  Had  the  king  been  present  to-night,  Major  Lincoln, 
would  he  have  heard  a  single  sentence  opposed  to  that 
constitution,  which  has  declared  him  a  member  too  sacred 
to  be  offended  ?  " 

"Whatever  may  have  been  the  legality  of  your  senti- 
ments, sir,  they  surely  have  not  been  expressed  in  lan- 
guage altogether  fit  for  a  royal  ear." 

"  It  may  not  have  been  adulation,  or  even  flattery,  but 
it  is  truth — a  quality  no  less  sacred  than  the  rights  of 
kings." 

"This  is  neither  a  place  nor  an  occasion,  sir,"  said  the 
young  soldier,  quickly,  "  to  discuss  the  rights  of  our  com- 
mon master  ;  but  if,  as  from  your  manner  and  your  lan- 
guage I  think  not  improbable,  we  should  meet  hereafter 
in  a  higher  sphere,  you  will  not  find  me  at  a  loss  to  vindi- 
cate his  claims." 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  77 

The  stranger  smiled  with  meaning,  and  as  he  bowed  be- 
fore he  fell  back  and  was  lost  in  the  darkness  of  the  pas- 
sage, he  replied — 

"  Our  fathers  have  often  met  in  such  society,  I  believe ; 
God  forbid  that  their  sons  should  ever  encounter  in  a  less 
friendly  manner." 

Lionel,  now  finding  himself  alone,  groped  his  way  into 
the  street,  where  he  perceived  Ralph  and  the  changeling 
in  waiting  for  his  appearance.  Without  demanding  the 
cause  of  the  other's  delay,  the  old  man  proceeded  by  the 
side  of  his  companions,  with  the  same  indifference  to  the 
tempest  as  before,  toward  the  residence  of  Mrs.  Lechmere. 

"You  have  now  had  some  evidence  of  the  spirit  that 
pervades  this  people,"  said  Ralph,  after  a  few  moments  of 
silence ;  "  think  you  still  there  is  no  danger  that  the  vol- 
cano will  explode  ? " 

"  Surely  everything  I  have  heard  and  seen  to-night  con- 
firms such  an  opinion."  returned  Lionel.  "  Men  on  the 
threshold  of  rebellion  seldom  reason  so  closely,  and  with 
such  moderation.  Why,  the  very  fuel  for  the  combustion, 
the  rabble  themselves,  discuss  their  constitutional  princi- 
ples, and  keep  under  the  mantle  of  law,  as  though  they 
were  a  club  of  learned  Templars." 

"  Think  you  that  the  fire  will  burn  less  steadily,  because 
what  you  call  the  fuel  has  been  prepared  by  the  seasoning 
of  time  ?  "  returned  Ralph.  "  But  this  comes  from  send- 
ing a  youth  into  a  foreign  land  for  his  education  !  The 
boy  rates  his  sober  and  earnest  countrymen  on  a  level  with 
the  peasants  of  Europe." 

So  much  Lionel  was  able  to  comprehend  ;  but  notwith- 
standing the  old  man  muttered  vehemently  to  himself  for 
some  time  longer,  it  was  in  a  tone  too  indistinct  for  his  ear 
to  understand  his  meaning.  When  they  arrived  in  a 
part  of  the  town,  with  which  Lionel  was  familiar,  his  aged 
guide  ppinted  out  his  way,  and  took  his  leave,  saying — 

"  I  see  that  nothing  but  the  last,  and  dreadful  argument 
of  force,  will  convince  you  of  the  purpose  of  the  Ameri- 
cans to  resist  their  oppressors.  God  avert  the  evil  hour! 
but  when  it  shall  come,  as  come  it  must,  you  will  learn 
your  error,  young  man,  and,  I  trust,  will  not  disregard  the 
natural  ties  of  country  and  kindred." 

Lionel  would  have  spoken  in  reply,  but  the  rapid  steps 
of  Ralph  rendered  his  wishes  vain  ;  for,  before  he  had  time 
for  utterance,  his  emaciated  form  was  seen  gliding,  like  an 
immaterial  being,  through  the  sheets  of  driving  rain, 


78  LIONEL  LINCOLN*. 

was  soon  lost  to  the  eye,  as  it  vanished  in  the  dim  shaded 
of  night,  followed  by  the  more  substantial  frame  of  tha 
idiot. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

"  Sergeant,  you  shall.     Thus  are  poor  servitors 
When  others  sleep  upon  their  quiet  beds, 
Constrained  to  watch  in  darkness,  rain  and  cold." 

—King  Henry  VI. 

Two  or  three  days  of  fine,  balmy,  spring  weather  suc- 
ceeded to  the  storm,  during  which  Lionel  saw  no  more  of 
his  aged  fellow- voyager.  Job,  however,  attached  himself 
to  the  British  soldier  with  a  confiding  helplessness  that 
touched  the  heart  of  his  young  protector,  who  gathered 
from  the  circumstances  a  just  opinion  of  the  nature  of  the 
abuses  that  the  unfortunate  changeling  was  frequently 
compelled  to  endure  from  the  brutal  soldiery.  Meriton 
performed  the  functions  of  master  of  the  wardrobe  to  the 
lad,  by  Lionel's  express  commands,  with  evident  disgust, 
but  with  manifest  advantage  to  the  external  appearance, 
if  with  no  very  sensible  evidence  of  additional  comfort  to 
his  charge.  During  this  short  period,  the  slight  impres- 
sion made  on  Lionel  by  the  scene  related  in  the  preced- 
ing chapter,  faded  before  the  cheerful  changes  of  the  sea- 
son, and  the  increasing  interest  which  he  felt  in  the  society 
of  his  youthful  kinswomen.  Polwarth  relieved  him  from 
all  cares  of  a  domestic  nature,  and  the  peculiar  shade  of 
sadness,  which  at  times  had  been  so  very  perceptible  in 
his  countenance,  was  changed  to  a  look  of  a  more  bright- 
ening and  cheerful  character.  Polwarth  and  Lionel  had 
found  an  officer,  who  had  formerly  served  in  the  same  regi- 
ment with  them  in  the  British  Islands,  in  command  of  a 
company  of  grenadiers,  which  formed  part  of  the  garrison 
of  Boston.  This  gentleman,  an  Irishman,  of  the  name  of 
M'Fuse,  was  qualified  to  do  great  honor  to  the  culinary 
skill  of  the  officer  of  light-infantry,  by  virtue  of  a  keen 
natural  gusto  for  whatever  possessed  the  inherent  proper- 
ties of  a  savory  taste,  though  utterly  destitute  of  any  of 
that  remarkable  scientific  knowledge,  which  might  be  said 
to  distinguish  the  other  in  the  art.  He  was,  in  consequence 
of  this  double  claim  on  the  notice  of  Lionel,  a  frequent 
guest  at  the  nightly  banquets  prepared  by  Polwarth.  Ac- 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  79 

cordingly,  we  find  him,  on  the  evening  of  the  third  day  in 
the  week,  seated  with  his  two  friends,  around  a  board 
plentifully  garnished  by  the  care  of  that  gentleman,  on  the 
preparations  for  which  more  than  usual  skill  had  been  ex- 
erted, if  the  repeated  declarations  of  the  disciple  of  Helio- 
gabalus,  to  that  effect,  were  entitled  to  any  ordinary  credit. 

"  In  short,  Major  Lincoln,"  said  Polwarth,  in  continuance 
of  his  favorite  theme,  while  seated  before  the  table,  "a 
man  may  live  any  where,  provided  he  possesses  food — in 
England,  or  out  of  England,  it  matters  not.  Raiment  may 
be  necessary  to  appearance,  but  food  is  the  only  indispens- 
able that  nature  has  imposed  on  the  animal  world,  and,  in 
my  opinion,  there  is  a  sort  of  obligation  on  every  man  to 
be  satisfied,  who  has  wherewithal  to  appease  the  cravings 
of  his  appetite. — Captain  M'Fuse,  I  will  thank  you  to  cut 
that  sirloin  with  the  grain." 

"  What  matters  it,  Polly,"  said  the  captain  of  grenadiers^ 
with  a  slight  Irish  accent,  and  with  the  humor  of  his 
countrymen  strongly  depicted  in  his  fine,  open,  manly 
features,  <;  which  way  a  bit  of  meat  is  divided,  so  there  be 
enough  to  allay  the  cravings  of  the  appetite,  you  will  re- 
member !  " 

"  It  is  a  collateral  assistance  to  nature  that  should  never 
be  neglected,"  returned  Polwarth,  whose  gravity  and  se- 
riousness at  his  banquets  were  not  easily  disturbed  ;  "  it 
facilitates  mastication  and  aids  digestion,  two  considera- 
tions of  great  importance  to  military  men,  sir,  who  have 
frequently  such  little  time  for  the  former,  and  no  rest  after 
their  meals  to  complete  the  latter." 

"  He  reasons  like  an  army  contractor,  who  wishes  to 
make  one  ration  do  the  work  of  two,  when  transportation 
is  high,"  said  M'Fuse,  wnnking  to  Lionel.  "According  to 
your  principles,  then,  Polly,  a  potato  is  your  true  cam- 
paigner, for  that  is  a  cr'ature  you  may  cut  any  way  with- 
out disturbing  the  grain,  provided  the  article  be  a  little 
m'aly." 

"  Pardon  me,  Captain  M'Fuse,"  said  Polwarth,  "  a  potato 
should  be  broken,  and  not  cut  at  all — there  is  no  vegetable 
more  used,  and  less  understood  than  the  potato." 

"And  is  it  you,  Pater  Polwarth,  of  Nesbitt's  light-infan* 
try,"  interrupted  the  grenadier,  laying  down  his  knife  and 
fork  with  an  air  of  infinite  humor,  "that  will  tell  Dennis 
M'Fuse  how  to  carve  a  potato  !  I  will  yield  to  the  right  of 
an  Englishman  over  the  chivalry  of  an  ox,  your  sirloins, 
and  your  lady-rumps,  if  you  please,  but  in  my  own  country, 


8o  LIOXEL    LI.VCOLX. 

one  end  of  every  farm  is  a  bog,  and  the  other  a  potato-field 
—'tis  an  Irishman's  patrimony  that  you  are  making  so 
free  with,  sir  !  " 

"  The  possession  of  a  thing,  and  the  knowledge  how  to 
use  it,  are  two  very  different  properties " 

"  Give  me  the  property  of  possession,  then,"  again  in- 
terrupted the  ardent  grenadier,  "  especially  when  a  morsel 
of  the  green  island  is  in  dispute  ;  and  trust  an  old  soldier 
of  the  Royal  Irish  to  carve  his  own  enjoyments.  Now  I'll 
wager  a  month's  pay,  and  that  to  me  is  as  much  as  if  the 
major  should  say,  Done  for  a  thousand,  that  you  can't  tell 
how  many  dishes  can  be  made,  and  are  made  every  day  in 
Ireland,  out  of  so  simple  a  thing  as  a  potato." 

"  You  roast  and  boil ;  and  use  them  in  stuffing  tame 
birds,  sometimes,  and " 

"All  old  woman's  cookery!"  interrupted  M'Fuse,  with 
an  affectation  of  great  contempt  in  his  manner. — "  Now, 
sir,  we  have  them  with  butter,  and  without  butter — that 
counts  two  ;  then  we  have  the  fruit  p'aled  ;  and " 

"  Impaled,"  said  Lionel,  laughing.  u  I  believe  this  nice 
controversy  must  be  referred  to  Job,  who  is  amusing  him- 
self in  the  corner  there,  I  see,  with  the  very  subject  of  the 
dispute  transfixed  on  his  fork  in  the  latter  condition." 

"  Or  suppose,  rather,"  said  M'Fuse,  "as'it  is  a  matter  to 
exercise  the  judgment  of  Solomon,  we  make  a  potato 
umpire  of  master  Seth  Sage,  yonder,  who  should  have 
some  of  the  wisdom  of  the  royal  Jew,  by  the  sagacity  of 
his  countenance  as  well  as  of  his  name." 

"  Don't  you  call  Seth  r'yal,"  said  Job,  suspending  his 
occupation  on  the  vegetable.  "The  king  is  r'yal  and 
fla'nty,  but  neighbor  Sage  lets  Job  come  in  and  eat,  like 
a  Christian." 

"  That  lad  there  is  not  altogether  without  reason,  Major 
Lincoln,"  said  Polwarth  ;  "  on  the  contrary,  he  discovers 
an  instinctive  knowledge  of  good  from  evil,  by  favoring  us 
with  his  company  at  the  hour  of  meals." 

"  The  poor  fellow  finds  but  little  at  home  to  tempt  him 
to  remain  there,  I  fear,"  said  Lionel ;  "  and  as  he  was  one 
of  the  first  acquaintances  I  made  on  returning  to  my  native 
land,  I  have  desired  Mr.  Sage  to  admit  him  at  all  proper 
hours  ;  and  especially,  Polwarth,  at  those  times  when  he 
can  have  an  opportunity  of  doing  homage  to  your  skill." 

"  I  am  glad  to  see  him,"  said  Polwarth  ;  "  for  I  love  an 
uninstructed  palate,  as  much  as  I  admire  naivete  in  a 
woman. — Be  so  good  as  to  favor  me  with  a  cut  from  tha 


LIONEL  LINCOLN-.  8r 

breast  of  that  wild  goose,  M'Fuse — not  quite  so  far  for- 
ward, if  you  please ;  your  migratory  birds  are  apt  to  be 
tough  about  the  wing — but  simplicity  in  eating  is,  after  all, 
the  great  secret  of  life  ;  that  and  a  sufficiency  of  food." 

"You  may  be  right  this  time,"  replied  the  grenadier, 
laughing ;  "  for  this  fellow  made  one  of  the  flankers  of  the 
flock,  and  did  double  duty  in  wheeling,  I  believe,  or  I  have 
got  him  against  the  grain  too  !  But,  Polly,  you  have  not 
told  us  how  you  improve  in  your  light  infantry  exercises 
of  late." 

By  this  time  Polwarth  had  made  such  progress  in  the 
essential  part  of  his  meal  as  to  have  recovered  in  some 
measure  his  usual  tone  of  good-nature,  and  he  answered 
with  less  gravity — 

"  If  Gage  does  not  work  a  reformation  in  our  habits,  he 
will  fag  us  all  to  death.  I  suppose  you  know,  Leo,  that 
all  the  flank  companies  are  relieved  from  the  guards  to 
learn  a  new  species  of  exercise.  They  call  it  relieving  us, 
but  the  only  relief  I  find  in  the  matter,  is  when  we  lie  down 
to  fire — there  is  a  luxurious  moment  or  two  then,  I  must 
confess  ! " 

"  I  have  known  the  fact,  any  time  these  ten  days,  by 
your  meanings,"  returned  Lionel  ;  "  but  what  do  you  argue 
from  this  particular  exercise,  Captain  M'Fuse?  Does  Gage 
contemplate  more  than  the  customary  drills  ? " 

"  You  question  me  now,  sir,  on  a  matter  in  which  I  am 
uninstructed,"  said  the  grenadier  ;  "  I  am  a  soldier,  and 
obey  my  orders,  without  pretending  to  inquire  into  their 
objects  or  merits ;  all  I  know  is,  that  both  grenadiers  and 
light-infantry  are  taken  from  the  guards ;  and  that  we 
travel  over  a  good  deal  of  solid  earth  each  day,  in  the  way 
of  marching  and  counter-marching,  to  the  manifest  discom- 
fiture and  reduction  of  Polly,  there,  who  loses  flesh  as  fast 
as  he  gains  ground." 

"  Do  you  think  so,  Mac  ?"  cried  the  delighted  captain  of 
light-infantry ;  "  then  I  have  not  all  the  detestable  motion 
in  vain.  They  have  given  us  little  Harry  Skip  as  a  drill 
officer,  who,  I  believe,  has  the  most  restless  foot  of  any 
man  in  his  Majesty's  service.  Do  you  join  with  me  in 
opinion,  master  Sage?  you  seem  to  meditate  on  the  sub- 
ject as  if  it  had  some  secret  charm." 

The  individual  to  whom  Polwarth  addressed  this  ques- 
tion, and  who  has  been  already  named,  was  standing  with 
a  plate  in  his  hand,  in  an  attitude  that  bespoke  close  atten- 
tion, with  a  sudden  and  deep  interest  in  the  discourse, 
6 


82  LIONEL  LINCOLN. 

though  his  eyes  were  bent  on  the  floo^r,  and  his  face  was 
averted  as  if,  while  listening  earnestly,  he  had  a  particular 
desire  to  be  unnoticed.  He  was  the  owner  of  the  house 
in  which  Lionel  had  taken  his  quarters.  His  family  had 
been  some  time  before  removed  into  the  country,  under 
the  pretence  of  his  inability  to  maintain  them  in  a  place 
destitute  of  business  and  resources,  like  Boston  ;  but  he 
remained  himself,  for  the  double  purpose  of  protecting 
his  property  and  serving  his  guests.  This  man  partook, 
in  no  small  degree,  of  the  qualities,  both  of  person  and 
mind,  which  distinguish  a  large  class  among  his  country- 
men. In  the  former,  he  was  rather  over  than  under  the 
middle  stature ;  was  thin,  angular,  and  awkward,  but  pos- 
sessing an  unusual  proportion  of  sinew  and  bone.  His 
eyes  were  small,  black,  and  scintillating,  and  it  was  not  easy 
to  fancy  that  the  intelligence  they  manifested  was  un- 
mingled  with  a  large  proportion  of  shrewd  cunning.  The 
rest  of  his  countenance  was  meagre,  sallow,  and  rigidly 
demure.  Thus  called  upon,  on  a  sudden,  by  Polwarth  for 
an  opinion,  Seth  answered,  with  the  cautious  reserve  with 
which  he  invariably  delivered  himself— 

"  The  adjutant  is  an  uneasy  man  ;  but  that,  I  suppose, 
is  so  much  the  better  for  a  light-infantry  officer.  Captain 
Polwarth  must  find  it  considerable  jading  to  keep  the  step, 
now  the  general  has  ordered  these  new  doings  with  the 
soldiers." 

"And  what  may  be  your  opinion  of  these  doings,  as  you 
call  them,  Mr.  Sage?"  asked  M'Fuse  ;  "you,  who  are  a 
man  of  observation,  should  understand  your  countrymen  ; 
will  they  fight  ? " 

"A  rat  will  fight  if  the  cats  pen  him,"  said  Seth,  without 
raising  his  eyes  from  his  occupation. 

"  But  do  the  Americans  conceive  themselves  to  be 
penned  ?" 

"Why,  that  is  pretty  much  as  people  think,  captain  ;  the 
country  was  in  great  touse  about  the  stamps  and  the  tea, 
but  I  always  said  such  folks  as  didn't  give  their  notes-of- 
hand,  and  had  no  great  relish  for  anything  more  than 
country  food,  wouldn't  find  themselves  cramped  by  the 
laws,  after  all." 

"  Then  you  see  no  great  oppression  in  being  asked  to 
pay  your  bit  of  a  tax,  master  Sage,"  cried  the  grenadier, 
"to  maintain  such  a  worthy  fellow  as  myself  in  a  decent 
equipage  to  fight  your  battles." 

"Why,  as  to  that,  captain,  I   suppose  we  can  do  pretty 


LIONEL  LINCOLN;  83 

much  the  whole  of  our  own  fighting,  when  occasion  calls  ; 
though  I  don't  think  there  is  much  stomach  for  such  do- 
ings among  the  people,  without  need." 

"  But  what  do  you  think  the  *  Committee  of  Safety/  and 
your  *  Sons  of  Liberty,'  as  they  call  themselves,  really 
mean,  by  their  parades  of  i  minute-men,'  their  gathering 
of  provisions,  carrying  off  the  cannon,  and  such  other 
formidable  and  appalling  preparations — ha  !  honest  Seth  ? 
do  they  think  to  frighten  British  soldiers  with  the  roll  of  a 
drum,  or  are  they  amusing  themselves,  like  boys  in  the 
holidays,  with  playing  war  ? " 

"  I  should  conclude,"  said  Seth,  with  undisturbed  gravity 
and  caution,  "that  the  people  are  pretty  much  engaged, 
and  in  earnest." 

"To  do  what?"  demanded  the  Irishman;  "to  forge 
their  own  chains,  that  we  may  fetter  them  in  truth  ? " 

"Why,  seeing  that  they  have  burnt  the  stamps,  and 
thrown  the  tea  into  the  harbor,"  returned  Seth,  "and, 
since  that,  have  taken  the  management  into  their  own 
hands,  I  should  rather  conclude  that  they  have  pretty 
much  determined  to  do  what  they  think  best." 

Lionel  and  Polwarth  laughed  aloud,  and  the  former  ob- 
served— 

"  You  appear  not  to  come  to  conclusions  with  our  host, 
Captain  M'Fuse,  notwithstanding  so  much  is  determined. 
Is  it  well  understood,  Mr.  Sage,  that  large  reinforcements 
are  coming  to  the  colonies,  and  to  Boston  in  particular  ? " 

"  Why,  yes,"  returned  Seth  ;  "it  seems  to  be  pretty  gen- 
erally contemplated  on." 

"And  what  is  the  result  of  these  contemplations?" 

Seth  paused  a  moment,  as  if  uncertain  whether  he  was 
master  of  the  other's  meaning,  before  he  replied — 

"Why,  as  the  country  is  considerably  engaged  in  the 
business,  there  are  some  who  think,  if  the  ministers  don't 
open  the  port,  that  it  will  be  done  without  much  further 
words  by  the  people." 

"  Do  you  know,"  said  Lionel,  gravely,  "  that  such  an  at- 
tempt would  lead  directly  to  a  civil  war  ?  " 

"  I  suppose  it  is  safe  to  calculate  that  such  doings 
would  bring  on  disturbances,"  returned  his  phlegmatic 
host. 

"And  you  speak  of  it,  sir,  as  a  thing  not  to  be  depre- 
cated, or  averted  by  every  possible  means  in  the  power  of 
the  nation ! " 

"  If  the  port  is  opened,  and  the  right  to  tax  given  up," 


84  LIONEL   L1XCOL.\\ 

said  Seth,  calmly,  "  I  can  find  a  man  in  Boston,  who'll  en- 
gage to  let  them  draw  all  the  blood  that  will  be  spilt,  from 
his  own  veins,  for  nothing." 

"  And  who  may  that  redoubtable  individual  be,  Master 
Sage  ? "  cried  M'Fuse  ;  "  your  own  plethoric  person  ? — How 
now,  Doyle,  to  what  am  I  indebted  for  the  honor  of  this 
visit  ?  " 

This  sudden  question  was  put  by  the  captain  of  grena- 
diers to  the  orderly  of  his  own  company,  who  at  that  in- 
stant filled  the  door  of  the  apartment  with  his  huge  frame, 
in  the  attitude  of  military  respect,  as  if  about  to  address  his 
officer. 

"Orders  have  come  down,  sir,  to  parade  the  men  at 
half  an  hour  after  tattoo,  and  to  be  in  readiness  for  active 
service." 

The  three  gentlemen  rose  together  from  their  chairs  at 
this  intelligence,  while  M'Fuse  exclaimed — "A  night 
march  !  Pooh  !  We  are  to  be  sent  back  to  garrison-duty  I 
suppose ;  the  companies  in  the  line  grow  sleepy,  and  wish 
a  relief — Gage  might  have  taken  a  more  suitable  time, 
than  to  put  gentlemen  on  their  march  so  soon  after  such 
a  feast  as  this  of  yours,  Polly." 

"  There  is  some  deeper  meaning  to  so  extraordinary  an 
order,"  interrupted  Lionel;  "there  goes  the  tap  of  the 
tattoo,  this  instant !  Are  no  other  troops  but  your  com- 
pany ordered  to  parade  ?" 

"  The  whole  battalion  is  under  the  same  orders,  your 
honor,  and  so  is  the  battalion  of  light-infantry  ;  I  was 
commanded  to  report  it  so  to  Captain  Polwarth,  if  I  saw 
him." 

"This  bears  some  meaning,  gentlemen,"  said  Lionel, 
"  and  it  is  necessary  to  be  looked  to.  If  either  corps  leaves 
the  town  to-night,  I  will  march  with  it  as  a  volunteer ;  for 
it  is  my  business,  just  now,  to  examine  into  the  state  of 
the  country." 

"That  we  shall  march  to-night,  is  sure,  your  honor," 
added  the  sergeant,  with  the  confidence  of  an  old  soldier ; 
"but  how  far,  or  on  what  road,  is  known  only  to  the  offi- 
cers of  the  staff  ;  though  the  men  think  we  are  to  go  out 
by  the  colleges." 

"And  what  has  put  so  learned  an  opinion  in  their  silly 
heads  ?  "  demanded  his  captain. 

"  One  of  the  men  who  has  been  on  leave,  has  jnst  got  in, 
and  reports  that  a  squad  of  gentlemen  from  the  army 
dined  near  them,  your  honor,  and  that  as  night  set  in  they 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  85 

mounted  and  began  to  patrol  the  roads  in  that  direction. 
He  was  met  and  questioned  by  four  of  them  as  he  crossed 
the  flats." 

"All  this  confirms  my  conjectures,"  cried  Lionel — 
"  there  is  a  man  who  might  now  prove  of  important  ser- 
vice— Job — where  is  the  simpleton,  Meriton?" 

"  He  was  called  out,  sir,  a  minute  since,  and  has  left  the 
house." 

"  Then  send  in  Mr.  Sage,"  continued  the  young  man, 
musing  as  he  spoke.  A  moment  after  it  was  reported  to 
him  that  Seth  had  strangely  disappeared  also. 

"  Curiosity  has  led  him  to  the  barracks,"  said  Lionel, 
"  where  duty  calls  you,  gentlemen.  I  will  despatch  a  little 
business,  and  join  you  there  in  an  hour;  you  cannot  inarch 
short  of  that  time." 

The  bustle  of  a  general  departure  succeeded.  Lionel 
threw  his  cloak  into  the  arms  of  Meriton,  to  whom  he 
delivered  his  orders,  took  his  arms,  and,  making  his 
apologies  to  his  guests,  he  left  the  house  with  the  manner 
of  one  who  saw  a  pressing  necessity  to  be  prompt.  M'Fuse 
proceeded  to  equip  himself  with  the  deliberation  of  a  sol- 
dier who  was  too  much  practised  to  be  easily  disconcerted. 
Notwithstanding  his  great  deliberation,  the  delay  of  Pol- 
warth,  however,  eventually  vanquished  the  patience  of  the 
grenadier,  who  exclaimed,  on  hearing  the  other  repeat,  for 
the  fourth  time,  an  order  concerning  the  preservation  of 
certain  viands,  to  which  he  appeared  to  cling  in  spirit, 
after  a  carnal  separation  was  directed  by  fortune. 

"  Poh  !  poh  !  man,"  exclaimed  the  Irishman,  "  why  will 
you  bother  yourself  on  the  eve  of  a  march,  with  such 
epicurean  propensities  !  It's  the  soldier  who  should  show 
your  hermits  and  anchorites  an  example  of  mortification  ; 
besides,  Polly,  this  affectation  of  care  and  provision  is  the 
less  excusable  in  yourself, — you,  who  have  been  well  aware 
that  we  were  to  march  on  a  secret  expedition  this  very 
night  on  which  you  seem  so  much  troubled." 

"  I  ! "  exclaimed  Polwarth  ;  "as  I  hope  to  eat  another 
meal,  I  am  as  ignorant  as  the  meanest  corporal  in  the 
army  of  the  whole  transaction — why  do  you  suspect  other* 


wise 


"  Trifles  tell  the  old  campaigner  when  and  where  the 
blow  is  to  be  struck,"  returned  M'Fuse,  coolly  drawing  his 
military  overcoat  tighter  to  his  large  frame  ;  "  have  I  not, 
with  my  own  eyes,  seen  you,  within  the  hour,  provision  a 
certain  captain  of  light-infantry  after  a  very  heavy  fashion  t 


86  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

Damn  it,  man,  do  you  think  I  have  served  these  five-and- 
twenty  years,  and  do  not  know  that  when  a  garrison  begins 
to  fill  its  granaries,  it  expects  a  siege  ? " 

"  I  have  paid  no  more  than  a  suitable  compliment  to  the 
entertainment  of  Major  Lincoln,"  returned  Polwarth  ;  "but 
so  far  from  having  had  any  very  extraordinary  appetite,  I 
have  not  found  myself  in  a  condition  to  do  all  the  justice 
I  could  wish  to  several  of  the  dishes. — Mr.  Meriton,  I  will 
thank  you  to  have  the  remainder  of  that  bird  sent  down  to 
the  barracks,  where  my  man  will  receive  it ;  and,  as  it  may 
be  a  long  march,  and  a  hungry  one,  add  the  tongue,  and  a 
fowl,  and  some  of  the  ragout ;  we  can  warm  it  up  at  any 
farm-house — we'll  take  the  piece  of  beef,  Mac — Leo  has  a 
particular  taste  for  a  cold  cut ;  and  you  might  put  up  the 
ham,  also  ;  it  will  keep  better  than  anything  else,  if  we 
should  be  out  long — and — and — I  believe  that  will  do, 
Meriton." 

"  I  am  as  much  rejoiced  to  hear  it  as  I  should  be  to  haar 
a  proclamation  of  war  read  at  Charing-Cross,"  cried  M'Fuse 
— "you  should  have  been  a  commissary,  Polly — nature 
meant  you  for  an  army  sutler  !  " 

"Laugh  as  you  will,  Mac,"  returned  the  good-humored 
Polwarth  ;  "  I  shall  hear  your  thanks  when  we  halt  for 
breakfast  ;  but  I  attend  you  now." 

As  they  left  the  house,  he  continued,  "  I  hope  Gage 
means  no  more  than  to  push  us  a  little  in  advance  with  a 
view  to  protect  the  foragers  and  the  supplies  of  the  army 
— such  a  situation  wrould  have  very  pretty  advantages  ; 
for  a  system  might  be  established  that  would  give  the  mess 
of  the  light  corps  the  choice  of  the  whole  market." 

"  Tis  a  mighty  preparation  about  some  old  iron  gun, 
which  would  cost  a  man  his  life  to  put  a  match  to,"  re- 
turned M'Fuse,  cavalierly;  "  for  my  part,  Captain  Pol- 
warth, if  we  are  to  fight  these  colonists  at  all,  I  would  do 
the  thing  like  a  man,  and  allow  the  lads  to  gather  together 
a  suitable  arsenal,  that  when  we  come  to  blows,  it  may  be 
a  military  affair — as  it  now  stands,  I  should  be  ashamed,  as 
I  am  a  soldier  and  an  Irishman,  to  bid  my  fellows  pull  a 
trigger,  or  make  a  charge,  on  a  set  of  peasants,  whose  fire- 
arms look  more  like  rusty  water-pipes  than  muskets,  and 
who  have  half  a  dozen  cannon  with  touch-holes  that  a  man 
may  put  his  head  in,  with  muzzles  just  large  enough  to 
throw  marbles." 

<k  I  don't  know,  Mac,"  said  Polwarth,  while  they  dili- 
gently pursued  their  way  toward  the  quarters  of  their 


Li  ONE L   LINCOLN.  Sy 

men  ;  "  even  a  marble  may  destroy  a  man's  appetite  for 
his  dinner  ;  and  the  countrymen  possess  a  great  advantage 
over  us  in  commanding  the  supplies — the  difference  in 
equipments  would  not  more  than  balance  the  odds." 

"  I  wish  to  disturb  no  gentleman's  opinion  on  matters  of 
military  discretion,  Captain  Polwarth,"  said  the  grenadier, 
with  an  air  of  high  martial  pride  ;  "  but  I  take  it  there  ex- 
ists a  material  difference  between  a  soldier  and  a  butcher, 
though  killing  be  a  business  common  to  both — I  repeat, 
sir,  I  hope  that  this  secret  expedition  is  for  a  more  worthy 
object  than  to  deprive  those  poor  devils,  with  whom  we 
are  about  to  fight,  of  the  means  of  making  a  good  battle  ; 
and  I  add,  sir,  that  such  is  sound  military  doctrine,  without 
regarding  who  may  choose  to  controvert  it." 

"  Your  sentiments  are  generous  and  manly,  Mac  ;  but, 
after  all,  there  is  both  a  physical  and  moral  obligation  on 
every  man  to  eat ;  and  if  starvation  be  the  consequence  of 
permitting  your  enemies  to  bear  arms,  it  becomes  a  solemn 
duty  to  deprive  them  of  their  weapons — no — no — I  will 
support  Gage  in  such  a  measure,  at  present,  as  highly  mil- 
itary." 

"And  he  is  much  obliged  to  you,  sir,  for  your  support," 
returned  the  other — "  I  apprehend,  Captain  Polwarth, 
whenever  the  Lieutenant-General  Gage  finds  it  necessary 
to  lean  on  any  one  for  extraordinary  assistance,  he  will  re- 
member that  there  is  a  regiment  called  the  Royal  Irish  in 
the  country,  and  that  he  is  not  entirely  ignorant  of  the 
qualities  of  the  people  of  his  own  nation. — You  have  done 
well,  Captain  Polwarth,  to  choose  the  light-infantry  ser- 
vice— they  are  a  set  of  foragers,  and  can  help  themselves  , 
but  the  grenadiers,  thank  God,  love  to  encounter  men,  and 
not  cattle,  in  the  field." 

How  long  the  good-nature  of  Polwarth  would  have  en- 
dured the  increasing  taunts  of  the  Irishman,  who  was  ex- 
asperating himself,  gradually,  by  his  own  arguments,  there 
is  no  possibility  of  determining;  for  their  arrival  at.  the 
Darracks  put  an  end  to  the  controversy  and  to  the  feelings 
it  was  beginning  to  engender. 


88  LIONEL  LINCOLN. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

"  Preserve  thy  sighs,  unthrifty  girl ! 

To  purify  the  air  ; 

Thy  tears  to  thread,  instead  of  pearl, 
On  bracelets  of  thy  hair." — DAVENANT. 

LIONEL  might  have  blushed  to  acknowledge  the  secret 
and  inexplicable  influence  which  his  unknown  and  myste- 
rious friend,  Ralph,  had  obtained  over  his  feelings,  but 
which  induced  him,  on  leaving  his  own  quarters  thus 
hastily,  to  take  his  way  into  the  lower  parts  of  the  town,  in 
quest  of  the  residence  of  Abigail  Pray.  He  had  not  vis- 
ited the  sombre  tenement  of  this  woman  since  the  night  of 
his  arrival,  but  its  proximity  to  the  well-known  town-hall, 
as  well  as  the  quaint  architecture  of  the  building  itself,  had 
frequently  brought  its  exterior^under  his  observation,  in 
the  course  of  his  rambles  through  the  place  of  his  nativity. 
A  guide  being,  consequently,  unnecessary,  he  took  the 
most  direct  and  frequented  route  to  the  dock  square. 
When  Lionel  issued  into  the  street,  he  found  a  deep  dark- 
ness already  enveloping  the  peninsula  of  Boston,  as  if  nat- 
ure had  lent  herself  to  the  secret  designs  of  the  British 
commandant.  The  fine  strain  of  a  shrill  fife  was  playing 
among  the  naked  hills  of  the  place,  accompanied  by  the  oc- 
casional and  measured  taps  of  the  sullen  drum  ;  and,  at 
moments,  the  full,  rich  notes  of  the  horns  would  rise  from 
the  common,  and,  borne  on  the  night-air,  sweep  along  the 
narrow  streets,  causing  the  nerves  of  the  excited  young 
soldier  to  thrill  with  a  stern  pleasure,  as  he  stepped  proudly 
along.  The  practised  ear,  however,  detected  no  other 
sounds  in  the  music  than  the  usual  nightly  signal  of  rest  ; 
and  when  the  last  melting  strains  of  the  horns  seemed  to 
be  lost  in  the  clouds,  a  stillness  fell  upon  the  town,  like 
the* deep  and  slumbering  quiet  of  midnight.  He  paused  a 
moment  before  the  gates  of  Province-House,  and,  after 
examining,  with  an  attentive  eye,  the  windows  of  the  build- 
ing, he  spoke  to  the  grenadier,  who  had  stopped  in  his 
short  walk,  to  note  the  curious  stranger. 

"You  should  have  company  within,  sentinel,"  he  said, 
"by  the  brilliant  light  from  those  windows." 

The  rattling  of  Lionel's  side-arms,  as  he  pointed  with  his 
hand  in  the  direction  of  the  illuminated  apartment,  taught 


LIONEL  LINCOLN.  89 

the  soldier  that  he  was  addressed  by  his  superior,  and  he 
answered  respectfully — 

"  It  does  not  become  one  such  as  I  to  pretend  to  know 
much  of  what  his  betters  do,  your  honor  ;  but  I  stood  be- 
fore the  quarters  of  General  Wolfe  the  very  night  we  went 
up  to  the  Plains  of  Abram  ;  and  I  think  an  old  soldier  can 
tell  when  a  movement  is  at  hand,  without  asking  his  su- 
periors any  impertinent  questions." 

"  I  suppose,  from  your  remark,  the  general  holds  a  coun- 
cil to-night?"  said  Lionel. 

"  No  one  has  gone  in,  sir,  since  I  have  been  posted,"  re- 
turned the  sentinel,  "but  the  lieutenant-colonel  of  the  loth, 
that  great  Northumbrian  lord,  and  the  old  major  of  ma- 
rines ;  a  great  war-dog  is  that  old  man,  your  honor,  and  it 
is  not  often  he  comes  to  Province-House  for  nothing." 

"A  good-night  to  you,  my  old  comrade,"  said  Lionel, 
walking  away  ;  "  'tis  probably  some  consultation  concern- 
ing the  new  exercises  that  you  practise." 

The  grenadier  shook  his  head,  as  if  unconcerned,  and 
resumed  his  march  with  his  customary  steadiness.  A  very 
few  minutes  now  brought  Lionel  before  the  low  door  of 
Abigail  Pray,  where  he  again  stopped,  struck  with  the 
contrast  between  the  gloomy,  dark,  and  unguarded  thresh- 
old over  which  he  was  about  to  pass,  and  the  gay  portal 
he  had  just  left.  Urged,  however,  by  his  feelings,  the 
young  man  paused  but  a  moment  before  he  tapped  lightly 
for  admission.  After  repeating  his  summons,  and  hearing 
no  reply,  he  lifted  the  latch,  and  entered  the  building  with- 
out further  ceremony.  The  large  and  vacant  apartment, 
in  which  he  found  himself,  was  silent  and  dreary  as  the 
still  streets  he  had  quitted.  Groping  his  way  toward  the 
little  room  in  the  tower,  where  he  had  met  the  mother  of 
Job,  as  before  related,  Lionel  found  that  apartment  also 
tenantless,  and  dark.  He  was  turning,  in  disappointment 
to  quit  the  place,  when  a  feeble  ray  fell  from  the  loft  of  the 
building,  and  settled  on  the  foot  of  a  rude  ladder  which 
formed  the  means  of  communication  with  its  upper  apart- 
ments. Hesitating  a  single  moment  now  to  decide,  he  then 
yielded  to  his  anxiety,  and  ascended  to  the  floor  above, 
with  steps  as  light  as  extreme  caution  could  render  them. 
Like  the  basement,  the  building  was  subdivided  here,  into 
a  large,  open  ware-room,  and  a  small,  rudely-finished 
apartment  in  each  of  its  towers.  Following  the  rays  from 
a  candle,  he  stood  on  the  threshold  of  one  of  these  little 
rooms,  in  which  he  found  the  individual  of  whom  he  was 


90  LIONEL  LINCOLN. 

in  quest.  The  old  man  was  seated  on  the  only  broken 
chair  which  the  loft  contained,  and  before  him,  on  the 
simple  bundle  of  straw  which  would  seem,  by  the  garments 
thrown  loosely  over  the  pile,  to  be  intended  as  his  place 
of  rest,  lay  a  large  map,  spread  for  inspection,  which  his 
glazed  and  sunken  eyes  appeared  to  be  intently  engaged 
in  marking.  Lionel  hesitated  again,  while  he  regarded  the 
white  hairs  which  fell  across  the  temples  of  the  stranger, 
as  he  bowed  his  head  in  his  employment,  imparting  a  wild 
and  melancholy  expression  to  his  remarkable  countenance, 
and  seeming  to  hallow  their  possessor  by  the  air  of  great 
age  and  attendant  care  that  they  imparted. 

"  I  have  come  to  seek  you,"  the  young  man  at  length 
said,  "since  you  no  longer  deem  me  worthy  of  your 
care." 

"You  come  too  late,"  returned  Ralph,  without  betraying 
the  least  emotion  at  the  suddenness  of  the  interruption,  or 
even  raising  his  eyes  from  the  map  he  studied  so  intently; 
"  too  late  at  least  to  avert  calamity,  if  not  to  learn  wisdom 
from  its  lessons." 

"You  know,  then,  of  the  secret  movements  of  the 
night  ? " 

"Old  age,  like  mine,  seldom  sleeps,"  returned  Ralph, 
looking  for  the  first  time  at  his  visitor ;  "  for  the  eternal 
night  of  death  promises  a  speedy  repose.  I,  too,  served  an 
apprenticeship  in  my  youth  to  your  trade  of  blood." 

"  Your  watchfulness  and  experience  have  then  detected 
the  signs  of  preparation  in  the  garrison  ?  Have  they  also 
discovered  the  objects,  and  probable  consequences  of  the 
enterprise  ? " 

"  Both  ;  Gage  weakly  thinks  to  crush  the  germ  of  liberty, 
which  has  already  quickened  in  the  land,  by  lopping  its 
feeble  branches,  when  it  is  rooted  in  the  hearts  of  the 
people.  He  thinks  that  bold  thoughts  can  be  humbled  by 
the  destruction  of  magazines." 

"  It  is  then  only  a  measure  of  precaution  that  he  is 
about  to  take  ? " 

The  old  man  shook  his  head  mournfully  as  he  an- 
swered— 

"  It  will  prove  a  measure  of  blood." 

"I  intend  to  accompany  the  detachment  into  the  coun- 
try," said  Lionel — "it  will  probably  take  post  at  some 
little  distance  in  the  interior,  and  it  will  afford  me  a  fit- 
ting opportunity  to  make  those  inquiries  which  you  know 
are  so  near  my  heart,  and  in  which  you  have  promised  to 


LIONEL   LINCOLN'.  91 

assist — it  is  to  consult  on  the  means,  that  I  have  now 
sought  you." 

The  countenance  of  the  stranger  seemed  to  lose  its 
character  of  melancholy  reflection,  as  Lionel  spoke,  and 
his  eyes  moved,  vacant  and  unmeaning,  over  the  naked 
rafters  above  him,  passing  in  their  wanderings  across  the 
surface  of  the  unheeded  map  again,  until  they  fell  full  upon 
the  face  of  the  astonished  youth,  where  they  remained 
settled  for  more  than  a  minute,  fixed  in  the  glazed,  riveted 
look  of  death.  The  lips  of  Lionel  had  already  opened  in 
anxious  inquiry,  when  the  expression  of  life  shot  again 
into  the  features  of  Ralph,  with  the  suddenness,  and  with 
an  appearance  of  the  physical  reality  with  which  light 
flashes  from  the  sun  when  emerging  from  a  cloud. 

"  You  are  ill !  "  Lionel  exclaimed. 

"  Leave  me,"  said  the  old  man,  "  leave  me." 

"  Surely  not  at  such  a  moment,  and  alone." 

"I  bid  you  leave  me — we  'Shall  meet,  as  you  desire,  in 
the  country." 

"  You  would  then  have  me  accompany  the  troops,  and 
expect  your  coming  ?" 

"  Both." 

"  Pardon  me,"  said  Lionel,  dropping  his  eyes  in  embar- 
rassment, and  speaking  with  hesitation,  "  but  your  present 
abode,  and  the  appearance  of  your  attire,  is  an  evidence 
that  old  age  has  come  upon  you  when  you  are  not  alto- 
gether prepared  to  meet  its  sufferings." 

"  You  would  offer  me  money  ?  " 

"  By  accepting  it,  I  shall  become  the  obliged  party.'' 

"  When  my  wants  exceed  my  means,  young  man,  your 
offer  shall  be  remembered.  Go,  now  ;  there  is  no  time  for 
delay." 

"  But  I  would  not  leave  you  alone  ;  the  woman,  the 
termagant,  is  better  than  none  ! " 

"She  is  absent." 

"  And  the  boy — the  changeling  has  the  feelings  of  hu- 
manity, and  would  aid  you  in  an  extremity." 

"  He  is  better  employed  than  in  propping  the  steps  of  a 
useless  old  man. — Go,  then,  I  entreat — I  command,  sir, 
that  you  leave  me." 

The  firm,  if  not  haughty  manner,  in  which  the  other 
repeated  his  desire,  taught  Lionel  that  he  had  nothing 
more  to  expect  at  present,  and  he  obeyed  reluctantly,  by 
slowly  leaving  the  apartment  ;  and  as  soon  as  he  had  de- 
scended  the  ladder,  he  began  to  retrace  his  steps  toward 


92  LIONEL   LINCOLN1. 

his  own  quarters.  In  crossing  the  light  drawbridge 
thrown  over  the  narrow  dock,  already  mentioned,  his  con- 
templations were  first  disturbed  by  the  sounds  of  voices, 
at  no  great  distance,  apparently  conversing  in  tones  that 
were  not  intended  to  be  heard  by  every  ear.  It  was  a 
moment  when  each  unusual  incident  was  likely  to  induce 
inquiry,  and  Lionel  stopped  to  examine  two  men,  who,  at 
a  little  distance,  held  their  secret  and  suppressed  commu- 
nications. He  had,  however,  paused  but  an  instant,  when 
the  whisperers  separated  ;  one  walking  leisurely  up  the 
centre  of  the  square,  entering  under  one  of  the  arches  of 
the  market-place,  and  the  other  coming  directly  across  the 
bridge  on  which  he  himself  was  standing. 

"  What,  Job,  do  I  find  you  here,  whispering  and  plotting 
in  the  Dock-square  ! "  exclaimed  Lionel ;  "  what  secrets 
can  you  have,  that  require  the  cover  of  night  ? " 

"Job  lives  there,  in  the  old  ware'us',"  said  the  lad  sullen- 
ly— "Nab  has  plenty  of  house-room,  now  the  king  won't 
let  the  people  bring  in  their  goods." 

"  But  whither  are  you  going  ?  into  the  water  ?  surely  the 
road  to  your  bed  cannot  be  through  the  town  dock." 

"  Nab  wants  fish  to  eat,  as  well  as  a  ruff  to  keep  off  the 
rain,"  said  Job,  dropping  lightly  from  the  bridge  into  a 
small  canoe,  which  was  fastened  to  one  of  its  posts,  "  and 
now  the  king  has  closed  the  harbor,  the  fish  have  to  come 
up  in  the  dark  ;  for  come  they  will  ;  Boston  fish  an't  to  be 
shut  out  by  acts  of  Parliament ! " 

"  Poor  lad  !  "  exclaimed  Lionel,  "  return  to  your  home 
and  your  bed  ;  here  is  money  to  buy  food  for  your  mother, 
if  she  suffers — you  will  draw  a  shot  from  some  of  the  sen- 
tinels by  going  about  the  harbor  thus  at  night." 

"Job  can  see  a  ship  farther  than  a  ship  can  see  Job," 
returned  the  other  ;  "  and  if  they  should  kill  Job,  they 
needn't  think  to  shoot  a  Boston  boy  without  some  stir." 

Further  dialogue  was  precluded  ;  the  canoe  gliding 
along  the  outer  dock  into  the  harbor,  with  a  stillness  and 
swiftness  that  showed  the  idiot  was  not  ignorant  of  the 
business  which  he  had  undertaken.  Lionel  resumed  his 
walk,  and  was  passing  the  head  of  the  square,  when  he 
encountered,  face  to  face,  under  the  light  of  a  lamp,  the 
man  whose  figure  he  had  seen  but  a  minute  before  to  issue 
from  beneath  the  town-hall.  A  mutual  desire  to  ascertain 
the  identity  of  each  other  drew  them  together. 

"We  meet  again,  Major  Lincoln!"  said  the  interesting 
stranger  Lionel  remembered  to  have  seen  at  the  political 


LIONEL   LINCOLN. 


93 


meeting.  "  Our  interviews  appear  ordained  to  occur  in 
secret  places." 

"  And  Job  Pray  would  seem  to  be  the  presiding  spirit," 
returned  the  young  soldier.  "  You  parted  from  him  but 
now  ? " 

"  I  trust,  sir,"  said  the  stranger  gravely,  "  that  this  is  not 
a  land,  nor  have  we  fallen  on  times,  when  and  where  an 
honest  man  dare  not  say  that  he  has  spoken  to  whom  he 
pleases." 

"  Certainly,  sir,  it  is  not  for  rne  to  prohibit  the  inter- 
course," returned  Lionel.  "You  spoke  of  our  fathers; 
mine  is  well  known  to  you,  it  would  seem,  though  to  me 
you  are  a  stranger." 

"And  may  be  so  yet  a  little  longer,"  said  the  other, 
"  though  I  think  the  time  is  at  hand  when  men  will  be 
known  in  their  true  characters  ;  until  then,  Major  Lincoln, 
I  bid  you  adieu." 

Without  waiting  for  any  reply,  the  stranger  took  a  dif- 
ferent direction  from  that  which  Lionel  was  pursuing,  and 
walked  away  with  the  swiftness  of  one  who  was  pressed 
with  urgent  business.  Lionel  soon  ascended  into  the  up- 
per part  of  the  town,  with  the  intention  of  going  into  Tre- 
mont  Street,  to  communicate  his  design  to  accompany  the 
expedition.  It  was  now  apparent  to  the  young  man,  that 
a  rumor  of  the  contemplated  movement  of  the  troops  was 
spreading  secretly,  but  swiftly,  among  the  people.  He 
passed  several  groups  of  earnest  and  excited  townsmen, 
conferring  together  at  the  corners  of  the  streets,  from  some 
of  whom  he  overheard  the  startling  intelligence  that  the 
neck,  the  only  approach  to  the  place  by  land,  was  closed 
by  a  line  of  sentinels  ;  and  that  guard-boats  from  the  ves- 
sels of  war  were  encircling  the  peninsula  in  a  manner  to 
intercept  the  communication  with  the  adjacent  country. 
Still  no  indications  of  a  military  alarm  could  be  discovered, 
though,  at  times,  a  stifled  hum,  like  the  notes  of  busy 
preparation,  was  borne  along  by  the  damp  breezes  of  the 
night,  and  mingled  with  those  sounds  of  a  spring  evening, 
which  increased  as  he  approached  the  skirts  of  the  dwell- 
ings. In  Tremont  Street  Lionel  found  no  appearance  of 
that  excitement,  which  was  spreading  so  rapidly  in  the  old 
and  lower  parts  of  the  town.  He  passed  into  his  own  room 
without  meeting  any  of  the  family,  and  having  completed 
his  brief  arrangements,  he  was  descending  to  inquire  for 
his  kinswoman,  when  the  voice  of  Mrs.  Lechmere,  proceed- 
ing from  a  small  apartment,  appropriated  to  her  own  use, 


94  LIONEL   LINCOLN'. 

arrested  his  steps.  Anxious  to  take  leave  in  person,  ho 
approached  the  half-open  door,  and  would  have  asked  per- 
mission to  enter,  had  not  his  eye  rested  on  the  person  of 
Abigail  Pray,  who  was  in  earnest  conference  with  the  mis- 
tress of  the  mansion. 

"  A  man  aged,  and  poor,  say  you  ?  "  observed  Mrs.  Lech 
mere,  at  that  instant. 

"And  one  that  seems  to  know  all,"  interrupted  Abigail, 
glancing  her  eyes  about  with  the  expression  of  supersti- 
tious terror. 

"All  !"  echoed  Mrs.  Lechmere,  her  lip  trembling  more 
with  apprehension  than  age  ;  "  and  he  arrived  with  Majoi 
Lincoln,  say  you  ? " 

"  In  the  same  ship  ;  and  it  seems  that  heaven  has  or- 
dained that  he  shall  dwell  with  me  in  my  poverty,  as  a 
punishment  for  my  great  sins !  " 

"  But  why  do  you  tolerate  his  presence,  if  it  be  irksome," 
said  Mrs.  Lechmere;  "you  are  at  least  the  mistress  of 
your  own  dwelling." 

"  It  has  pleased  God  that  my  home  shall  be  the  home  of 
any  who  are  so  miserable  as  to  need  one.  He  has  the  same 
right  to  live  in  the  warehouse  that  I  have." 

"  You  have  the  rights  of  a  woman,  and  of  first  posses- 
sion," said  Mrs.  Lechmere,  with  that  unyielding  severity  of 
manner,  that  Lionel  had  often  observed  before  ;  "  I  would 
turn  him  into  the  street,  like  a  dog." 

"  Into  the  street ! "  repeated  Abigail,  again  looking 
about  her  in  secret  terror  ;  "  speak  lower,  Madam  Lech- 
mere, for  the  love  of  heaven — I  dare  not  even  look  at  him — 
he  reminds  me  of  all  I  have  ever  known,  and  of  all  the 
evil  I  have  ever  done,  by  his  scorching  eye — and  yet  I 
cannot  tell  why — and  then  Job  worships  him  as  a  god,  and 
if  I  should  offend  him,  he  could  easily  worm  from  the 
child  all  that  you  and  I  wish  so  much — 

"How!"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Lechmere,  in  a  voice  husky 
with  horror,  "  have  you  been  so  base  as  to  make  a  confi- 
dant of  that  fool  ?  " 

"That  fool  is  the  child  of  my  bosom,"  said  Abigail,  rais- 
ing her  hands,  as  if  imploring  pardon  for  the  indiscre* 
tion. — "  Ah  !  Madam  Lechmere,  you,  who  are  rich,  and 
great,  and  happy,  and  have  such  a  sweet  and  sensible 
grandchild,  cannot  kriow  how  to  love  one  like  Job  ;  but 
when  the  heart  is  loaded  and  heavy,  it  throws  its  burden  on 
any  that  will  bear  it ;  and  Job  is  my  child,  though  he  is  bul 
little  better  than  an  idiot !  " 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  95 

It  was  by  no  trifling  exertion  of  his  breeding  that  Lionel 
was  enabled  to  profit  by  the  inability  of  Mrs.  Lechmere  to 
reply,  and  to  turn  away  from  the  spot,  and  cease  to  listen 
to  a  conversation  that  was  not  intended  for  his  ear.  He 
reached  the  parlor,  and  threw  himself  on  one  of  its  settees, 
before  he  was  conscious  that  he  was  no  longer  alone  or  un- 
observed. 

"What!  Major  Lincoln  returned  from  his  revels  thus 
early,  and  armed  like  a  bandit,  to  his  teeth  !  "  exclaimed 
the  playful  voice  of  Cecil  Dynevor,  who,  unheeded,  was  in 
possession  of  the  opposite  seat,  when  he  entered  the  room. 

Lionel  started,  and  rubbed  his  forehead,  like  a  man 
awaking  from  a  dream,  as  he  answered — 

"  Yes,  a  bandit,  or  any  other  opprobrious  name  you 
please  ;  I  deserve  them  all." 

"Surely,"  said  Cecil,  turning  pale,  "none  other  dare 
use  such  language  of  Major  Lincoln,  and  he  does  it  un- 
justly !  " 

"  What  foolish  nonsense  have  I  uttered,  Miss  Dynevor  ?" 
cried  Lionel,  recovering  his  recollection  ;  <l  I  was  lost  in 
thought,  and  heard  your  language  without  comprehending 
its  meaning." 

"  Still  you  are  armed  ;  a  sword  is  not  a  usual  instrument 
at  your  side,  and  now  you  bear  even  pistols  !  " 

"Yes,"  returned  the  young  soldier,  laying  aside  his  dan- 
gerous implements  ;  "yes,  I  am  about  to  march  as  a  volun- 
teer, with  a  party  that  go  into  the  country  to-night,  and  I 
take  these  because  I  would  affect  something  very  warlike, 
though  you  well  know  how  peaceably  I  am  disposed." 

"  March  into  the  country — and  in  the  dead  of  night !  " 
said  Cecil,  catching  her  breath,  and  turning  pale — "And 
does  Lionel  Lincoln  volunteer  on  such  a  duty  ? " 

"  I  volunteer  to  perform  no  other  duty  than  to  be  a  wit- 
ness of  whatever  may  occur — you  are  not  more  ignorant 
yourself  of  the  nature  of  the  expedition  than  I  am  at  this 
moment." 

"Then  remain  where  you  are,"  said  Cecil  firmly,  "and 
enlist  not  in  an  enterprise  that  may  be  unholy  in  its  pur- 
poses and  disgraceful  in  its  results." 

"  Of  the  former  I  am  innocent,  whatever  they  may  be, 
nor  will  they  be  affected  by  my  presence  or  absence. 
There  is  little  danger  of  disgrace  in  accompanying  the 
grenadiers  and  light-infantry  of  this  army,  Miss  Dynevor, 
though  it  should  be  against  treble  their  numbers  of  chosesi 
troops." 


96  LIONEL  LINCOLN. 

"  Then  it  would  seem,"  said  Agnes  Danforth,  speaking 
as  she  entered  the  room,  "  that  our  friend  Mercury,  that 
feather  of  a  man,  Captain  Polwarth,  is  to  be  one  of  these 
night  depredators  !  heaven  shield  the  hen-roosts  !  " 

"  You  have  then  heard  the  intelligence,  Agnes  ?  " 

"  I  have  heard  that  men  are  arming,  and  that  boats  are 
rowing  round  the  town  in  all  directions,  and  that  it  is  for- 
bidden to  enter  or  quit  Boston,  as  we  were  wont  to  do,  Ce- 
cil, at  such  hours,  and  in  such  fashion  as  suited  us  plain 
Americans,"  said  Agnes,  endeavoring  to  conceal  her  deep 
vexation  in  affected  irony — "  God  only  can  tell  in  what  all 
these  oppressive  measures  will  end." 

"  If  you  go  only  as  a  curious  spectator  of  the  depreda- 
tions of  the  troops,"  continued  Cecil,  "  are  you  not  wrong 
to  lend  them  even  the  sanction  of  your  name  ? " 

"  I  have  yet  to  learn  that  there  will  be  depredations." 

"  You  forget,  Cecil,"  interrupted  Agnes  Danforth,  scorn- 
fully, "that  Major  Lincoln  did  not  arrive  until  after  the 
renowned  march  from  Roxbury  to  Dorchester  !  Then  the 
troops  gathered  their  laurels  under  the  face  of  the  sun  ; 
but  it  is  easy  to  conceive  how  much  more  glorious  their 
achievements  will  become  when  darkness  shall  conceal 
their  blushes  !  " 

The  blood  rushed  across  the  fine  features  of  Lionel,  but 
he  laughed  as  he  arose  to  depart,  saying — 

"  You  compel  me  to  beat  the  retreat,  my  spirited  coz. 
If  I  have  my  usual  fortune  in  this  forage,  your  larder, 
however,  shall  be  the  better  for  it.  I  kiss  my  hand  to  you, 
for  it  would  be  necessary  to  lay  aside  the  scarlet,  to  dare 
to  approach  with  a  more  peaceable  offering.  But  here  I 
may  make  an  approach  to  something  like  amity." 

He  took  the  hand  of  Cecil,  who  frankly  met  his  offer, 
and  insensibly  suffered  herself  to  be  led  to  the  door  of  the 
building  while  he  continued  speaking. 

"  I  would,  Lincoln,  that  you  were  not  to  go,"  she  said, 
when  they  stopped  on  the  threshold — "  it  is  not  required 
of  you  as  a  soldier ;  and  as  a  man  your  own  feelings  should 
teach  you  to  be  tender  of  your  countrymen." 

"  It  is  as  a  man  that  I  go,  Cecil,"  he  answered  ;  "  I  have 
motives  that  you  cannot  suspect." 

"And  is  your  absence  to  be  long  ?" 

"  If  not  for  days,  my  object  will  be  unaccomplished  '/ 
but  he  added,  pressing  her  hand  gently,  "you  cannot 
doubt  my  willingness  to  return  when  occasion  may  offer." 

"Go,   then,"   said   Cecil,  hastily,    and   perhaps   uncon- 


LIONEL  LINCOLN;  97 

sciously  extricating  herself— "go,  if  you  have  secret  rea- 
sons for  your  conduct  ;  but  remember  that  the  acts  of 
every  officer  of  your  rank  are  keenly  noted." 

"  Do  you  then  distrust  me,  Cecil  ? " 

"No — no— I  distrust  no  one,  Major  Lincoln — go — go — 
and— and — we  shall  see  you,  Lionel,  the  instant  you 
return." 

He  had  not  time  to  reply,  for  she  glided  into  the  build- 
ing so  rapidly  as  to  give  the  young  man  an  opportunity 
only  to  observe,  that,  instead  of  rejoining  her  cousin,  her 
light  form  passed  up  the  great  stairs  with  the  swiftness 
<ind  grace  of  a  fairy. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

"  Hang  out  our  banners  on  the  outward  walls  ; 
The  cry  is  still,  They  come.'1'1 — Macbeth. 

LIONEL  had  walked  from  the  dwelling  of  Mrs.  Lechmere 
to  the  foot  of  Beacon  Hill,  and  had  even  toiled  up  some 
part  of  the  steep  ascent,  before  he  recollected  why  he  was 
thus  wandering  by  himself  at  that  unusual  hour.  Hearing, 
however,  no  sounds  that  denoted  an  immediate  movement 
of  the  troops,  he  then  yielded,  unconsciously,  to  the  nature 
of  his  sensations,  which  just  at  that  moment  rendered  his 
feelings  jealous  of  communication  with  others,  and  con- 
tinued to  ascend  until  he  gained  the  summit  of  the  emi- 
nence. From  this  elevated  stand  he  paused  to  contem- 
plate the  scene  which  lay  in  the  obscurity  of  night  at  his 
feet,  while  his  thoughts  returned  from  the  flattering  antici- 
pations in  which  he  had  been  indulging,  to  consider  the 
more  pressing  business  of  the  hour.  There  arose  from  the 
town  itself  a  distant  buzzing,  like  the  hum  of  suppressed 
agitation,  and  lights  were  seen  to  glide  along  the  streets, 
or  flit  across  the  windows,  in  a  manner  which  denoted  that 
a  knowledge  of  the  expedition  had  become  general  within 
its  dwellings.  Lionel  turned  his  head  toward  the  common, 
and  listened  long  and  anxiously,  but  in  vain,  to  detect  a 
single  sound  that  could  betray  any  unusual  stir  among  the 
soldiery.  Toward  the  interior,  the  darkness  of  night  had 
fallen  heavily,  dimming  the  amphitheatre  of  hills  that  en- 
circled the  place,  and  enshrouding  the  vales  and  lowlands 
between  them  and  the  water  with  an  impenetrable  veil  of 

7 


98  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

gloom.  There  were  moments,  indeed,  when  he  imagined 
he  overheard  some  indications  among  the  people  of  the 
opposite  shore,  that,  they  were  apprised  of  the  impending 
descent  ;  but  on  listening  more  attentively,  the  utmost  of 
which  his  ear  could  assure  him,  was  the  faint  lowing  of 
cattle  from  the  meadows,  or  the  plash  of  oars  from  a  line 
'of  boats,  which,  by  stretching  far  along  the  shores,  told 
both  the  nature  and  tjie  extent  of  the  watchfulness  that 
was  deemed  necessary  for  the  occasion. 

While  Lionel  stood  thus,  on  the  margin  of  the  little  plat- 
form of  earth,  that  had  been  formed  by  levelling  the  apex 
of  the  natural  cone,  musing  on  the  probable  results  of  the 
measure  his  superiors  had  been  resolving  to  undertake,  a 
dim  light  shed  itself  along  the  grass,  and  glancing  upward, 
danced  upon  the  beacon  with  strong  and  playful  rays. 

"  Scoundrel  !  "  exclaimed  a  man,  springing  from  his 
place  of  concealment  at  the  foot  of  the  post,  and  encoun- 
tering him  face  to  face,  "  do  you  dare  to  fire  the  beacon  ? " 

"I  would  answer,  by  asking  how  you  dare  to  apply  so 
rude  an  epithet  to  me,  did  -I  not  see  the  cause  of  your 
error,"  said  Lionel.  "The. light  is  from  yonder  moon, 
which  is  just  emerging  from  the  ocean." 

"  Ah  !  I  see  my  error,"  returned  his  rough  assailant. — • 
"  By  heavens,  I  would  have  sworn  at  first,  'twas  the  bea- 
con." 

"  You  must  then  believe  in  the  traditional  witchcraft  of 
this  country  ;  for  nothing  short  of  necromancy  could  have 
enabled  me  to  light  those  combustibles  at  this  distance." 

"  I  don't  know  ;  '.tis  a  strange  people  we  have  got 
amongst — they  stole  the  cannon  from  the  gun-house  here, 
a  short  time  since,  when  I  would  have  said  the  thing  was 
impossible.  It  was  before  your  arrival,  sir  ;  for  I  now  be- 
lieve I  address  myself  to  Major  Lincoln,  of  the  47th." 

"You  are  nearer  the  truth,  this  time,  than  in  your  first 
conjecture  as  to  my  character,"  said  Lionel  ;  "  but  have  I 
met  one  of  the  gentlemen  of  our  mess  ? " 

The  stranger  now  explained  that  he  was  a  subaltern  in  a 
different  regiment,  but  that  he  well  knew  the  person  of  the 
other.  He  added  that  he  had  been  ordered  to  watch  on 
the  hill  to  prevent  any  of  the  inhabitants  lighting  the 
beacon,  or  making  any  other  signal  which  might  convey 
into  the  country  a  knowledge  of  the  contemplated  inroad. 

"  This  matter  wears  a  more  serious  aspect  than  I  had 
supposed,"  returned  Lionel,  when  the  young  man  had 
ended  his  apologies  and  explanation  ;  "  the  commander-in- 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  95 

chief  must  intend  more  than  we  are  aware  of,  by  employ- 
ing officers  in  this  manner,  to  do  the  duties  of  privates." 

""We  poor  subs  know  but  little,  and  care  less  what  he 
means,"  cried  the  ensign  ;  "  though  I  will  acknowledge, 
that  I  can  see  no  sufficient  reason  why  British  troops 
should  put  on  coats  of  darkness  to  march  against  a  parcel 
of  guessing,  canting  countrymen,  who  would  run  at  the 
sight  of  their  uniforms  under  a  bright  sun.  Had  I  my 
will,  the  tar  above  us,  there,  should  blaze  a  mile  high,  to 
bring  down  the  heroes  from  the  Connecticut  river ;  the 
dogs  would  cow  before  two  full  companies  of  the  grena- 
diers— ha  !  listen,  sir  ;  there  they  go,  now,  the  pride  of  our 
army !  I  know  them  by  their  heavy  tread." 

Lionel  did  listen  attentively,  and  plainly  distinguished 
the  measured  step  of  a  body  of  disciplined  men,  moving 
rapidly  across  the  common,  as  if  marching  toward  the 
water-side.  Hastily  bidding  his  companion  good-night, 
he  threw  himself  over  the  brow  of  the  hill,  and  tak- 
ing the  direction  of  the  sounds,  he  arrived  at  the  shore 
at  the  same  instant  with  the  troops.  Two  dark  masses 
of  human  bodies  were  halted  in  order,  and  as  Lionel 
skirted  the  columns,  his  experienced  eye  judged  that 
the  force  collected  before  him  could  be  but t little  short  of 
a  thousand  men.  A  group  of  officers  was  clustered  on  the 
beach,  and  he  approached  it,  rightly  supposing  that  it  was 
gathered  about  the  leader  of  the  party.  This  officer  proved 
to  be  the  lieutenant-colonel  of  the  loth,  who  was  in  close 
conversation  with  the  old  major  of  marines,  alluded  to  by 
the  sentinel  who  stood  before  the  gates  of  Province-House. 
To  the  former  of  these  the  young  soldier  addressed  him- 
self, demanding  leave  to  accompany  the  detachment  as  a 
volunteer.  After  a  few  words  of  explanation,  his  request 
was  granted,  though  each  forbore  to  touch  in  the  slightest 
manner  on  the  secret  objects  of  the  expedition. 

Lionel  now  found  his  groom,  who  had  followed  the 
troops  with  his  master's  horses,  and,  after  giving  his  orders 
to  the  man,  he  proceeded  in  quest  of  his  friend  Polwarth, 
whom  he  soon  discovered,  posted  in  all  the  stiffness  of 
military  exactness,  at  the  head  of  the  leading  platoon  of 
the  column  of  light-infantry.  As  it  was  apparent,  both 
from  the  position  they  occupied,  as  well  as  by  the  boats 
that  had  been  collected  at  the  point,  that  the  detachment 
was  not  to  leave  the  peninsula  by  its  ordinary  channel  of 
communication  with  the  country,  there  remained  no  alter- 
native but  to  await  patiently  the  order  to  embark.  The 


ioo  LIONEL  LINCOLN; 

delay  was  but  short,  and,  as  the  most  perfect  ordef 
was  observed,  the  troops  were  soon  seated,  and  the  boats 
pulled  heavily  from  the  land,  just  as  the  rays  of  the  moon, 
which  had  been  some  time  playing  among  the  hills,  and 
gilding  the  spires  of  the  town,  diffused  themselves  softly 
over  the  bay,  and  lighted  the  busy  scene,  with  an  effect 
not  unlike  the  sudden  rising  of  the  curtain  at  the  opening 
of  some  interesting  drama.  Polwarth  had  established  him 
self  by  the  side  of  Lionel,  much  to  the  ease  of  his  limbs, 
and  as  they  moved  slowly  into  the  light,  all  those  misgiv- 
ings which  had  so  naturally  accompanied  his  musings  on 
the  difficulties  of  a  partisan  irruption,  vanished  before  the 
loveliness  of  the  time,  and  possibly  before  the  quietude  of 
the  action. 

"  There  are  moments  when  I  could  fancy  the  life  of  a 
sailor,"  he  said,  leaning  indolently  back,  and  playing  with 
one  hand  in  the  water.  "This  pulling  about  in  boats  is 
easy  work,  and  must  be  capital  assistance  for  a  heavy  di- 
gestion, inasmuch  as  it  furnishes  air  with  as  little  violent 
exercise  as  maybe.  Your  marine  should  lead  a  merry  life 
of  it !  " 

"They  are  said  to  murmur  at  the  clashing  of  their  duties 
with  those  of  .the  sea-officers,"  said  Lionel  ;  "and  I  have 
often  heard  them  complain  of  a  want  of  room  to  make  use 
of  their  legs." 

"  Humph  !  "  ejaculated  Polwarth  ;  "  the  leg  is  a  part  of 
a  man  for  which  I  see  less  actual*  necessity  than  for  any 
other  portion  of  his  frame.  I  often  think  there  has  been  a 
sad  mistake  in  the  formation  of  the  animal ;  as,  for  instance, 
one  can  be  a  very  good  waterman,  as  you  see,  without  legs 
— a  good  fiddler,  a  first-rate  tailor,  a  lawyer,  a  doctor,  a 
parson,  a  very  tolerable  cook,  and  in  short,  anything  but 
a  dancing  master.  I  see  no  use  in  a  leg  unless  it  be  to 
have  the  gout — at  any  rate,  a  leg  of  twelve  inches  is  as  good 
as  one  a  mile  long,  and  the  saving  might  be  appropriated 
to  the  nobler  parts  of  the  animal ;  such  as  the  brain  and 
the  stomach." 

"You  forget  the  officer  of  light-infantry,"  said  Lionel, 
laughing. 

"You  might  give  him  a  couple  of  inches  more  ;  though, 
as  everything  in  this  wicked  world  is  excellent  only  by 
comparison,  it  would  amount  to  the  same  thing,  and  on 
my  system  a  man  would  be  just  as  fit  for  the  light- 
infantry  without,  as  with  legs  ;  and  he  would  get  rid  of  a 
good  deal  of  troublesome  manoeuvring,  especially  of  this 


LIONEL   LIN'COLN'.  101 

new  exercise.  It  would  then  become  a  delightful  service, 
Leo  ;  for  it  may  be  said  to  monopolize  all  the  poetry  of 
military  life,  as  you  may  see.  Neither  the  imagination 
nor  the  body  can  require  more  than  we  enjoy  at  this  mo- 
ment, and  of  what  use,  I  would  ask,  are  our  legs  ?  if  any- 
thing, they  are  incumbrances  in  this  boat.  Here  we  have 
a  soft  moon,  and  softer  seats — smooth  water,  and  a  stimu- 
lating air — on  one  side  a  fine  country,  which,  though  but 
faintly  seen,  is  known  to  be  fertile  and  rich  to  abundance  ; 
and  on  the  other  a  picturesque  town,  stored  with  the  con- 
diments of  every  climate — even  those  rascally  privates  look 
mellowed  by  the  moon-beams,  with  their  scarlet  coats  and 
glittering  arms !  Did  you  meet  Miss  Danforth  in  your 
visit  to  Tremont  Street,  Major  Lincoln  ? " 

"  That  pleasure  was  not  denied  me." 

"  Knew  she  of  these  martial  proceedings  ?" 

"  There  was  something  exceedingly  belligerent  in  her 
humor." 

"  Spoke  she  of  the  light-infantry,  or  of  any  who  serve  in 
the  light  corps  ?  " 

"Your  name  was  certainly  mentioned,"  returned  Lio- 
nel, a  little  dryly — "she  intimated  that  the  hen-roosts  were 
in  danger." 

"  Ah !  she  is  a  girl  of  a  million  !  her  very  acids  are 
sweet !  the  spices  were  not  forgotten  when  the  dough  of 
her  composition  was  mixed  ;  would  that  she  were  here — 
five  minutes  of  moonshine  to  a  man  in  love  is  worth  a 
whole  summer  of  a  broiling  sun — 'twould  be  a  master- 
stroke to  entice  her- into  one  of  our  picturesque  marches  ; 
your  partisan  is  the  man  to  take  everything  by  surprise — 
women  and  fortifications  !  Where  now  are  your  compa- 
nies of  the  lines  ;  your  artillery  and  dragoons  ;  your  engi- 
neers and  staff!  night-capped  and  snoring  to  a  man,  while 
we  enjoy  here  the  very  dessert  of  existence — I  wish  I  could 
hear  a  nightingale  !  " 

"You  have  a  solitary  whip-poor-will  whistling  his  notes, 
as  if  in  lamentation  at  our  approach." 

"  Too  dolorous,  and  by  far  too  monotonous  ;  'tis  like  eat- 
ing pig  for  a  month.  But  why  are  our  fifes  asleep  ?  " 

"  The  precautions  of  a  whole  day  should  hardly  be  de- 
feated by  the  tell-tale  notes  of  our  music,"  said  Lionel ; 
"  your  spirits  get  the  better  of  your  discretion.  I  should 
think  the  prospect  of  a  fatiguing  march  would  have  low- 
ered your  vein." 

"A  fico  for  fatigue!"  exclaimed  Polwarth — "we  only 


102  -LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

go  out  to  take  a  position  at  the  colleges  to  cover  our  sup. 
plies — -we  are  for  school,  Leo — only  fancy  the  knapsacks 
of  the  men  to  be  satchels, — humor  my  folly, — and  you  may 
believe  yourself  once  more  a  boy." 

The  spirits  of  Polvvarth  had  indeed  undergone  a  sudden 
change,  when  he  found  the  sad  anticipations  which  crossed 
his  mind  on  first  hearing  of  a  night  inroad,  so  agreeably 
disappointed  by  the  comfortable  situation  he  occupied  ; 
and  he  continued  conversing  in  the  manner  described,  un- 
til the  boats  reached  an  unfrequented  point  that  projected 
a  little  way  into  that  part  of  the  bay,  which  washed  the 
western  side  of  the  peninsula  of  Boston.  Here  the  troops 
landed,  and  were  again  formed  with  all  possible  despatch. 
The  company  of  Polwarth  was  posted,  as  before,  at  the 
head  of  the  column  of  light-infantry  ;  and  an  officer  of  the 
staff  riding  a  short  distance  in  front,  it  was  directed  to  fol- 
low his  movements.  Lionel  ordered  his  groom  to  take  the 
route  of  the  troops  with  the  horses,  and  placing  himself 
once  more  by  the  side  of  the  captain,  they  proceeded  at 
the  appointed  signal. 

"  Now  for  the  shades  of  old  Harvard  !  "  said  Polwarth, 
pointing  toward  the  humble  buildings  of  the  university  ; 
"you  shall  feast  this  night  on  reason,  while  I  wTill  make  a 
mote  sub — ha  !  what  can  that  blind  quarter-master  mean 
by  taking  this  direction  !  Does  he  not  see  that  the  mead- 
ows are  half  covered  with  water  !  " 

"  Move  on,  move  on  with  the  light-infantry,"  cried  the 
stern  voice  of  the  jold  major  of  marines,  who  rode  but  a 
short  distance  in  their  rear.  "  Do  you  falter  at  the  sight 
of  water  !." 

"We  are  not  wharf-rats,"  said  Polwarth. 

Lionel  seized  him  by  the  arm,  and  before  the  discon- 
certed captain  had  time  to  recollect  himself,  he  was  borne 
through  a  wide  pool  of  stagnant  water,  mid-leg  deep. 

"  Do  not  let  your  romance  cost  your  commission,"  said 
the  major,  as  Polwarth  floundered  out  of  his  difficulties  ; 
"  here  is  an  incident  at  once  for  your  private  narrative  of 
the  campaign." 

"  Ah  !  Leo,"  said  the  captain,  with  a  sort  of  comical  sor- 
row, "  I  fear  we  are  not  to  court  the  muses  by  this  hal- 
lowed moon  to-night  !  " 

"  You  can  assure  yourself  of  that,  by  observing  that  we 
Jeave  the  academical  roofs  on  our  left — our  leaders  take 
the  highway." 

They  had  by  this  time  extricated  themselves  from  the 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  103 

meadows,  and  were  moving  on  a  road  which  led  into  the 
interior. 

"  You  had  better  order  up  your  groom,  and  mount,  Major 
Lincoln,"  said  Polwarth,  sullenly;  "a  man  need  husband 
his  strength,  I  see." 

"  'Twould  be  folly  now  ;  I  am  wet,  and  must  walk  for 
safety." 

With  the  departure  of  Polwarth's  spirits  the  conversa- 
ti(5n  began  to  flag,  and  the  gentlemen  continued  their 
march  with  only  such  occasional  communications  as  arose 
from  the  passing  incidents  of  their  situation.  It  very  soon 
became  apparent,  both  by  the  direction  given  to  the  col- 
umns, as  well  as  by  the  hurried  steps  of  their  guide,  that 
the  march  was  to  be  forced,  as  well  as  of  some  length. 
But  as 'the  air  was  getting  cool,  even  Polwarth  was  not  re- 
luctant to  warm  his  chilled  blood  by  more  than  ordinary 
exertion.  The  columns  opened  for  the  sake  of  ease,  and 
each  man  was  permitted  to  consult  his  own  convenience, 
provided  lie  preserved  his  appointed  situation,  and  kept 
even  pace  with  his  comrades.  In  this  manner  the  detach- 
ment advanced  swiftly,  a  general  silence  pervading  the 
whole,  as  the  spirits  of  ihe  men  settled  into  that  deep 
sobriety  which  denotes  much  earnestness  of  purpose.  At 
first,  the  whole  country  appeared  buried  in  a  general 
sleep  ;  but  as  they  proceeded,  the  barking  of  the  dogs,  and 
the  tread  of  the  soldiery,  drew  the  inhabitants  of  the  farm- 
houses to  their  windows,  who  gazed  in  mute  wonder  at  the 
passing  spectacle,  across  which  the  mellow  light  of  the 
moon  cast  a  glow  of  brilliancy.  Lionel  had  turned  his 
head  from  studying  the  surprise  depicted  in  the  faces  of 
the  members  of  one  of  these  disturbed  families,  when  the 
deep  tones  of  a  distant  church-bell  came  sweeping  down 
the  valley  in  which  they  marched,  ringing  peal  on  peal,  in 
the  quick,  spirit-stirring  sounds  of  an  alarm.  The  men 
raised  their  heads  in  wondering  attention,  as  they  ad- 
vanced ;  but  it  was  not  long  before  the  reports  of  fire- 
arms were  heard  echoing  among  the  hills,  and  bell  began 
to  answer  bell  in  every  direction,  until  the  sounds  blended 
with  the  murmurs  of  the  night  air,  or  were  lost  in  distance. 
The  whole  country  was  now  filled  with  every  organ  of 
sound  that  the  means  of  the  people  furnished,  or  their  in- 
genuity could  devise,  to  call  the  population  to  arms.  Fires 
blazed  along  the  heights,  the  bellowing  of  the  conchs  and 
horns  mingled  with  the  rattling  of  the  muskets  and  the 
varied  tones  of  the  bells,  while  the  swift  clattering  of 


104  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

horses'  hoofs  began  to  be  heard,  as  if  their  riders  were 
dashing  furiously  along  the  flanks  of  the  party. 

"Push  on,  gentlemen,  push  on,"  shouted  the  old  veteran 
of  marines,  amid  the  din.  "  The  Yankees  have  awoke,  ana 
are  stirring — we  have  yet  a  long  road  to  journey — push  on, 
light-infantry,  the  grenadiers  are  on  your  heels  ! " 

The  advance  quickened  their  steps,  and  the  whole  body 
pushed  for  their  unknown  object  with  as  much  rapidity  as 
the  steadiness  of  military  array  would  admit.  In  this 
manner  the  detachment  continued  to  proceed  for  some 
hours,  without  halting,  and  Lionel  imagined  that  they  had 
advanced  several  leagues  into  the  country.  The  sounds  of 
the  alarm  had  now  passed  away,  having  swept  far  inland, 
until  the  faintest  evidence  of  its  existence  was  lost  to  the 
ear,  though  the  noise  of  horsemen,  riding  furiously  along 
the  by-ways,  yet  denoted  that  men  were  still  hurrying  past 
them,  to  the  scene  of  the  expected  strife.  As  the  deceitful 
light  of  the  moon  was  blending  with  the  truer  colors  of 
the  day,  the  welcome  sound  of  "  Halt  ! "  was  passed  from 
the  rear  up  to  the  head  of  the  column  of  light-infantry. 

"  Halt !  "  repeated  Polwarth,  with  instinctive  readiness, 
and  with  a  voice  that  sent  *the  order  through  the  whole 
length  of  the  extended  line  ;  ''halt,  and  let  the  rear  close. 
If  my  judgment  in  walking  be  worth  so  much  as  an  an- 
chovy, they  are  some  miles  behind  us  by  this  time  !  A 
man  needs  to  have  crossed  his  race  with  the  blood  of  Fly- 
ing Childers  for  this  sort  of  work  !  The  next  command 
should  be  to  break  our  fasts—Tom,  you  brought  the  trifles 
I  sent  you  from  Major  Lincoln's  quarters  ?" 

"Yes,  sir,"  returned  his  man  ;  "  they  are  on  the  major's 
horses,  in  the  rear,  as — 

"  The  major's  horses  in  the  rear,  you  ass,  when  food  is 
in  such  request  in  the  front !  I  wonder,  Leo,  if  a  mouth- 
ful couldn't  be  picked  up  in  yon  farm-house  ? " 

"  Pick  yourself  off  that  stone,  and  make  the  men  dress  ; 
here  is  Pitcairn  closing  to  the  front  with  the  whole  bat- 
talion." 

Lionel  had  hardly  spoken  before  an  order  was  passed  to 
the  light-infantry  to  look  to  their  arms,  and  for  the  grena- 
diers to  prime  and  load.  The  presence  of  the  veteran  who 
rode  in  front  of  the  column,  and  the  hurry  of  the  moment, 
suppressed  the  complaints  of  Polwarth,  who  was  in  truth 
an  excellent  officer,  as  it  respected  what  he  himself  termed 
the  "  quiescent  details  of  service."  Three  or  four  com- 
panies of  the  light-corps  were  detached  from  the  main 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  105 

body,  and  formed  in  the  open  marching  order  of  their  ex- 
ercise, when  the  old  marine,  placing  himself  at  their  head, 
gave  forth  the  order  to  advance  again  at  a  quick  step. 
The  road  now  led  into  a  vale,  and  at  some  distance  a  small 
hamlet  of  houses  was  dimly  seen  through  the  morning 
haze,  clustered  around  one  of  the  humble,  but  decent  tem- 
ples, so  common  in  Massachusetts.  The  halt,  and  the 
brief  preparations  that  Succeeded,  had  excited  a  powerful 
interest  in  the  whole  of  the  detachment,  who  pushed 
earnestly  forward,  keeping  on  the  heels  of  the  charger  of 
their  veteran  leader,  as  he  passed  over  the  ground  at  a 
small  trot.  The  air  partook  of  the  scent  of  morning,  and 
the  eye  was  enabled  to  dwell  distinctly  on  surrounding 
objects,  quickening,  aided  by  the  excitement  of  the  action, 
the  blood  of  the  men  who  had  been  toiling  throughout  the 
night  in  uncertain  obscurity  along  an  unknown,  and,  ap- 
parently, interminable  road.  Their  object  now  seemed  be- 
fore them  and  attainable,  and  they  pressed  forward  to 
achieve  it  in  animated  but  silent  earnestness.  The  plain 
architecture  of  the  church  and  of  its  humble  companions 
had  just  become  distinct,  when  three  or  four  armed  horse- 
men were  seen  attempting  to  anticipate  their  arrival,  by 
crossing  the  head  of  the  column  from  a  by-path. 

"  Come  in,"  cried  an  officer  of  the  staff  in  front,  "  come 
in,  or  quit  the  place." 

The  men  turned  and  rode  briskly  off,  one  of  their  party 
flashing  his  piece  in  a  vain  attempt  to  give  the  alarm.  A  low 
mandate  was  now  passed  through  the  ranks  to  push  on, 
and  in  a  few  moments  they  entered  on  a  full  view  of  the 
hamlet,  the  church,  and  the  little  green  on  which  it  stood. 
Tlfe  forms  of  men  were  seen  moving  swiftly  across  the  lat- 
ter, as  a  roll  of  a  drum  broke  from  the  spot ;  and  there 
were  glimpses  of  a  small  body  of  countrymen,  drawn  up  in 
the  affectation  of  military  parade. 

"  Push  on,  light-infantry  !  "  cried  their  leader,  spurring 
his  horse,  and  advancing  with  the  staff  at  so  brisk  a  trot, 
as  to  disappear  round  an  angle  of  the  church. 

Lionel  pressed  forward  with  a  beating  heart,  for  a  crowd 
of  horrors  rushed  across  his  imagination  at  the  moment, 
when  the  stern  voice  of  the  major  of  marines  was  again 
heard  shouting — 

"  Disperse,  ye  rebels,  disperse  ! — throw  down  your  arms 
and  disperse  !'" 

These  memorable  words  were  instantly  fallowed  by  the 
reports  of  pistols,  and  the  fatal  mandate  of  "  Fire  !"  when 


lo6  LIONEL   LINCOLN-. 

a  loud  shout  arose  from  the  whole  body  of  the  soldiery, 
who  rushed  upon  the  open  green,  and  threw  in  a  close 
discharge  on  all  before  them. 

"  Great  God  !  "  exclaimed  Lionel,  "  what  is  it  ye  do  ?  ye 
fire  at  unoffending  men  !  is  there  no  law  but  force  !  beat 
up  their  pieces,  Polwarth — stop  their  fire." 

"  Halt !  "  cried  Polwarth,  brandishing  his  sword  fiercely 
among  his  men,  "  come  to  an  order,  or  I'll  fell  ye  to  the 
earth." 

But  the  excitement  which  had  been  gathering  to  a  head 
for  so  many  hours,  and  the  animosity  which  had  so  long 
been  growing  between  the  troops  and  the  people,  were  not 
to  be  repressed  at  a  word.  It  was  only  when  Pitcairn 
himself  rode  in  among  the  soldiers,  and,  aided  by  his  offi- 
cers, beat  down  their  arms,  that  the  uproar  was  gradually 
quelled,  and  something  like  order  was  again  restored. 
Before  this  was  effected,  however,  a  few  scattering  shot 
were  thrown  back  from  their  flying  adversaries,  though 
without  material  injury  to  the  British. 

When  the  firing  had  ceased,  officers  and  men  stood  gaz- 
ing at  each  other  for  a  few  moments,  as  if  even  they  could 
foresee  some  of  the  mighty  events  which  were  to  follow  the 
deeds  of  that  hour.  The  smoke  slowly  arose,  like  a  lifted 
veil,  from  the  green,  and,  mingling  witli  the  fogs  of  morn- 
ing, drove  heavily  across  the  country,  as  if  to  communicate 
the  fatal  intelligence  that  the  final  appeal  to  arms  had 
been  made.  Every  eye  was  bent  inquiringly  on  the  fatal 
green,  and  Lionel  beheld,  with  a  feeling  allied  to  anguish, 
a  few  men  at  a  distance,  writhing  and  struggling  in  their 
wounds,  while  some  five  or  six  bodies  lay  stretched  upon 
the  grass  in  the  appalling  quiet  of  death.  Sickening  at 
the  sight,  he  turned,  and  walked  away  by  himself,  while 
the  remainder  of  the  troops,  alarmed  by  the  reports  of  the 
arms,  were  eagerly  pressing  up  from  the  rear  to  join  their 
comrades.  Unwittingly  he  approached  the  church,  nor 
did  he  awake  from  the  deep  abstraction  into  which  he  had 
fallen,  until  he  was  aroused  by  the  extraordinary  spectacle 
of  Job  Pray,  issuing  from  the  edifice  with  an  air  in  which 
menace  was  singularly  blended  with  resentment  and  fear. 
The  changeling  pointed  earnestly  to  the  body  of  a  man, 
who,  having  been  wounded,  had  crept  for  refuge  near 
to  the  door  of  the  temple,  in  which  he  had  so  often 
worshipped  that  Being  to  whom  he  had  been  thus  hur- 
riedly sent  to  render  his  last  and  great  account,  and  said 
solemnly— 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  107 

"  You  have  killed  one  of  God's  creatures ;  and  he'll  re- 
member it ! " 

"  I  would  it  were  one  only,"  said  Lionel ;  "  but  they  are 
many,  and  none  can  tell  where  the  carnage  is  to  cease." 

"Do  you  think,"  said  Job,  looking  furtively  around  to 
assure  himself  that  no  other  overheard  him,  "that  the 
King  can  kill  men  in  the  B  ry  colony  as  he  can  in  London  ? 
They'll  take  this  up  in  old  Funnel  and  'twill  ring  again, 
from  the  North  End  to  the  Neck." 

"What  can  they  do,  boy,  after  all,"  said  Lionel,  forget- 
ting at  the  moment  that  he  whom  he  addressed  had  been 
denied  the  reason  of  his  kind1— "the  power  of  Britain  is 
too  mighty  for  these  scattered  and  unprepared  colonies  to 
cope  with,  and  prudence  would  tell  the  people  to  desist 
from  resistance  while  yet  they  may." 

"  Does  the  king  believe  there  is  more  prudence  in 
London  than  there  is  in  Boston  ?  "  returned  the  simpleton  ; 
"  he  needn't  think,  because  the  people  were  quiet  at  the 
massacre,  there'll  be  no  stir  about  this — you  have  killed 
one  of  GocUs  creatures,"  added  the  fad,  "  and  he'll  remem- 
ber it!" 

"How  came  you  here,  sirrah?"  demanded  Lionel,  sud- 
denly recollecting  himself  ;  "did  you  not  tell  me  that  you 
were  going  out  to  fish  for  your  mother?  " 

"  And  if  I  did,"  returned  the  other,  sullenly,  "  an't  there 
fish  in  the  ponds  as  well  as  in  the  bay,  and  can't  Nab  have 
a  fresh  taste  ? — Job  don't  know  there  is  any  act  of  Parlia- 
ment ag'in  taking  brook  trout." 

"  Fellow,  you  are  attempting  to  deceive  me  !  Some  one 
is  practising  on  your  ignorance,  and,  knowing  you  to  be  a 
fool,  is  employing  you  on  errands  that  may  one  day  cost 
your  life." 

"The  king  can't  send  Job  on  aYnds,"  said  the  lad, 
proudly;  "for  there  is  no  law  for  it,  and  Job  won't 

g°-" 

"Your  knowledge  will  undo  you,  simpleton — who  should 
teach  you  these  niceties  of  the  law  ? " 

"Why,  do  you  think  the  Boston  people  so  dumb  as  not 
to  know  the  law  ?"  asked  Job,  with  unfeigned  astonish- 
ment— "and  Ralph,  too — he  knows  as  much  law  as  the 
king — he  told  me  it  was  ag'in  all  law  to  shoot  at  the  minute- 
men  unless  they  fired  first,  because  the  colony  has  a  right 
to  train  whenever  it  pleases." 

"Ralph!"  said  Lionel,  eagerly — "can  Ralph  be  with 
you,  then  !  'tis  impossible  ;  I  left  him  ill,  and  at  home — • 


io8  LI  OX  EL   LINCOLN. 

neither  would  he  mingle  in  such  a  business  as  this,  at  his 
years." 

"  I  expect  Ralph  has  seen  bigger  armies  than  the  light- 
infantry,  and  grannies,  and  all  the  soldiers  left  in  town  put 
together,"  said  Job,  evasively. 

Lionel  was  far  too  generous  to  practise  on  the  simplicity 
of  his  companion,  with  a  view  to  extract  any  secret  which 
might  endanger  his  liberty,  but  he  felt  a  deep  concern  in 
the  welfare  of  a  young  man,  who  had  been  thrown  in  his 
way  in  the  manner  already  related.  He  therefore  pursued 
the  subject,  with  the  double  design  to  advise  Job  against 
any  dangerous  connections,  and  to  relieve  his-own  anxiety 
on  the  subject  of  the  aged  stranger.  But  to  all  his  inter- 
rogatories the  lad  answered  guardedly,  and  with  a  discre- 
tion which  denoted  that  he  possessed  no  small  share  of 
cunning,  though  a  higher  order  of  intellect  had  been 
denied  him. 

"  I  repeat  to  you,"  said  Lionel,  losing  his  patience,  "  that 
it  is  important  for  me  to  meet  the  man  you  call.  Ralph  in 
the  country,  and  I  wish  to  know  if  he  is  to  be  seen  near 
here." 

"Ralph  scorns  a  lie,"  returned  Job — "go  where  he 
promised  to  meet  you,  and  see  if  he  don't  come." 

"  But  no  place  was  named — and  this  unhappy  event  may 
embarrass  him,  or  frighten  him— 

"  Frighten  him  !  "  repeated  Job,  shaking  his  head  with 
solemn  earnestness  ;  "you  can't  frighten  Ralph  !  " 

"  His  daring  may  prove  his  misfortune.  Boy,  I  ask  you 
for  the  last  time  whether  the  old  man " 

Perceiving  Job  to  shrink  back  timidly,  and  lower  in  his 
looks,  Lionel  paused,  and  casting  a  glance  behind  him, 
beheld  the  captain  of  grenadiers  standing  with  folded 
arms,  silently  contemplating  the  body  of  the  American. 

"  Will  you  have  the  goodness  to  explain  to  me,  Major 
Lincoln,"  said  the  captain,  when  he  perceived  himself  ob- 
served, "  why  this  man  lies  here  dead  ? " 

"You  see  the  wound  in  his  breast?" 

"It  is  a  palpable  and  baistly  truth,  that  he  has  been 
shot — but  why,  or  with  what  design  ?  " 

"  I  must  leave  that  question  to  be  answered  by  our  su- 
periors, Captain  M'Fuse,"  returned  Lionel.  "It  is,  how- 
ever, rumored  that  the  expedition  is  out  to  seize  certain 
magazines  of  provisions  and  arms,  which  the  colonists  have 
been  collecting,  it  is  feared,  with  hostile  intentions." 

"  I  had  my  own  sagacious  thoughts  that  we  were  bent 


LIONEL   LINCOLN-.  109 

on  some  such  glorious  errand  !  "  said  M 'Fuse,  with  strong 
contempt  expressed  in  his  hard  features.  "Tell  me,  Major 
Lincoln— you  are  certainly  but  a  young  soldier,  though, 
being  of  the  staff,  you  should  know — does  Gage  think  we 
can  have  a  war  with  the  arms  and  ammunition  all  on  one 
side  ?  We  have  had  a  long  p'ace,  Major  Lincoln,  and  now, 
when  there  is  a  small  prospect  of  some  of  the  peculiarities 
of  our  profession  arising,  we  are  commanded  to  do  the 
very  thing  which  is  most  likely  to  def'ate  the  object  of 
war." 

"  I  do  not  know  that  I  rightly  understand  you,  sir," 
said  Lionel  ;  "  there  can  be  but  little  glory  gained  by 
such  troops  as  we  possess,  in  a  contest  with  the  unarmed 
and  undisciplined  inhabitants  of  any  country." 

"Exactly  my  maining,  sir;  it  is  quite  obvious  that  we 
understand  each  other  thoroughly,  without  a  world  of  cir- 
cumlocution. The  lads  are  doing  very  well  at  present, 
and  if  left  to  themselves  a  few  months  longer,  it  may  be- 
come a  creditable  affair.  You  know,  as  well  as  I  do,  Major 
Lincoln,  that  time  is  necessary  to  make  a  soldier,  and  if 
they  are  hurried  into  the  business,  you  might  as  well  be 
chasing  a  mob  up  Ludgate  hill,  for  the  honor  you  will 
gain.  A  discrate  officer  would  nurse  this  little  matter,  in- 
stead of  resorting  to  such  precipitation.  To  my  id'a'a's, 
sir,  the  man  before  us  has  been  butchered,  and  not  slain 
in  honorable  battle  !  " 

"  There  is  much  reason  to  fear  that  others  may  use  the 
same  term  in  speaking  of  the  affair,"  returned  Lionel  ; 
"  God  knows  how  much  cause  we  may  have  to  lament 
the  death  of  the  poor  man  !  " 

"  On  that  topic,  the  man  may  be  said  to  have  gone 
through  a  business  that  was  to  be  done,  and  is  not  to  be 
done  over  again,"  said  the  captain,  very  coolly,  "and 
therefore  his  death  can  be  no  very  great  calamity  to  him- 
self, whatever  it  may  be  to  us.  If  these  minute-men — 
and,  as  they  stand  but  a  minute,  they  'arn  their  name 
like  worthy  fellows — if  these  minute-men,  sir,  stood  in 
your  way,  you  should  have  whipped  them  from  the  green 
with  your  ramrods." 

"  Here  is  one  who  may  tell  you  that  they  are  not  to  be 
treated  like  children  either,"  said  Lionel,  turning  to  the 
place  which  had  been  so  recently  occupied  by  Job  Pray, 
but  which,  to  his  surprise,  he  now  found  vacant.  While 
he  was  yet  looking  around  him,  wondering  whither  the  lad 
could  so  suddenly  have  withdrawn,  the  drums  beat  the 


no  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

signal  to  form,  and  a  general  bustle  among  the  soldiery 
showed  them  to  be  on  the  eve  of  further  movements.  The 
two  gentlemen  instantly  rejoined  their  companions,  walk- 
ing thoughtfully  towards  the  troops,  though  influenced 
by  such  totally  different  views  of  the  recent  transactions. 

During  the  short  halt  of  the  advance,  the  whole  detach- 
ment was  again  united,  and  a  hasty  meal  had  been  taken. 
The  astonishment  which  succeeded  the  rencontre,  had 
given  place,  among  the  officers,  to  a  military  pride,  capa- 
ble of  sustaining  them  in  much  more  arduous  circum- 
stances. Even  the  ardent  looks  of  professional  excitement 
were  to  be  seen  in  most  of  their  countenances,  as  with  glit- 
tering arms,  waving  banners,  and  timing  their  march  to  the 
enlivening  music  of  their  band,  they  wheeled  from  the 
fatal  spot,  and  advanced  again,  with  proud  and  measured 
steps,  along  the  highway.  If  such  was  the  result  of  the 
first  encounter  on  the  lofty  and  tempered  spirits  of  the 
gentlemen  of  the  detachment,  its  effect  on  the  common 
hirelings  in  the  ranks,  was  still  more  palpable  and  revolt- 
ing. Their  coarse  jests,  and  taunting  looks,  as  they  moved 
by  the  despised  victims  of  their  disciplined  skill,  together 
with  the  fierce  and  boastful  expression  of  brutal  triumph, 
which  so  many  among  them  betrayed,  exhibited  the  infalli- 
ble evidence,  that,  having  tasted  of  blood,  they  were  now 
ready,  like  tigers,  to  feed  on  it  till  they  were  glutted. 


CHAPTER   X. 

"  There  was  mounting  'mong  Graemes  of  the  Netherby  clan  ; 
Fosters,  Fenwicks,  and  Musgraves,  th.ey  rode  and  they  ran  ; 
There  was  racing,  and  chasing,  on  Cannobie  Lea."— Marmion. 

THE  pomp  of  military  parade,  with  which  the  troops 
marched  from  the  village  of  Lexington,  as  the  little  ham- 
let was  called,  where  the  foregoing  events  occurred,  soon 
settled  again  into  the  sober  and  business-like  air  of  men 
earnestly  bent  on  the  achievement  of  their  object.  It  was 
no  longer  a  secret  that  they  were  to  proceed  two  leagues 
further  into  the  interior,  to  destroy  the  stores  already  men- 
tioned, and  which  were  now  known  to  be  collected  at  Con- 
cord, the  town  where  the  Congress  of  Provincial  Delegates, 
who  were  substituted  by  the  colonists  for  the  ancient  legis- 
latures of  the  province,  held  their  meetings.  As  the  march 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  in 

could  not  now  be  concealed,  it  became  necessaiy  to  resort 
to  expedition,  in  order  to  insure  its  successful  termination. 
The  veteran  officer  of  marines,  so  often  mentioned,  resumed 
his  post  in  front,  and  at  the  head  of  the  same  companies 
of  the  light  corps,  which  he  had  before  led,  pushed  in  ad- 
vance of  the  heavier  column  of  the  grenadiers.  Polwarth, 
by  this  arrangement,  perceived  himself  again  included 
among  those  on  whose  swiftness  of  foot  so  much  depended. 
When  Lionel  rejoined  his  friend,  he  found  him  at  the  head 
of  his  men,  marching  with  so  grave  an  air  as  at  once  in- 
duced the  major  to  give  him  credit  for  regrets  much  more 
commendable  than  such  as  were  connected  with  his  physi- 
cal distress.  The  files  were  once  more  opened  for  room, 
as  well  as  for  air,  which  was  becoming  necessary,  as  a  hot 
sun  began  to  dissipate  the  mists  of  the  morning,  and  shed 
that  enervating  influence  on  the  men,  so4  peculiar  to  the 
first  warmth  of  an  American  spring. 

"  This  has  been  a  hasty  business  altogether,  Major  Lin- 
coln," said  Polwarth,  as  Lionel  took  his  wonted  station  at 
the  side  of  the  other,  and  dropped  mechanically  into  the 
regular  step  of  the  party — "I  know  not  that  it  is  quite  as 
lawful  to  knock  a  man  in  the  head  as  a  bullock." 

"  You  then  agree  with  me  in  thinking  our  attack  hasty, 
if  not  cruel  ?  " 

"  Hasty!  most  unequivocally.  Haste  may  be  called  the 
distinctive  property  of  the  expedition  ;  and  whatever  de- 
stroys the  appetite  of  an  honest  man,  may  be  set  down  as 
cruel.  I  have  not  been  able  to  swallow  a  mouthful  of 
breakfast,  Leo.  A  man  must  have  the  cravings  of  a  hyena, 
and  the  stomach  of  an  ostrich,  to  eat  and  digest  with  such 
work  as  this  of  ours  before  his  eyes." 

"And  yet  the  men  regard  their  acts  with  triumph  !  " 

"The  dogs  are  drilled  into  it.  But  you  saw  how  sober 
the  Provincials  looked  in  the  matter  ;  we  must  endeavor  to 
soothe  their  feelings  in  the  best  manner  we  can." 

"  Will  they  not  despise  our  consolation  and  apologies, 
and  look  rather  to  themselves  for  redress  and  vengeance  ?" 

Polwarth  smiled  contemptuously,  and  there  was  an  air  of 
pride  about  him  that  gave  an  appearance  of  elasticity  even 
to  his  heavy  tread,  as  he  answered — 

"The  thing  is  a  bad  thing,  Major  Lincoln,  and,  if  you 
will,  a  wicked  thing — but  take  the  assurance  of  a  man  who 
knows  the  country  well,  there  will  be  no  attempts  at  ven- 
geance ;  and  as  for  redress,  in  a  military  way,  the  thing 
is  impossible," 


H2  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

"  I  have  dwelt  two  years,  Major  Lincoln,  in  the  very 
heart  of  the  country,"  said  Polwarth,  without  turning  his 
eyes  from  the  steady  gaze  he  maintained  on  the  long 
road  which  lay  before  him,  "even  three  hundred  miles 
beyond  the  inhabited  districts  ;  and  I  should  know  the 
character  of  the  nation,  as  well  as  its  resources.  In  respect 
to  the  latter,  there  is  no  esculent  thing  within  its  borders, 
from  a  humming-bird  to  a  buffalo,  or  from  an  artichoke  to 
a  watermelon,  that  I  have  not,  on  some  occasion  or  other, 
had  tossed  up,  in  a  certain  way — therefore,  I  can  speak  with 
confidence,  and  do  not  hesitate  to  say,  that  the  colonists  will 
never  fight  ;  nor  if  they  had  the  disposition,  do  they  pos- 
sess the  means  to  maintain  a  war." 

"  Perhaps,  sir,"  returned  Lionel  sharply,  "you  have  con- 
sulted the  animals  of  the  country  too  closely  to  be  ac- 
quainted with  its  spirits  ?  " 

"  The  relation  between  them  is  intimate — tell  me  what 
food  a  man  diets  on,  and  I  will  furnish  you  with  his  char- 
acter. 'Tis  morally  impossible  that  a  people  who  eat  their 
pudding  before  the  meats,  after  the  fashion  of  these  col- 
onists, can  ever  make  good  soldiers,  because  the  appe- 
tite is  appeased  before  the  introduction  of  the  succulent 
nutriment  of  the  flesh,  into " 

"  Enough  !  spare  me  the  remainder,"  interrupted  Lionel 
— "  too  much  has  been  said  already  to  prove  the  inferiority 
of  the  American  to  the  European  animal,  and  your  reason- 
ing is  conclusive." 

"  Parliament  must  do  something  for  the  families  of  the 
sufferers." 

"  Parliament ! "  echoed  Lionel,  with  bitter  emphasis  ; 
"yes,  we  shall  be  called  on  to  pass  resolutions  to  commend 
the  decision  of  the  general,  and  the  courage  of  the  troops  ; 
and  then,  after  we  have  added  every  possible  insult  to  the 
injury,  under  the  conviction  of  our  imaginary  supremacy, 
we  may  hear  of  some  paltry  sum  to  the  widows  and  or- 
phans cited  as  an  evidence  of  the  unbounded  generosity  of 
the  nation ! " 

"  The  feeding  of  six  or  seven  broods  of  young  Yankees 
is  no  such  trifle,  Major  Lincoln,"  returned  Polwarth  ;  "and 
there  I  trust  the  unhappy  affair  will  end.  We  are  now 
marching  on  Concord,  a  place  with  a  most  auspicious 
name,  where  we  shall  find  repose  under  its  shadow,  as  well 
as  the  food  of  this  home-made  parliament,  which  they  have 
gotten  together.  These  considerations  alone  support  me 
under  the  fatigue  of  this  direful  trot  with  which  old  Pit- 


LIONEL  LINCOLN;  n3 

cairn  goes  over  the  ground — does  the  man  think  he  is  hunt- 
ing with  a  pack  of  beagles  at  his  heels ! " 

The  opinion  expressed  by  his  companion,  concerning  the 
martial  propensities  of  the  Americans,  was  one  too  com- 
mon among  the  troops  to  excite  any  surprise  in  Lionel  ; 
but,  disgusted  with  the  illiberality  of  the  sentiment,  and 
secretly  offended  at  the  supercilious  manner  with  which 
the  other  expressed  these  injurious  opinions  of  his  country- 
men, iie  continued  his  route  in  silence,  while  Polwarth 
speedily  lost  his  loquacious  propensity  in  a  sense  of  the 
fatigue  that  assailed  every  muscle  and  joint  in  his  body. 

That  severe  training  of  the  corps,  concerning  which  the 
captain  vented  such  frequent  complaints,  now  stood  the 
advance  in  good  service.  It  was  apparent  that  the  whole 
country  was  in  a  state  of  high  alarm,  and  small  bodies  of 
armed  men  were  occasionally  seen  on  the  heights  that 
flanked  their  route,  though  no  attempts  were  made  to  re- 
venge the  deaths  of  those  who  fell  at  Lexington.  The 
march  of  the  troops  was  accelerated  rather  with  a  belief 
that  the  colonists  might  remove,  or  otherwise  secrete  the 
stores,  than  from  any  apprehension  that  they  would  dare  to 
oppose  the  progress  of  the  chosen  troops  of  the  army.  The 
slight  resistance  of  the  Americans  in  the  rencontre  of  that 
morning,  was  already  a  jest  among  the  soldiers,  who  sneer- 
ingly  remarked  that  the  term  of  "  minute-men  "  was  de- 
servedly applied  to  warriors  who  had  proved  themselves 
so  dexterous  at  flight.  In  short,  every  opprobrious  and 
disrespectful  epithet,  that  contempt  and  ignorance  could 
invent,  were  freely  lavished  on  the  forbearing  mildness  of 
the  suffering  colonists.  In  tin's  temper  the  troops  reached 
a  point  whence  the  modest  spire  and  roofs  of  Concord  be- 
came visible.  A  small  body  of  the  colonists  retired  through 
the  place  as  the  English  advanced,  and  the  detachment  en- 
tered the  town  without  the  least  resistance,  and  with  the 
appearance  of  conquerors.  Lionel  was  not  long  in  discov- 
ering from  such  of  the  inhabitants  as  remained,  that,  not- 
withstanding their  approach  had  been  known  for  some 
time,  the  events  of  that -morning  were  yet  a  secret  from 
the  people  of  the  village.  Detachments  from  the  light 
corps  were  immediately  sent  in  various  directions  ;  some 
to  search  for  the  ammunition  and  provisions,  and  some  to 
guard  the  approaches  to  the  place.  One,  in  particular, 
followed  the  retreating  footsteps  of  the  Americans,  and 
took  post  at  a  bridge,  at  some  little  distance,:  which  cut  off 
the  communication  with  the  country  to  the  northward. 
3 


ii4  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

In  the  meantime,  the  work  of  destruction  was  com- 
menced in  the  town  chiefly  under  the  superintendence  of 
the  veteran  officer  of  the  marines.  The  few  male  inhabi- 
tants who  remained  in  their  dwellings,  were  of  necessity 
peaceable,  though  Lionel  could  read,  in  their  flushed 
cheeks  and  gleaming  eyes,  the  secret  indignation  of  men, 
who,  accustomed  to  the  protection  of  the  law,  now  found 
themselves  subjected  to  the  insults  and  wanton  abuses  of 
a  military  inroad.  Every  door  was  flung  open,  and  no 
place  was  held  sacred  from  the  rude  scrutiny  of  the  licen- 
tious soldiery.  Taunts  and  execrations  soon  mingled  with 
the  seeming  moderation  with  which  the  search  had  com- 
menced, and  loud  exultation  was  betrayed,  even  among 
the  officers,  as  the  scanty  provisions  of  the  colonists  were 
gradually  brought  to  light.  It  was  not  a  moment  to  re- 
spect private  rights,  and  the  freedom  and  ribaldry  of  the 
nen  were  on  the  point  of  becoming  something  more  seri- 
ous, when  the  report  of  fire-arms  was  heard  suddenly  to 
issue  from  the  post  held  by  the  light-infantry,  at  the  bridge. 
A  few  scattering  shot  were  succeeded  by  a  volley,  which 
was  answered  by  another,  with  the  quickness  of  lightning, 
and  then  the  air  became  filled  with  the  incessant  rattling 
of  a  sharp  conflict.  Every  arm  was  suspended,  and  each 
tongue  became  mute  with  astonishment,  and  the  men 
abandoned  their  occupations  as  these  unexpected  sounds 
of  war  broke  on  their  cars.  The  chiefs  of  the  party  were 
seen  in  consultation,  and  horsemen  rode  furiously  into 
the  place,  to  communicate  the  nature  of  this  new  con- 
flict. The  rank  of  Major  Lincoln  soon  obtained  for  him  a 
knowledge  that  it  was  thought  impolitic  to  communicate 
to  the  whole  detachment.  Notwithstanding  it  was  appar- 
ent that  they  who  brought  the  intelligence  were  anxious 
to  give  it  the  most  favorable  aspect,  he  soon  discovered 
that  the  same  body  of  Americans,  which  had  retired  at 
their  approach,  having  attempted  to  return  to  their  homes 
in  the  town,  had  been  fired  on  at  the  bridge,  and  in  the 
skirmish  which  succeeded,  the  troops  had  been  compelled 
to  give  way  with  loss.  The  effect  of  this  prompt  and 
spirited  conduct  on  the  part  of  the  provincials  produced  a 
sudden  alteration,  not  only  in  the  aspect,  but  also  in  the 
proceedings  of  the  troops.  The  detachments  were  recalled, 
and  the  drums  beat  to  arms,  and,  for  the  first  time,  both 
officers  and  men  seemed  to  recollect  that  they  had  six 
leagues  to  march  through  a  country  that  hardly  contained 
a  friend.  Still  few  or  no  enemies  were  .visible,  with  the 


LIONEL   LINCOLN'.  115 

exception  of  those  men  of  Concord,  who  had  already  drawn 
blood  freely  from-  the  invaders  of  their  domestic  sanctu- 
aries. The  dead,  and  all  the  common  wounded,  were  left 
where  they  had  fallen,  and  it  was  thought  an  unfavorable 
omen  among  the  observant  of  the  detachment,  that  a 
wounded  young  subaltern,  of  rank  and  fortune,  was  also 
abandoned  to  the  mercy  of  the  exasperated  Americans. 
The  privates  caught  the  infection  from  their  officers,  and 
Lionel  saw,  that  in  place  of  the,  high  and  insulting  confi- 
dence, with  which  the  troops  had  wrheeled  into  the  streets 
of  Concord,  that  they  left  them,  when  the  order  was  given 
to  march,  with  faces  bent  anxiously  on  the  surrounding 
heights,  and  with  looks  that  bespoke  a  consciousness  of 
the  dangers  that  wrere  likely  to  beset  the  long  road  which 
lay  before  them. 

Their  apprehensions  were  not  groundless.  The  troops 
had  Irardly  commenced  their  march  before  a  volley  was 
fired  upon  them  from  the  protection  of  a  barn,  and  as  they 
advanced,  volley  succeeded  volley,  and  musket  answered 
musket  from  behind  every  cover  that  offered  to  their  as- 
sailants. At  first  these  desultory  and  feeble  attacks  were 
but  little  regarded  ;  a  brisk  charge,  and  a  smart  fire  of  a 
few  moments  never  failed  to  disperse  their  enemies,  when 
the  troops  again  proceeded  for  a  short  distance  unmo- 
lested. But  the  alarm  of  the  preceding  night  had  gathered 
the  people  over  an  immense  extent  of  country  ;  and,  hav- 
ing waited  for  information,  those  nearest  to  the  scene  of 
action  were  already  pressing  forward  to  the  assistance  of 
their  friends.  There  was  but  little  order,  and  no  concert 
among  the  Americans ;  but  each  party,  as  it  arrived, 
pushed  into  the  fray,  hanging  on  the  skirts  of  their  ene- 
mies, or  making  spirited,  though  ineffectual  efforts  to  stop 
their  progress.  While  the  men  from  the  towns  behind 
them  pressed  upon  their  rear,  the  population  in  their 
front  accumulated  in  bodies,  like  a  rolling  ball  of  snow, 
and  before  half  the  distance  between  Concord  and  Lex- 
ington was  accomplished,  Lionel  perceived  that  the  safety 
of  their  boasted  power  was  in  extreme  jeopardy.  During 
the  first  hour  of  these  attacks,  while  they  were  yet  distant, 
desultory  and  feeble,  the  young  soldier  had  marched  by  the 
side  of  M'Fuse,  who  shook  his  head  disdainfully  whenever 
a  shot  whistled  near  him,  and  did  not  fail  to  comment  freely 
on  the  folly  of  commencing  a  war  thus  prematurely,  which, 
if  properly  nursed,  might,  to  use  his  own  words,  "  be  in 
time  brought  to  something  pretty  and  interesting." 


n6  LI  OX  EL   LINCOLN. 

"You  perceive,  Major  Lincoln,"  he  added,  "that  these 
provincials  have  got  the  first  elements  of  the  art,  for  the 
rascals  fire  with  exceeding  accuracy,  when  the  distance  is 
considered  ;  and  six  months  or  a  year  of  close  drilling 
would  make  them  good  for  something  in  a  regular  charge. 
They  have  got  a  smart  crack  to  their  p'aces,  and  a  pretty 
whiz  to  their  lead  already  ;  if  they  could  but  learn  to  de- 
liver their  fire  in  platoons,  the  lads  might  make  some  im- 
pression on  the  light-infantry  even  now  ;  and  in  a  year  or 
two,  sir,  they  would  not  be  unworthy  of  the  favors  of  the 
grenadiers." 

Lionel  listened  to  this,  and  much  other  similar  discourse, 
with  a  vacant  ear  ;  but  as  the  combat  thickened,  the  blood 
of  the  young  man  began  to  course  more  swiftly  through 
his  veins  ;  and  at  length,  excited  by  the  noise  and  the  dan- 
ger which  was  pressing  more  closely  around  them,  he 
mounted,  and,  riding  to  the  commander  of  the  detach- 
ment, tendered  his  assistance  as  a  volunteer  aid,  .having, 
lost  every  other  sensation  in  youthful  blood,  and  the  pride 
of  arms.  He  was  immediately  charged  with  orders  for  the 
advance,  and  driving  his  spurs  into  his  steed,  he  dashed 
through  the  scattered  line  of  fighting  and  jaded  troops, 
and  galloped  to  its  head.  Here  he  found  several  com- 
panies, diligently  employed  in  clearing  the  way  for  their 
comrades,  as  new  foes  appeared  at  every  few  rods  that 
they  advanced.  Even  as  Lionel  approached,  a  heavy  sheet 
of  fire  flashed  from  a  close  barn-yard,  full  in  the  faces  of 
the  leading  files,  sending  the  swift  engines  of  death  into 
the  very  centre  of  the  party. 

"  Wheel  a  company  of  the  light-infantry,  Captain  Pol- 
warth,"  cried  the  old  major  of  marines,  who  battled 
stoutly  in  the  van,  "  and  drive  the  skulking  scoundrels 
from  their  ambush." 

"  Oh !  by  the  sweets  of  ease,  and  the  hopes  of  a  halt ! 
but  here  is  another  tribe  of  these  white  savages  !  "  re- 
sponded the  unfortunate  captain — "  Look  out,  my  brave 
men  !  blaze  away  over  the  walls  on  your  left — give  no 
quarter  to  the  annoying  rascals — get  the  first  shot — give 
them  a  foot  of  your  steel." 

While  venting  such  terrible  denunciations  and  com- 
mands, which  were  drawn  from  the  peaceable  captain  by 
the  force  of  circumstances,  Lionel  beheld  his  friend  dis- 
appear amid  the  buildings  of  the  farm-yard  in  a  cloud  ot 
smoke,  followed  by  his  troops.  In  a  few  minutes  after- 
wards, as  the  line  toiled  its  way  up  the  hill  on  which  this 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  117 

scene  occurred,  Polwarth  reappeared,  issuing  from  the 
fray  with  his  face  blackened  and  grimed  with  powder, 
while  a  sheet  of  flame  arose  from -the  spot,  which  soon  laid 
the  devoted  buildings  of  the  unfortunate  husbandman  in 
ruins. 

"  Ha  !  Major  Lincoln,"  he  cried,  as  he  approached  the 
other,  "do  you  call  these  light-infantry  movements!  to  me 
they  are  the  torments  of  the  damned  ! — Go,  you  who  have 
influence,  and,  what  is  better,  a  horse,  go  to  Smith,  and 
tell  him  if  he  will  call  a  halt,  I  will  engage,  with  my  single 
company,  to  seat  ourselves  in  any  field  he  may  select,  and 
keep  these  blood-suckers  at  bay  for  an  hour,  while  the 
detachment  can  rest  and  satisfy  their  hunger—  trusting  that 
he  will  then  allow  time  for  his  defenders  to  perform  the 
same  necessary  operations.  A  night-march,  no  breakfast 
— a  burning  sun — mile  after  mile — no  halt,  and  nothing 
but  fire — fire — 'tis  opposed  to  every  principle  in  physics, 
and  even  to  the  anatomy  of  man,  to  think  he  can  endure  it !" 

Lionel  endeavored  to  encourage  his  friend  to  new  exer- 
tions, and,  turning  away  from  their  leader,  spoke  cheer- 
ingly,  and  with  a  martial  tone,  to  his  troops.  The  men 
cheered  as  they  passed,  and  dashed  forward  to  new  en- 
counters ;  the  Americans  yielding  sullenly,  but  necessarily, 
to  the  constant  charges  of  the  bayonet,  to  which  the  regu- 
lars resorted  to  dislodge  them.  As  the  advance  moved  on 
again,  Lionel  turned  to  contemplate  the  scene  in  the  rear. 
They  had  now  been  marching  and  fighting  for  two  hours, 
with  little  or  no  cessation  ;  and  it  was  but  too  evident  that 
the  force  of  the  assailants  was  increasing,  both  in  numbers 
and  in  daring,  at  each  step  they  took.  On  either  side  of 
the  highway,  along  the  skirts  of  every  wood  or  orchard,  in 
the  open  fields,  and  from  every  house,  barn,  or  cover  in 
sight,  the  flash  of  fire-arms  was  to  be  seen,  while  the  shouts 
of  the  English  grew,  at  each  instant,  feebler  and  less  in- 
spiriting. Heavy  clouds  of  smoke  rose  above  the  valley, 
into  which  he  looked,  and  mingled  with  the  dust  of  the 
march,  drawing  an  impenetrable  veil  before  the  view  ;  but 
as  the  wind,  at  moments,  shoved  it  aside,  he  caught 
glimpses  of  the  worried  and  faltering  platoons  of  the  party, 
sometimes  breasting  and  repulsing  an  attack  with  spirit, 
and  at  others  shrinking  from  the  contest,  with  an  ill-con- 
cealed desire  to  urge  their  retreat  to  the  verge  of  an 
absolute  flight.  Young  as  he  was,  Major  Lincoln  knew 
enough  of  his  profession  to  understand  that  nothing  but 
the  want  of  conceit,  and  of  a  unity  of  command  among  the 


n8  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

Americans,  saved  the  detachment  from  total  destruction. 
The  attacks  were  growing  extremely  spirited,  and  not  un- 
frequently  close  and  bloody,  though  the  discipline  of  the 
troops  enabled  them  still  to  bear  up  against  this  desultory 
and  divided  warfare,  when  Lionel  heard,  with  a  pleasure  he 
could  not  conceal,  the  loud  shouts  that  arose  from  the  van, 
as  the  cheering  intelligence  was  proclaimed  through  the 
ranks,  that  the  cloud  of  dust  in  their  front  was  raised  by  a 
chosen  brigade  of  their  comrades,  which  had  come  most 
timely  to  their  succor,  with  the  heir  of  Northumberland  at 
its  head.  The  Americans  gave  way  as  the  two  detach- 
ments joined,  and  the  artillery  of  the  succors  opened  upon 
their  flying  parties,  giving  a  few  minutes  of  stolen  rest  to 
those  who  needed  it  so  much.  Polwarth  threw  himself 
flat  on  the  earth,  as  Lionel  dismounted  at  his  side,  and  his 
example  was  followed  by  the  whole  party,  who  lay  panting, 
under  the  heat  and  fatigue,  like  worried  deer,  that  had 
succeeded  in  throwing  the  hounds  from  their  scent 

"  As  I  am  a  gentleman  of  simple  habits,  and  a  man  in- 
nocent of  all  this  bloodshed,  Major  Lincoln,"  said  the  cap- 
tain, "  I  pronounce  this  march  to  be  a  most  unjust  draft  on 
the  resources  of  human  nature.  I  have  journeyed  at  least 
five  leagues  between  this  spot  and  that,  place  of  discord 
that  they  falsely  call  Concord,  within  two  hours,  amidst 
dust,  smoke,  groans,  and  other  infernal  cries,  that  would 
cause  the  best  trained  racer  in  England  to  bolt  ;  and 
breathing  an  air,  all  the  time,  that  would  boil  an  egg  in 
two  minutes  and  a  quarter,  if  fairly  exposed  to  it." 

"  You  overrate  the  distance — 'tis  but  two  leagues  by  the 
stones — *-" 

"  Stones  !"  interrupted  Polwarth — "  I  scorn  their  lies — 
I  have  a  leg  here  that  is  a  better  index  for  miles,  feet,  or 
even  inches,  than  was  ever  chiselled  in  stone." 

"  We  must  not  contest  this  idle  point,"  returned  Lionel, 
"  for  I  see  the  troops  are  about  to  dine  ;  and  we  have  need 
of  every  moment  to  reach  Boston  before  the  night  closes 
around  us." 

"  Eat !  Boston  !  night !  "  slowly  repeated  Polwarth,  rais- 
ing himself  on  one  arm,  and  staring  wildly  about  him. 
"  Surely  no  man  among  us  is  so  mad  as  to  talk  of  moving 
from  this  spot  short  of  a  week — it  would  take  half  that 
time  to  receive  the  internal  refreshment  necessary  to  our 
systems,  and  the  remainder  to  restore  us  healthy  appe« 
tites." 

"  Suth,  however,  are  the  orders  of  the  Earl  Percy,  from 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  ng 

whom  I  learn  that  the  whole  country  is  rising  in  our 
front." 

"  Ay,  but  they  are  fellows  who  slept  peacefully  in  their 
beds  the  past  night  ;  and  I  dare  say  that  every  dog  among 
them  ate  his  half-pound  of  pork,  together  with  additions 
suitable  for  a  breakfast,  before  he  crossed  his  threshold 
this  morning.  But  with  us  the  case  is  different.  It  is  in- 
cumbent on  two  thousand  British  troops  to  move  with  de- 
liberation, if  it  should  be  only  for  the  credit  of  his 
majesty's  arms.  No,  no — the  gallant  Percy  too  highly 
respects  his  princely  lineage  and  name,  to  assume  the  ap- 
pearance of  flight  before  a  mob  of  base-born  hinds  ! " 

The  intelligence  of  Lionel  was  nevertheless  true  ;  for, 
after  a  short  halt,  allowing  barely  time  enough  to  the 
troops  to  eat  a  hasty  meal,  the  drums  again  beat  the  signal 
to  march,  and  Polwarth,  as  well  as  many  hundred  others, 
was  reluctantly  compelled  to  resume  his  feet,  under  the 
penalty  of  being  abandoned  to  the  fury  of  the  exasperated 
Americans.  While  the  troops  were  in  a  state  of  rest,  the 
field-pieces  of  the  reinforcement  kept  their  foes  at  a  dis- 
tance ;  but  the  instant  the  guns  were  limbered,  and  tiie 
files  had  once  more  opened  for  room,  the  attacks  were  re- 
newed from  every  quarter,  with  redoubled  fury.  The  ex- 
cesses of  the  troops,,  who  had  begun  to  vent  their  anger  by 
plundering  and  firing  the  dwellings  that  they  passed, 
added  to  the  bitterness  of  the  attacks  ;  and  the  march  had 
not  been  renewed  many  minutes,  before  a  fiercer  conflict 
raged  along  its  skirts  than  had  been  before  witnessed  on 
that  day. 

"  Would  to  God  that  the  great  Northumbrian  would 
form  us  in  order  of  battle,  and  make  a  fair  field  with  the 
Yankees,"  groaned  Polwarth,  as  he  toiled  his  way  once 
more  with  the  advance — "  half  an  hour  would  settle  the 
matter,  and  a  man  would  then  possess  the  gratification  of 
seeing  himself  a  victor,  or  at  least  of  knowing  that  he  was 
comfortably  and  quietly  dead." 

"  Few  of  us  would  ever  arrive  in  the  morning,  if  we  left 
the  Americans  a  night  to  gather  in  ;  and  a  halt  of  an  hour 
would  lose  us  the  advantages  of  the  whole  march,"  re- 
turned Lionel. — "Cheer  up,  my  old  comrade,  and  you  will 
establish  your  reputation  for  activity  forever — here  comes 
a  party  of  the  provincials  over  the  crest  of  the  hill  to  keep 
you  in  employment." 

Polwarth  cast  a  look  of  despair  at  Lionel,  as  he  muttered 
in  reply —  •  . 


120  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

"  Employment !  God  knows  that  there  has  not  been  a 
single  muscle,  sinew,  or  joint,  in  my  body  in  a  state  of 
wholesome  rest  for  four-and-tvventy  hours  !  "  Then  turn- 
ing to  his  men,  he  cried,  with  tones  so  cheerful  and  ani- 
mated, that  they  seemed  to  proceed  from  a  final  and  closing 
exertion,  as  he  led  them  gallantly  into  the  approaching 
fray — "Scatter  the  dogs,  my  brave  friends — away  with 
them  like  gnats,  like  mosquitoes,  like  leeches,  as  they  are 
— give  it  them — lead  and  steel  by  handfuls " 

"On — push  on  with  the  advance!"  shouted  the  old 
major  of  marines,  who  observed  the  leading  platoons  to 
stagger. 

The  voice  of  Polwarth  was  once  more  heard  in  the  din, 
and  their  irregular  assailants  sullenly  yielded  before  the 
charge. 

"On — on  with  the  advance  !  "  cried  fifty  voices  out  of  a 
cloud  of  smoke  and  dust  that  was  moving  up  the  hill,  on 
whose  side  this  encounter  occurred. 

In  this  manner  the  war  continued  to  roll  slowly  onward, 
following  the  weary  and  heavy  footsteps  of  the  soldiery, 
who  had  now  toiled  for  many  miles,  surrounded  by  the  din 
of  battle,  and  leaving  in  their  path  the  bloody  impressions 
of  their  footsteps.  Lionel  was  enabled  to  trace  their  route, 
far  towards  the  north,  by  the  bright  red  spots,  which  lay 
scattered  in  alarming  numbers  along  the  highway,  and  in 
the  fields,  through  which  the  troops  occasionally  moved. 
He  even  found  time,  in  the  intervals  of  rest,  to  note  the 
difference  in  the  characters  of  the  combatants.  Whenever 
the  ground  or  the  circumstances  admitted  of  a  regular  at- 
tack, the  dying  confidence  of  the  troops  would  seem  re- 
stored ;  and  they  moved  up  to  the  charge  with  the  bold 
carriage  which  high  discipline  inspires,  rending  the  air 
with  shouts,  while  their  enemies  melted  before  their  power 
in  sullen  silence,  never  ceasing  to  use  their  weapons,  how- 
ever, with  an  expertness  that  rendered  them  doubly  dan- 
gerous. The  direction  of  the  columns  frequently  brought 
(he  troops  over  ground  that  had  been  sharply  contested  in 
front,  and  the  victims  of  these  short  struggles  came  under 
the  eyes  of  the  detachment.  It  was  necessary  to  turn  a 
deaf  ear  to  the  cries  and  prayers  of  many  wounded  soldiers, 
who,  with  horror  and  abject  fear  written  on  every  feature 
of  their  countenances,  were  the  helpless  witnesses  of  the 
retreating  files  of  their  comrades.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
American  lay  in  his  blood,  regarding  the  passing  detach- 
ment with  a  stern  and  indignant  eye,  that  appeared  to 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  121 

look  far  beyond  his  individual  suffering.  Over  one  body, 
Lionel  pulled  the  reins  of  his  horse,  and  he  paused  a  mo- 
ment to  consider  the  spectacle.  It  was  the  lifeless  form  of 
a  man,  whose  white  locks,  hollow  cheeks,  and  emaciated 
frame,  denoted  that  the  bullet  which  had  stricken  him  to 
the  earth  had-  anticipated  the  irresistible  decrees  of  time 
but  a  very  few  days.  He  had  fallen  on  his  back,  and  his 
glazed  eye  expressed,  even  in  death,  the  honest  resentment 
he  had  felt  while  living  :  and  hjs  palsied  hand  continued 
to  grasp  the  fire-lock,  old  and  time-worn,  like  its  owner, 
with  which  he  had  taken  the  field  in  behalf  of  his  country. 

"  Where  can  a  contest  end  which  calls  such  champions 
to  its  aid  ! "  exclaimed  Lionel,  observing  that  the  shadow 
of  another  spectator  fell  across  the  wan  features  of  the 
dead — "who  can  tell  where  this  torrent  of  blood  can  be 
stayed,  or  how  many  are  to  be  its  victims  ! " 

Receiving  no  answer,  he  raised  his  eyes,  and  discovered 
that  he  had  unwittingly  put  this  searching  question  to  the 
very  man  whose  rashness  had  precipitated  the  war.  It 
was  the  major  of  marines,  who  sat  looking  at  the  sight,  for 
a  minute,  with  an  eye  as  vacant  as  the  one' that  seemed  to 
throw  back  his  wild  gaze,  and  then,  rousing  from  his 
trance,  he  buried  his  rowejs  in-  the  flanks  of  his  horse,  and 
disappeared  in  the  smoke  that  enveloped  a  body  of  the 
grenadiers,  waving  his  sword  on  high,  and  shouting — 

"  On — push  on  with  the  advance  !  " 

Major  Lincoln  slowly  followed,  musing  on  the  scene  he 
had  witnessed,  when,  to  his  surprise,  he  encountered  Pol- 
warth,  seated  on  a  rock  by  the  roadside,  looking  with  a 
listless  and  dull  eye  at  the  retreating  columns.  Checking 
his  charger,  he  inquired  of  his  friend  if  he  were  hurt. 

"  Only  melted,"  returned  the  captain  ;  "  I  have  outdone 
the  speed  of  man  this  day,  Major  Lincoln,  and  can  do  no 
more.  If  you  see  any  of  my  friends  in  dear  England,  tell 
them  that  I  met  my  fate  as  a  soldier  should,  stationary  ; 
though  I  am  actually  melting  away  in  rivulets,  like  the 
snows  of  April." 

"Good  God  !  you  will  not  remain  here  to  be  slain  by 
the  provincials,  by  whom  you  see  we  are  completely  en- 
veloped ?" 

"I  am  preparing  a  speech  for  the  first  Yankee  who  may 
approach.  If  he  be  a  true  man,  he  will  melt  into  tears  at 
my  sufferings  this  day — if  a  savage,  my  heirs  will  be  spared 
the  charges  of  my  funeral." 

Lionel  would  have  continued  his  remonstrances,  but  a 


122  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

fierce  encounter  between  a  flanking  party  of  the  troops  and 
a  body  of  Americans,  drove  the  former  close  upon  him  ; 
and,  leaping  the  wall,  he  rallied  his  comrades,  and  turned 
the  tide  of  battle  in  their  favor.  He  was  drawn  far  from 
the  spot  by  the  vicissitudes  of  the  combat,  and  there  was  a 
moment,  while  passing  from  one  body  of  the  troops  to  an- 
other, that  he  found  himself  unexpectedly  alone,  in  a  most 
dangerous  vicinity  to  a  small  wood.  The  hurried  call  of 
"  Pick  off  that  officer ! "  first  aroused  him  to  his  extreme 
danger,  and  he  had  mechanically  bowed  himself  on  the 
neck  of  his  charger,  in  expectation  of  the  fatal  messengers, 
when  a  voice  was  heard  among  the  Americans,  crying,  in 
tones  that  caused  every  nerve  in  his  body  to  thrill — 

"  Spare  him  !  for  the  love  of  that  God  you  \vorship, 
spare  him ! " 

The  overwhelming  sensations  of  the  moment  prevented 
flight,  and  the  young  man  beheld  Ralph,  running  with 
frantic  gestures,  along  the  skirts  of  the  cover,  beating  up 
the  fire-arms  of  twenty  Americans,  and  repeating  his  cries 
in  a  voice  that  did  not  seem  to  belong  to  a  human  being — 
then,  in  the  confusion  which  whirled  through  his  brain, 
Lionel  thought  himself  a  prisoner,  as  a  man,  armed  with  a 
long  rifle,  glided  from  the  wood,  and  laid  his  hand  on  the 
rein  of  his  bridle,  saying  earnestly — 

"  'Tis  a  bloody  day,  and  God  will  remember  it  ;  but  if 
Major  Lincoln  will  ride  straight  down  the  hill,  the  people 
won't  fire  for  fear  of  hitting  Job-  —and  when  Job  fires,  he'll 
shoot  that  granny  who's  getting  over  the  wall,  and  there'll 
never  be  a  stir  about  it  in  Funnel-Hall." 

Lionel  wheeled  away  quicker  than  thought,  and  as  his 
charger  took  long  and  desperate  leaps  down  the  slight 
declivity,  he  heard  the  shouts  of  the  Americans  behind 
him,  the  crack  of  Job's  rifle,  and  the  whizzing  of  the  bul- 
let which  the  changeling  sent,  as  he  had  promised,  in  a 
direction  to  do  him  no  harm.  On  gaining  a  place  of  com- 
parative safety,  he  found  Pitcairn  in  the  act  of  abandoning 
his  bleeding  horse,  the  close  and  bitter  attacks  of  the 
provincials  rendering  it  no  longer  safe  for  an  officer  to  be 
seen. riding  on  the  flanks  of  the  detachment.  Lionel, 
though  he  valued  his  steed  highly,  had  also  received  so 
many  intimations  of  the  dangerous  notice  he  had  attracted, 
that  he  was  soon  obliged  to  follow  this  example  ;  and  he 
saw,  with  deep  regret,  the  noble  animal  scouring  across 
the  fields  with  a  loose  rein,  snorting  and  snuffing  the 
tainted  air.  Fie  now  joined  a  party  of  the  combatants  on 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  123 

foot,  and  continued  to  animate  them  to  new  exertions 
during  the  remainder  of  the  tedious  way. 

From  the  moment  the  spires  of  Boston  met  the  view  of 
the  troops,  the  struggle  became  intensely  interesting.  New 
vigor  was  imparted  to  their  weary  frames  by  the  cheering 
sight,  and,  assuming  once  more  the  air  of  hi^h  martial 
training,  they  bore  up  against  the  assaults  of  their  enemies 
with  renewed  spirit.  On  the  other  hand,  the  Americans 
seemed  aware  that  the  moments  of  vengeance  were  passing 
swiftly  away,  and  boys,  and  gray-headed  men,  the  wounded 
and  the  active,  crowded  around  their  invaders,  as  if  eager 
to  obtain  a  parting  blow.  Even  the  peaceful  ministers  of 
God  were  known  to  take  the  field  on  that  memorable  oc- 
casion, and,  mingling  with  their  parishioners,  to  brave 
every  danger  in  a  cause  which  they  believed  in  consonance 
with  their  holy  calling.  The  sun  was  sinking  over  the  land, 
and  the  situation  of  the  detachment  had  become  nearly 
desperate,  when  Percy  abandoned  the  idea  of  reaching  the 
Neck,  across  which  he  had  proudly  marched  that  morning 
from  Boston,  and  strained  every  nerve  to  get  the  remain- 
der of  his  command  within  the  peninsula  of  Charlestown. 
The  crests  and  the  sides  of  the  heights  were  alive  with 
men,  and  as  the  shades  of  evening  closed  about  the  com- 
batants, the  bosoms  of  the  Americans  beat  high  with  hope, 
while  they  witnessed  the  faltering  steps  and  slackened  fire 
of  the  troops.  But  high  discipline  finally  so  far  prevailed 
as  to  snatch  the  English  from  the  very  grasp  of  destruction, 
and  enabled  them  to  gain  the  narrow  entrance  to  the  de- 
sired shelter,  just  as  night  had  come  apparently  to  seal 
their  doom. 

Lionel  stood  leaning  against  a  fence,  as  this  fine  body 
of  men,  which  a  few  hours  before  had  thought  themselves 
equal  to  a  march  through  the  colonies,  defiled  slowly  and 
heavily  by  him,  dragging  their  weary  and  exhausted  limbs 
up  the  toilsome  ascent  of  Bunker-Hill.  The  haughty  eyes 
of  most  of  the  officers  were  bent  to  the  earth  in  shame  ; 
and  the  common  herd,  even  in  that  place  of  security,  cast 
many  an  anxious  glance  behind  them,  to  assure  themselves 
that  the  despised  inhabitants  of  the  province  were  no 
longer  pressing  on  their  footsteps.  Platoon  after  platoon 
passed,  each  man  compelled  to  depend  on  his  own  wearied 
limbs  for  support,  until  Lionel  at  last  saw  a  solitary  horse- 
man slowly  ascending  among  the  crowd.  To  his  utter 
amazement  and  great  joy,  as  this  officer  approached,  he 
beheld  Polwarth,  mounted  on  his  own  steed,  riding  toward 


124  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

him,  with  a  face  of  the  utmost  complacency  and  composure. 
The  dress  of  the  captain  was  torfi  fn  many  places,  and  the 
housings  of  the  saddle  were  cut  into  ribbons,  while  here 
and  there  a  spot  of  clotted  blood,  on  the  sides  of  the  beast, 
served  to  announce  the  particular  notice  the  rider  had  re- 
ceived  fram  the  Americans.  The  truth  was  soon  extorted 
from  the  honest  soldier.  The  love  of  life  had  returned  with 
the  sight  of  the  abandoned  charger.  He  acknowledged  it 
had  cost  him  his  watch  to  have  the  beast  caught ;  but,  once 
established  in  the  saddle,  no  danger,  nor  any  remonstrances, 
could  induce  him. to  relinquish  a  seat  which  he  found  so 
consoling  after  all  the  fatigue  and  motion  of  that  evil  day, 
in  which  he  had  been  compelled  to  share  in  the  calamities 
of  those  who  fought  on  the  side  of  the  crown,  in  the  mem- 
orable battle  of  Lexington. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

L — Is  it  not  lawful,  an'  please  your  majesty, 
To  tell  how  many  is  killed  ?" — King  Henry  K 

WHILE  a  strong  party  of  the  royal  troops  took  post  on 
the  height  which  commanded  the  approach  to  their  posi- 
tion, the  remainder  penetrated  deeper  into  the  peninsula, 
or  were  transported  by  the  boats  of  the  fleet  to  the  town 
of  Boston.  Lionel  and  Polwarth  passed  the  strait  with 
the  first  division  of  the  wounded,  the  former  having  no 
duty  to  detain  him  any  longer  with  the  detachment,  and 
the  latter  stoutly  maintaining  that  his  corporeal  sufferings 
gave  him  an  undoubted  claim  to  include  his  case  among 
the  casualties  of  the  day.  Perhaps  no  officer  in  the  army 
of  the  king  felt  less  chagrin  at  the  result  of  this  inroad 
than  Major  Lincoln  ;  for,  notwithstanding  his  attachment 
to  his  prince,  and  adopted  country,  he  wras  keenly  sensitive 
on  the  subject  of  the  reputation  of  his  real  countryman  ; 
a  sentiment  that  is  honorable  to  our  nature,  and  which 
never  deserts  any  that  do  not  become  disloyal  to  its  purest 
and  noblest  impulses.  Even  while  he  regretted  the  price 
at  which  his  comrades  had  been  taught  to  appreciate  the 
characters  of  those  whose  long  and  mild  forbearance  had 
been  misconstrued  into  pusillanimity,  he  rejoiced  that  the 
eyes  of  the  more  aged  wrould  now  be  opened  to  the  truth, 
and  that  the  mouths  of  the  young  and  thoughtless  were 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  125 

to  be  for  ever  closed  in  shame.  Although  the  actual  losses 
of  the  two  detachments  were  probably  concealed  from 
motives  of  policy,  it  was  early  acknowledged  to  amount  to 
about  one-sixth  of  the  whole  number  employed. 

On  the  wharf  Lionel  and  Polwarth  separated  ;  the  latter 
agreeing  to  repair  speedily  to  the  private  quarters  of  his 
friend,  where  he  promised  himself  a  solace  for  the  com- 
pulsory abstinence  and  privations  of  his  long  march,  and 
the  former  taking  his  way  toward  Tremont  Street,  with  a 
view  to  allay  the  uneasiness  which  the  secret  and  flattering 
whisperings  of  hope  taught  him  to  believe  his  fair  young 
kinswomen  would  feel  in  his  behalf.  "At  every  corner  he 
encountered  groups  of  earnest  townsmen,  listening  with 
greedy  ears  to  the  particulars  of  the  contest,  a  few  walking 
away  dejected  at  the  spirit  exhibited  by  that  country  they 
had  vilified  to  its  oppressors  ;  but  most  of  them  regarding 
the  passing  form  of  one  whose  disordered  dress  announced 
his  participation  in  the  affair,  with  glances  of  stern  satis- 
faction. As  Lionel  tapped  at  the  door  of  Mrs.  Lechmere, 
he  forgot  his  fatigue  ;  and  when  it  opened,  and  he  beheld 
Cecil  standing  in  the  hall,  with  every  lineament  of  her  fine 
countenance  expressing  the  power  of  her  emotions,  he  no 
longer  remembered  those  trying  dangers  he  had  so  lately 
escaped. 

"  Lionel  !  "  exclaimed  the  young  lady,  clasping  her  hands 
with  joy — "himself,  and  unhurt!"  'The  blood  rushed 
from  her  heart  across  her  face  to  her  forehead,  and  bury- 
ing her  shame  in  her  hands,  she  burst  into  a  flood  of  tears, 
and  fled  his  presence. 

Agnes  Danforth  received  him  with  undisguised  pleasure, 
nor  would  she  indulge  in  a  single  question  to  appease  her 
burning  curiosity,  until  thoroughly  assured  of  his  perfect 
safety.  Then,  indeed,  she  remarked,  with  a  smile  of  tri- 
umph seated  on  her  arch  features — 

"Your  march  has  been  well  attended,  Major  Lincoln; 
from  the  upper  windows  I  have  seen  some  of  the  honors 
which  the  good  people  of  Massachusetts  have  paid  to  their 
visitors." 

"On  my  soul,  if  it  were  not  for  the  dreadful  conse- 
quences which  must  follow,  I  rejoice,  as  well  as  yourself, 
in  the  events  of  the  day,"  said  Lincoln  ;  "  for  a  people  are 
never  certain  of  their  rights  until  they  are  respected." 

"  Tell  me,  then,  all,  cousin  Lincoln,  that  I  may  know 
how  to  boast  of  my  parentage." 

The  young  man  gave  her  a  short,  but  distinct  and  impar- 


126  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

tial,  account  of  all  that  had  occurred,   to  which   his  fair 
listener  attended  with  undisguised  interest. 

"  Now,  then,"  she  exclaimed,  as  he  ended,  "there  is  an 
end  forever  of  those  biting  taunts  that  have  so  long  insult- 
ed our  ears !  But  you  know,"  she  added,  with  a  slight 
blush,  and  a  smile  most  comically  arch,  '*!  had  a  double 
stake  in  the  fortunes  of  the  day — my  country  and  my  true 
love  ! " 

"  Oh  !  be  at  ease  ;  your  worshipper  has  returned,  whole 
in  body,  and  suffering  in  mind  only  through  your  cruelty 
—he  performed  the  route  with  wonderful  address,  and 
really  showed  himself  a  soldier  in  danger." 

"Nay,  Major  Lincoln,"  returned  Agnes,  still  blushing, 
though  she  laughed  ;  "  you  do  not  mean  to  insinuate  that 
Peter  Polwarth  has  walked  forty  miles  between  the  rising 
and  setting  of  the  sun  ?  " 

"  Between  two  sunsets  he  has  done  the  deed,  if  you 
except  a  trifling  promenade  a  cheval,  on  my  own  steed,  whom 
Jonathan  compelled  me  to  abandon,  and  of  whom  he  took, 
and  maintained  the  possession,  too,  in  spite  of  dangers  of 
every  kind." 

"  Really,"  exclaimed  the  wilful  girl,  clasping  her  hands 
in  affected  astonishment,  though  Lionel  thought  he  could 
read  inward  satisfaction  at  his  intelligence — "the  prodigies 
of  the  man  exceed  belief !  one  wants  the  faith  of  father 
Abraham  to  credit  such  marvels  !  though,  after  the  repulse 
of  two  thousand  British  soldiers  by  a  body  of  husbandmen, 
I  am  prepared  for  an  exceeding  use  of  my  credulity." 

"The  moment  is  then  auspicious  for  my  friend,"  whis- 
pered Lionel,  rising  to  follow  the  flitting  form  of  Cecil 
Dynevor,  which  he  saw  gliding  into  the  opposite  room,  as 
Polwarth  himself  entered  the  apartment.  "  Credulity  is 
said  to  be  the  great  weakness  of  your  sex,  and  I  must 
leave  you  a  moment  exposed  to  the  failing,  and  that  too, 
in  the  dangerous  company  of  the  subject  of  our  dis- 
course." 

"  Now  would  you  give  half  your  hopes  of  promotion, 
and  all  your  hopes  of  a  war,  Captain  Polwarth,  to  know  in 
wrhat  manner  your  character  has  been  treated  in  your  ab- 
sence !  "  cried  Agnes,  blushing  slightly.  "  I  shall  not,  how- 
ever, satisfy  the  cravings  of  your  curiosity,  but  let  it  serve 
as  a  stimulant  to  better  deeds  than  have  employed  you 
since  we  met  last." 

"I  trust  Lincoln  has  done  justice  to  my  service,"  re- 
turned the  good-humored  captain,  "and  that  he  has  not 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  127 

neglected  to  mention  the  manner  in  which  I  rescued  his 
steed  from  the  rebels." 

"The  what,  sir?"  interrupted  Agnes,  with  a  frown  —  • 
"  how  did  you  style  the  good  -people  of  Massachusetts 
Bay  ?  " 

"I  should  have  said  the  excited  dwellers  in  the  land,  I 
believe.  Ah  !  Miss  Agnes,  I  have  suffered  this  day  as  man 
never  suffered  before  ;  and  all  on  your  behalf 


"On  my  behalf!    Your  words  require  explanation, 
tain  Polwarth." 

"Tis  impossible,"  returned  the  captain  —  "there  are 
feelings  and  actions  connected  with  the  heart  that  will 
admit  of  no  explanation.  All  I  know  is,  that  I  have  suf- 
fered unutterably  on  your  account  to-day  ;  and  what  is 
unutterable,  is  in  a  great  degree  inexplicable." 

"  I  shall  set  this  down  for  what  I  understand  occurs  reg- 
ularjy  in  a  certain  description  of  tete-a-tetes  —  the  expres- 
sion of  an  unutterable  thing!  Surely,  Major  Lincoln  had 
some  reason  to  believe  he  left  me  at  the  mercy  of  my  cre- 
dulity!" 

"  You  slander  your  own  character,  fair  Agnes,"  said  Pol- 
warth, endeavoring  to  look  piteously  ;  "you  are  neither 
merciful  nor  credulous,  or  you  would  long  since  have  be- 
lieved my  tale,  and  taken  pity  on  my  misery." 

"  Is  not  sympathy  a  sort  —  a  kind  —  in  short,  is  not  sym- 
pathy a  dreadful  symptom  in  a  certain  disease?"  asked 
Agnes,  resting  her  eyes  on  the  floor,  and  affecting  a  girlish 
embarrassment. 

"  Who  can  gainsay  it  !  "  cried  the  captain  ;  "'tis  the  in- 
fallible way  for  a  young  lady  to  discover  the  bent  of  her 
inclinations.  Thousands  have  lived  in  ignorance  01  their 
own  affections  until  their  sympathies  have  been  awakened. 
But  what  means  the  question,  my  fair  tormentor  ?  May  I 
dare  to  flatter  myself  that  you  at  length  feel  for  my  pains  !  " 

"  1  am  sadly  afraid  'tis  but  too  true,  Polwarth,"  returned 
Agnes,  shaking  her  head,  and  continuing  to  look  exceed- 
ingly grave. 

Polwarth  moved,  with  something  like  animation  again, 
nigherto  the  amused  'girl  ;  and  attempted  to  take  her  hand, 
as  he  said  — 

"  You  restore  me  to  life  with  your  sweet  acknowledg- 
ments —  I  have  lived  for  six  months  like  a  dog  under  your 
frowns,  but  one  kind  word  acts  like  a  healing  balm,  and 
restores  me  to  myself  again  !  " 

"  Then  my  sympathy  is  evaporated  !  "  returned  Agnes. 


,28  LIONEL  LINCOLN. 

"  Throughout  this  long  and  anxious  day  have  I  fancied 
myself  older  than  my  good,  staid,  great-aunt  ;  and  when- 
ever certain  thoughts  have  crossed  my  mind,  I  have  even 
imagined  a  thousand  of  the  ailings  of  age  had  encircled 
me — rheumatisms,  gouts,  asthmas,  and  numberless  other 
aches  and  pains,  exceedingly  unbecoming  to  a  young  lady 
of  nineteen.  But  you  have  enlightened  me,  and  given 
vast  relief  to  my  apprehensions,  by  explaining  it  to  be  no 
more  than  sympathy.  You  see,  Polwarth,  what  a  wife  you 
will  obtain,  should  I  ever,  in  a  weak  moment,  accept  you  ; 
for  I  have  already  sustained  one  half  your  burthens  !  " 

"  A  man  is  not  made  to  be  in  constant  motion,  like  the 
pendulum  of  that  clock,  Miss  Danforth,  and  yet  feel  no 
fatigue,"  said  Polwarth,  more  vexed  than  he  would  permit 
himself  to  betray  ;  "yet  I  flatter  myself  there  is  no  officer 
in  the  light-infantry — you  understand  me  to  say  the  light- 
infantry— who  has  passed  over  more  ground,  within  fojjr- 
and-twenty  hours,  than  the  man  who  hastens,  notwithstand- 
ing his  exploits,  to  throw  himself  at  your  feet,  even  before 
he  thinks  of  his  ordinary  rest." 

"  Captain  Polwarth,"  said  Agnes,  rising,  "  for  the  com- 
pliment, if  compliment  it  be,  I  thank  you  ;  but,"  she  added, 
losing  her  affected  gravity  in  a  strong  natural  feeling  that 
shone  in  her  dark  eye,  and  illuminated  the  whole  of  her 
fine  countenance,  as  she  laid  her  hand  impressively  on  her 
heart — "  the  man  who  will  supplant  the  feelings  which 
nature  has  impressed  here,  must  not  come  to  my  feet,  as 
you  call  it,  from  a  field  of  battle,  where  he  has  been  con- 
tending with  my  kinsmen,  and  helping  to  enslave  my 
country.  You  will  excuse  me,  sir,  but  as  Major  Lincoln  is 
at  home  here,  permit  me,  for  a  few  minutes,  to  leave  you 
to  his  hospitality." 

She  withdrew  as  Lionel  re-entered,  passing  him  on  the 
threshold. 

"  I  would  rather  be  a  leader  in  a  stage-coach,  or  a  run- 
ning footman,  than  in  love  !  "  cried  Polwarth — "  'tis  a  dog's 
life,  Leo,  and  this  girl  treats  me  like  a  cart-horse  !  But 
what  an  eye  she  has  !  I  could  have  lighted  my  segar  by 
it — my  heart  is  a  heap  of  cinders.  Why,  Leo,  what  aileth 
thee  ?  throughout  the  whole  of  this  damnable  day,  I  have 
not  before  seen  thee  bear  such  a  troubled  look  !  " 

"Let  us  withdraw  to  my  private  quarters,"  muttered 
the  young  man,  whose  aspect  and  air  expressed  the  marks 
of  extreme  disturbance — "  'tis  time  to  repair  the  disasters 
of  our  march." 


LIONEL  LINCOLN:  129 

"All  that  has  been  already  looked  to,"  said  Polwarth, 
rising  and  limping,  with  sundry  grimaces,  in  the  best  man- 
ner he  was  able,  in  a  vain  effort  to  equal  the  rapid  strides 
of  his  companion.  "  My  first  business  on  leaving  you  was 
to  borrow  a  conveyance  of  a  friend,  in  which  I  rode  to 
your  place  ;  and  my  next  was  to  write  to  little  Jimmy 
Craig,  to  offer  an  exchange  of  my  company  for  his — for 
from  this  hour  henceforth  I  denounce  all  light-infantry 
movements,  and  shall  take  the  first  opportunity  to  get 
back  again  into  the  dragoons  ;  as  soon  as  I  have  effected 
which,  Major  Lincoln,  I  propose  to  treat  with  you  for  the 
purchase  of  that  horse.  After  that  duty  was  performed — 
for,  if  self-preservation  be  commendable,  it  became  a  duty 
• — I  made  out  a  bill  of  fare  for  Meriton,  in  order  that  noth- 
ing might  be  forgotten  ;  after  which,  like  yourself,  Lionel, 
I  hastened  to  the  feet  of  my  mistress — Ah  !  Major  Lincoln, 
you  are  a  happy  man  ;  for  you  there  is  no  reception  but 
smiles — and  charms  so — 

"  Talk  not  to  me,  sir,  of  smiles,"  interrupted  Lionel,  im- 
patiently, "  nor  of  the  charms  of  woman.  The}'-  are  all 
alike,  capricious  and  unaccountable." 

"  Bless  me  !  "  exclaimed  Polwarth,  staring  about  him  in 
wonder ;  "there  is  then  favor  for  none,  in  this  place,  who 
battle  for  the  king !  There  is  a  strange  connection  be- 
tween Cupid  and  Mars,  love  and  war  ;  for  here  did  I,  after 
fighting  all  day  like  a  Saracen,  a  Turk,  Jenghis  Khan,  or, 
in  short,  anything  but  a  good  Christian,  come  with  full  in- 
tent to  make  a  serious  offer  of  my  hand,  commission,  and 
of  Polwarth  Hall,  to  that  treasonable  vixen,  when  she  re- 
pulses me  with  a  frown  and  a  sarcasm  as  biting  as  the  sal- 
utation of  a  hungry  man.  But  what  an  eye  the  girl  has, 
and  what  a  bloom,  when  she  is  a  little  more  seasoned  than 
common  !  Then  you,  too,  Lionel,  have  been  treated  like 
a  dog ! " 

"Like  a  fool,  as  I  am,"  said  Lionel,  pacing  haughtily 
over  the  ground  at  a  rate  that  soon  threw  his  companion 
too  far  in  the  rear  to  admit  of  further  discourse  until  they 
reached  the  place  of  their  destination.  Here,  to  the  no 
small  surprise  of  both  gentlemen,  they  found  a  company 
collected  that  neither  was  prepared  to  meet.  At  a  side- 
table  sat  M'Fuse,  discussing,  with  singular  relish,  some  of 
the  cold  viands  of  the  previous  night's  repast,  and  washing 
down  his  morsels  with  deep  potations  of  the  best  wine  of 
his  host.  In  one  corner  of  the  room  Seth  Sage  was  posted, 
with  the  appearance  of  a  man  in  duress,  his  hands  being 


130 


LIONEL  LINCOLN. 


tied  before  him,  from  which  depended  a  long  cord,  that 
might,  on  emergency,  be  made  to  serve  the  purpose  of  a 
halter.  Opposite  to  the  prisoner,  for  such  in  truth  he 
was,  stood  Job,  imitating  the  example  of  the  captain  of 
grenadiers,  who  now  and  then  tossed  some  fragment  of 
his  meal  into  the  hat  of  the  simpleton.  Meriton  and  sev- 
eral of  the  menials  of  the  establishment  were  in  waiting. 

"  What  have  we  here  ? "  cried  Lionel,  regarding  the 
scene  with  a  curious  eye.  "  Of  what  offence  has  Mr.  Sage 
been  guilty,  that  he  bears  those  bonds  ?" 

"  Of  the  small  crimes  of  tr'ason  and  homicide,"  returned 
M'Fuse,  "if  shooting  at  a  man,  with  a  hearty  mind  £o  kill 
him,  can  make  a  murder." 

"It  can't,"  said  Seth,  raising  his  eyes  from  the  floor, 
where  he  had  hitherto  kept  them  in  demure  silerice  ;  "a 
man  must  kill  with  wicked  intent  to  commit  murder " 

"  Hear  to  the  blackguard,  detailing  the  lawr  as  if  he  were 
my  lord  chief  justice  of  the  King's  Bench!"  interrupted 
the  grenadier  ;  "and  what  was  your  own  wicked  intention, 
ye  skulking  vagabond,  but  to  kill  me  !  I'll  have  you  tried 
and  hung  for  the  same  act." 

"  It's  ag'in  reason  to  believe  that  any  jury  will  convict 
one  man  for  the  murder  of  another  that  an't  dead,"  said 
Seth — "there's  no  jury  to  be  found  in  the  Bay  colony,  to 
do  it." 

"  Bay  colony,  ye  murdering  thief  and  rebel !  "  cried  the 
captain  ;  "  I'll  have  ye  transported  to  England  ;  ye  shall 
be  both  transported  and  hung.  By  the  Lord,  I'll  carry  ye 
back  to  Ireland  with  me,  and  I'll  hang  ye  up  in  the  Green 
Island  itself,  and  bury  ye,  in  the  heart  of  winter,  in  a 
bog " 

"  But  what  is  the  offence,"  demanded  Lionel,  "  that  calls 
forth  these  severe  threats  ?" 

"  The  scoundrel  has  been  out — 

"Out!" 

"  Ay,  out !  Damn  it,  sir,  has  not  the  whole  country  been 
like  so  many  bees  in  search  of  a  hive  ?  Is  your  memory  so 
short  that  ye  forget  already,  Major  Lincoln,  the  tramp  the 
blackguards  have  given  you  over  hill  and  dale,  through 
thick  and  thin  ?" 

"And  was  Mr.  Sage,  then,  found  among  our  enemies 
to-day  ? " 

"  Didn't  I  see  him  pull  trigger  on  my  own  stature  three 
times  within  as  many  minutes?"  returned  the  angry  cap- 
tain ;  "  and  didn't  he  break  the  handle  of  my  sword  ?  and 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  131 

have  not  I  a  bit  of  lead  he  calls  a  buck-shot  in  my  shoulder 
as  a  present  from  the  thief?" 

"  It's  ag'in  all  law  to  call  a  man  a  thief,"  said  Job,  "un- 
less you  can  prove  it  upon  him  ;  but  it  an't  ag'in  law  to  go 
in  and  out  of  Boston  as  often  as  you  choose." 

"  Do  you  hear  the  rascals  !  They  know  every  angle  of 
the  law  as  well  or  better  than  I  do  myself,  who  am  the  son 
of  a  Cork  counsellor.  I  dare  to  say  you  were  among  them 
too,  and  that,  ye  deserve  the  gallows  as  well  as  your  com- 
mendable companion  there." 

"  How  is  this  !  "  said  Lionel,  turning  quickly  away  from 
Job,  with  a  view  to  prevent  a  reply  that  might  endanger 
the  safety  of  the  changeling  ;  "  did  you  not  only  mingle  in 
this  rebellion,  Mr.  Sage,  but  also  attempt  the  life  of  a 
gentleman  who  may  be  said,  almost,  to  be  an  inmate  of 
your  own  house  ? " 

"I  conclude,"  returned  Seth,  "it's  best  net  to  talk  too 
much,  seeing  that  no  one  can  foretell  what  may  happen." 

"  Hear  to  the  cunning  reprobate  !  He  has  not  the  grace 
to  acknowledge  his  own  sins,  like  an  honest  man,"  inter- 
rupted M'Fuse  ;  "  but  I  can  save  him  that  small  trouble — 
I  got  tired,  you  "must  know,  Major  Lincoln,  of  being  shot 
at  like  noxious  vermin,  from  morning  till  night,  without 
making  some  return  to  the  compliments  of  those  gentle- 
men who  are  out  on  the  hills  ;  and  I  took  advantage  of  a 
turn,  ye  see,  to  double  on  a  party  of  the  uncivilized  de- 
mons. This  lad,  here,  got  three  good  pulls  at  me  before 
we  closed  and  made  an  end  of  them  with  the  steel,  all  but 
this  fellow,  who,  having  a  becoming  look  for  a  gallows,  I 
brought  him  in,  as  you  see,  for  an  exchange,  intending  to 
hang  him  the  first  favorable  opportunity." 

"  If  this  be  true,  we  must  give  him  into  the  hands  of  the 
proper  authorities,"  said  Lionel,  smiling  at  the  confused 
account  of  the  angry  captain — ="  for  it  remains  to  be  seen 
yet  what  course  will  be  adopted  with  the  prisoners  in  this 
singular  contest." 

"  I  should  think  nothing  of  the  matter,"  returned  M  'Fuse, 
"  if  the  reprobate  had  not  tr'ated  me  like  a  beast  of  the 
field,  with  his  buck-shot,  and  taking  his  aim  each  time,  as 
though  I  had  been  a  mad  dog.  Ye  villain,  do  you  call 
yourself  a  man,  and  aim  at  a  fellow-creature  as  you  would 
at  a  brute  ? " 

"Why/'  said  Seth,  sullenly,  "when  a  man  has  pretty 
much  made  up  his  mind  to  fight,  I  conclude  it's  best  to 
take  aim,  in  order  to  save  ammunition  and  time.'* 


I32  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

"  You  acknowledge  the  charge,  then  ? "  demanded  Lionel, 

"  As  the  major  is  a  moderate  man,  and  will  hear  to 
reason,  I  will  talk  the  matter  over  with  him  rationally," 
said  Seth,  disposing  himself  to  speak  more  to  the  purpose. 
"You  see,  I  had  a  small  call  to  Concurd  early  this  morn- 
ing " 

"  Concord  !  "  exclaimed  Lionel. 

"  Yes,  Concurd,"  returned  Seth,  laying  great  stress  on 
the  first  syllable,  and  speaking  with  an  air  of  extreme  in- 
nocence— "it  lies  here-away,  say  twenty  or  one-and-twenty 
miles " 

"  Damn  your  Concords  and  your  miles  too,"  cried  Pol- 
warth  ;  "  is  there  a  man  in  the  army  who  can  forget  the 
deceitful  place  ?  Go  on  with  your  defence,  without  talk- 
ing to  us  of  the  distance,  who  have  measured  the  road  by 
inches." 

"  The  captain  is  hasty  and  rash  !  "  said  the  deliberate 
prisoner — "  but  being  there,  I  went  out  of  the  town  with 
some  company  that  I  happened  in  with  ;  and  after  a  time 
we  concluded  to  return — and  so,  as  we  came  to  a  bridge 
about  a  mile  beyond  the  place,  we  received  considerable 
rough  treatment  from  some  of  the  king's  troops,  who  were 
standing  there " 

"What  did  they?" 

"They  fired  at  us,  and  killed  two  of  our  company,  be- 
sides other  threatening  doings.  There  were  some  among 
us  that  took  the  matter  up  in  considerable  earnest,  and 
there  was  a  sharp  toss  about  it  for  a  few  minutes  ;  though 
finally  the  law  prevailed." 

"The  law!" 

"  Certain — 'tis  ag'in  all  law,  I  believe  the  major  will  own, 
to  shoot  peaceable  men  on  the  public  highway  !  " 

"  Proceed  with  your  tale  in  your  own  way." 

"  That  is  pretty  much  the  whole  of  it,"  said  Seth,  warily. 
"  The  people  rather  took  that,  and  some  other  things  that 
happened  at  Lexington,  to  heart,  and  I  suppose  the  major 
knows  the  rest." 

"  But  what  has  all  this  to  do  with  your  attempt  to  mur- 
der me,  you  hypocrite  ?  "  demanded  M'Fuse — "  confess  the 
whole,  ye  thief,  that  I  may  hang  you  with  an  aisy  con- 
science." 

"Enough,"  said  Lionel;  "the  man  has  acknowledged 
sufficient  already  to  justify  us  in  transferring  him  to  the 
custody  of  others — let  him  betaken  to  the  main  guard,  and 
delivered  as  a  prisoner  of  this  day." 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  133 

"  I  hope  the  major  will  look  to  the  things,"  said  Seth, 
who  instantly  prepared  to  depart,  but  stopped  on  the 
threshold  to  speak — "  I  shall  hold  him  accountable  for 
all." 

"Your  property  shall  be  protected,  and  I  hope  your  life 
may  not  be  in  jeopardy,"  returned  Lionel,  waving  his  hand 
for  those  who  guarded  him  to  proceed.  Seth  turned,  and 
left  his  own  dwelling  with  the  same  quiet  air  which  had 
distinguished  him  throughout  the  day  ;  though  there  were 
occasional  flashes  from  his  quick,  dark  eyes,  that  looked 
like  the  glimmerings  of  a  fading  fire.  Notwithstanding 
the  threatening  denunciation  he  had  encountered,  he  left 
the  house  with  a  perfect  conviction,  that  if  his  case  were 
to  be  tried  by  those  principles  of  justice  which  every  man 
in  the  colony  so  well  understood,  it  would  be  found  that 
both  he  and  his  fellows  had  kept  thoroughly  on  the  windy 
side  of  the  law. 

During  this  singular  and  characteristic  discourse,  PoL 
warth,  with  the  solitary  exception  we  have  recorded,  had 
employed  his  time  in  forwarding  the  preparations  for  the 
banquet. 

As  Seth  and  his  train  disappeared,  Lionel  cast  a  furtive 
look  at  Job,  who  was  a  quiet,  and  apparently  an  undis- 
turbed, spectator  of  the  scene,  and  then  turned  his  atten- 
tion suddenly  to  his  guests,  as  if  fearful  the  folly  of  the 
changeling  might  betray  his  agency  also  in  the  deeds  of  the 
day.  The  simplicity  of  the  lad,  however,  defeated  the  kind 
intentions  of  the  major,  for  he  immediately  observed,  with- 
out the  least  indication  of  fear — • 

"  The  king  can't  hang  Seth  Sage  for  firing  back,  when 
the  rake-helly  soldiers  began  first." 

"  Perhaps  you  were  out  'too,  master  Solomon,"  cried 
M'Fuse,  "  amusing  yourself  at  Concord,  with  a  small  party 
of  select  friends  ?  " 

"  Job  didn't  go  any  further  than  Lexington,"  returned 
the  lad,  "  and  he  hasn't  got  any  friend,  except  old  Nab.': 

"  The  devil  has  possessed  the  minds  of  the  people  ! " 
continued  the  grenadier — "  lawyers  and  doctors — praists 
and  sinners — old  and  young — big  and  little,  beset  us  in 
our  march,  and  here  is  a  fool  to  be  added  to  the  number  ! 
I  dare  say  that  fellow,  now,  has  attempted  murder  in  his 
day  too." 

"Job  scorns  such  wickedness,"  returned  the  unmoved 
simpleton  ;  "he  only  shot  one  granny,  and  hit  an  officer  in 
the  arm." 


134  LIONEL   LINCOLN-. 

"  D'ye  hear  that,  Major  Lincoln  ?"  cried  M'Fuse,  jump- 
ing from  the  seat  which,  notwithstanding  the  bitterness  of 
his  language,  he  had  hitherto  perseveringly  maintained  ; 
"  d'ye  hear  that  shell  of  a  man,  that  effigy,  boasting  of  hav- 
ing killed  a  grenadier  !  " 

"  Hold  !  " — interrupted  Lionel,  arresting  his  excited  com- 
panion by  the  arm — u  remember  we  are  soldiers,  and  that 
the  boy  is  not  a  responsible  being.  No  tribunal  would  ever 
sentence  such  an  unfortunate  creature  to  a  gibbet ;  and  in 
general  he  is  as  harmless  as  a  babe " 

"The  devil  burn  such  babes — a  pretty  fellow  is  he  to  kill 
a  man  of  six  feet !  and  with  a  ducking  gun,  I'll  engage.  I'll 
not  hang  the  rascal,  Major  Lincoln,  since  it  is  your  particu- 
lar wish — I'll  only  have  him  buried  alive." 

Job  continued  perfectly  unmoved  in  his  chair ;  and  the 
captain,  ashamed  of  his  resentment  against  such  uncon- 
scious imbecility,  was  soon  persuaded  to  abandon  his  in- 
tentions of  revenge,  though  he  continued  muttering  his 
threats  against  the  provincials,  and  his  denunciations 
against  such  "an  unmanly  spacies  of  warfare,"  until  the 
much-needed  repast  was  ended. 

Polwarth,  having  restored  the  equilibrium  of  his  system 
by  a  hearty  meal,  hobbled  to  his  bed,  and  M'Fuse,  without 
any  ceremony,  took  possession  of  another  of  the  apart- 
ments in  the  tenement  of  Mr.  Sage.  The  servants  with- 
drew to  their  own  entertainment  ;  and  Lionel,  who  had 
been  sitting  for  the  last  half-hour  in  melancholy  silence, 
now  unexpectedly  found  himself  alone  with  the  change- 
ling. Job  had  waited  for  this  moment  with  exceeding 
patience,  but  when  the  door  closed  on  Meriton,  who  was 
the  last  to  retire,  he  made  a  movement  that  indicated  some 
communication  of  more  than  usual  importance,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  attracting  the  attention  of  his  companion. 

"  Foolish  boy ! "  exclaimed  Lionel,  as  he  met  the  un- 
meaning eye  of 'the  other,  "  did  I  not  warn  you  that  wicked 
men  might  endanger  your  life  !  How  was  it  that  I  saw  you 
in  arms  to-day  against  the  troops  ?  " 

"  How  came  the  troops  in  arms  ag'in  Job  ?"  returned  the 
changeling — "  they  needn't  think  to  wheel  about  the  Bay 
province,  clashing  their  godless  drums  and  trumpets,  burn- 
ing housen,  and  shooting  people,  and  find  no  stir  about  it !  " 

"  Do  you  know  that  your  life  has  been  twice  forfeited 
within  twelve  hours,  by  your  own  confession  ;  once  for 
murder,  and  again  for  treason  against  your  king  ?  You  have 
acknowledged  killing  a  man  !" 


LIONEL  LINCOLN.  135 

"Yes,"  said  the  lad,  with  undisturbed  simplicity,  "Job 
shot  the  granny ;  but  he  didn't  let  the  people  kill  Major 
Lincoln." 

"  True,  true,"  said  Lionel,  hastily — "  I  owe  my  life  to 
you,  and  that  debt  shall  be  cancelled  at  every  hazard.  But 
why  have  you  put  yourself  into  the  hands  of  your  enemies 
so  thoughtlessly?  what  brings  you  here  to-night?" 

"  Ralph  told  me  to  come  ;  and  if  Ralph  told  Job  to  go 
into  the  king's  parlor,  he  would  go." 

"  Ralph  ! "  exclaimed  Lionel,  stopping  in  his  hurried 
walk  across  the  room,  "  and  where  is  he  ? " 

"  In  the  old  ware-'us';  and  he  has  sent  me  to  tell  you  to 
come  to  him  ;  and  what  Ralph  says  must  be  done." 

"  He  here  too  !  is  the  man  crazed  ? — would  not  his  fears 
teach  him " 

"  Fears  !  "  interrupted  Job,  with  singular  disdain — "  you 
can't  frighten  Ralph  !  The  grannies  couldn't  frighten  him, 
nor  the  light-infantry  couldn't  hit  him,  though  he  eat 
nothing  but  their  smoke  the  whole  day — Ralph's  a  proper 
warrior !" 

"  And  he  waits  me,  you  say,  in  the  tenement  of  your 
mother  ?" 

"  Job  don't  know  what  tenement  means,  but  he's  in  the 
old  ware-'us'." 

"Come,  then,"  said  Lionel,  taking  his  hat,  "  let  us  go  to 
him — I  must  save  him  from  the  effects  of  his  own  rashness, 
though  it  cost  my  commission  !  " 

He  left  the  room  while  speaking,  and  the  simpleton  fol- 
lowed close  at  his  heels,  well  content  with  having  executed 
his  mission  without  encountering  any  greater  difficulties. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

"  This  play  is  the  image  of  a  murder  done  in  Vienna  ; 
Gonzago  is  the  duke's  name  ;  his  wife,  Baptista  : 
You  shall  see,   anon  ;  'tis  a  knavish  piece  of  work." 

— Hamlet. 

THE  agitation  and  deep  excitement  produced  by  the 
events  of  the  day  had  not  yet  subsided  in  the  town,  when 
Lionel  found  himself  again  in  its  narrow  streets.  Men 
passed  swiftly  by  him,  as  if  bent  on  some  unusual  and 
earnest  business ;  and  more  than  once  the  young  soldier 


236  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

detected  the  triumphant  smiles  of  the  women,  as  they 
looked  curiously  out  on  the  scene,  from  their  half-open 
windows,  and  their  eyes  detected  the  professional  trap- 
pings of  his  dress.  Strong  bodies  of  the  troops  were 
marching  in  different  directions,  and  in  a  manner  which 
denoted  that  the  guards  were  strengthening,  while  the  few 
solitary  officers  he  met  watched  his  approaching  figure 
with  cautious  jealousy,  as  if  they  apprehended  a  danger- 
ous enemy  in  every  form  they  encountered. 

The  gates  of  Province-House  were  open,  and,  as  usual, 
guarded  by  armed  men.  As  Lionel  passed  leisurely  along, 
he  perceived  that  the  grenadier  to  whom  he  had  spoken 
on  the  preceding  evening,  again  held  his  watch  before  the 
portal  of  the  governor. 

"  Your  experience  did  not  deceive  you,  my  old  comrade," 
said  Lionel,  lingering  a  moment  to  address  him — "  we 
have  had  a  warm  day." 

"So  it  is  reported  in  the  barracks,  your  honor,"  re- 
turned the  soldier — "our  company  was  not  ordered  out, 
and  we  are  to  stand  double  duty.  'l  hope  to  God  the  next 

time  there  is  anything  to  do,  the  grenadiers  of  the th 

may  not  be  left  behind — it  would  have  been  for  the  credit 
of  the  army  had  they  been  in  the  field  to-day." 

"  Why  do  you  think  so,  my  veteran  ?  The  men  who 
were  out  are  thought  to  have  behaved  well  ;  but  it  was  im- 
possible to  make  head  against  a  multitude  in  arms." 

"  It  is  not  my  place,  your  honor,  to  say,  this  man  did 
well,  and  that  man  behaved  amiss,"  returned  the  proud  old 
soldier ;  "but  when  I  hear  of  two  thousand  British  troops 
turning  their  backs,  or  quickening  their  march,  before  all 
the  rabble  this  country  can  muster,  I  want  the  flank  com- 
panies of  the th  to  be  at  hand,  if  it  should  be  only  that 

I  may  say  I  have  witnessed  the  disgraceful  sight  with  my 
own  eyes." 

" There  is  no  disgrace  where  there  is  no  misconduct," 
said  Lionel. 

"  There  must  have  been  misconduct  somewhere,  your 
honor,  or  such  a  thing  could  not  have  happened — consider, 
your  honor,  the  very  flower  of  the  army !  Something  must 
have  been  wrong  ;  and  although  I  could  see  the  latter  part 
of  the  business  from  the  hills,  I  can  hardly  believe  it  to  be 
true."  As  he  concluded,  he  shook  his  head,  and  continued 
his  steady  pace  along  his  allotted  ground,  as  if  unwilling 
to  pursue  the  humiliating  subject  any  further.  Lionel 
passed  slowly  on,  musing  on  that  deep-rooted  prejudice, 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  13 } 

which  had  even  taught  this  humble  menial  of  the  crown 
to  regard  with  contempt  a  whole  nation,  because  they  were 
•believed  to  be  dependents. 

The  Dock  Square  was  stiller  than  usual,  and  the  sounds 
of  revelry,  which  it  was  usual  to  hear  at  that  hour  from  the 
adjacent  drinking-houses,  were  no  longer  audible.  The 
moon  had  not  yet  risen,  and  Lionel  passed  under  the  o^irk 
arches  of  the  market  with  a  quick  step,  as  he  now  remem- 
bered that  one  in  whom  he  felt  so  deep  an  interest  awaited 
his  appearance.  Job,  who  had  followed  in  silence,  glided 
by  him  on  the  drawbridge,  and  stood  holding  the  door  of 
the  old  building  in  his  hand,  when  he  reached  its  thresh- 
old. Lionel  found  the  large  space  in  the  centre  of  the 
warehouse,  as  usual,  dark  and  empty,  though  the  dim  light 
of  a  candle  glimmered  through  the  fissures  in  a  partition, 
which  separated  an  apartment,  in  one  of  the  little  towers 
that  was  occupied  by  Abigail  Pray,  from  the  ruder  parts 
of  the  edifice.  Low  voices  were  also  heard  issuing  from 
this  room,  and  Major  Lincoln,  supposing  he  should  find 
the  old  man  and  the  mother  of  Job  in  conference  together, 
turned  to  request  the  lad  would  precede  him,  and  announce 
his  name.  But  the  changeling  had  also  detected  the  whis- 
pering sounds,  arid  it  would  seem  with  a  more  cunning  ear, 
for  he  turned  and  darted  through  the  door  of  the  building 
with  a  velocity  that  did  not  abate  until  Lionel,  who  watched 
his  movements  with  amazement,  saw  his  shuffling  figure 
disappear  among  the  shambles  of  the  market-place.  Thus 
deserted  by  his  guide,  Lionel  groped  his  way  toward  the 
place  where  he  believed  he  should  find  the  door  which  led 
into  the  tower.  The  light  deceived  him  ;  for,  as  he  ap- 
proached it,  his  eye  glanced  through  one  of  the  crevices  of 
the  wall,  and  he  again  became  an  unintentional  witness  of 
another  of  those  interviews,  which  evinced  the  singular 
and  mysterious  affinity  between  the  fortunes  of  the  affluent 
and  respected  Mrs.  Lechmere  and  the  miserable  tenant  of 
the  warehouse.  Until  that  moment,  the  hurry  of  events, 
and  the  crowd  of  reflections,  which  had  rushed  over  the 
mind  of  the  young  man,  throughout  the  busy  time  of  the 
last  twenty-four  hours,  had  prevented  his  recalling  the  hid- 
den meaning  of  the  singular  discourse  of  which  he  had  al- 
ready been  an  auditor.  But  now,  when  he  found  his  aunt 
led  into  these  haunts  of  beggary,  by  a  feeling  he  was  not 
weak  enough  to  attribute  to  her  charity,  he  stood  rooted 
to  the  spot  by  a  curiosity,  which,  at  the  same  time  that  he 
found  it  irresistible,  he  was  willing  to  excuse,  under  a 


138  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

strong  impression  that  these  private  communications  were 
in  some  way  connected  with  himself. 

Mrs.  Lechmere  had  evidently  muffled  her  person  in  a 
manner  that  was  intended  to  conceal  this  mysterious  visit 
from  any  casual  observer  of  her  movements  ;  but  the 
hoops  of  her  large  calash  were  now  so  far  raised  as  to 
admit  a  distinct  view  of  her  withered  features,  and  of  the 
hard  eye  which  shot  forth  its  selfish,  worldly  glances,  from 
amid  the  surrounding  decay  of  nature.  She  was  seated, 
both  in  indulgence  to  her  infirmities,  and  from  that  as- 
sumption of  superiority  she  never  neglected  in  the  pres- 
ence of  her  inferiors,  while  her  companion  stood  before 
her,  in  an  attitude  that  partook  more  of  restraint  than  of 
respect. 

"Your  weakness,  foolish  woman,"  said  Mrs.  Lechmere, 
in  those  stern,  repulsive  tones  she  so  well  knew  how  to 
use,  when  she  wished  to  intimidate,  "will  yet  prove  your 
ruin.  You  owe  it  to  respect  for  yourself,  to  your  character, 
and  even  to  your  safety,  that  you  should  exhibit  more  firm- 
ness, and  show  yourself  above  this  weak  and  idle  super- 
stition." 

"My  ruin  !  and  my  character  !"  returned  Abigail,  look- 
ing about  her  with  a  haggard  eye  and  a-  trembling  lip ; 
"  what  is  ruin,  Madam  Lechmere,  if  this  poverty  be  not 
called  so  ?  or  what  loss  of  character  can  bring  upon  me 
more  biting  scorn  than  I  am  now  ordained  to  suffer  for 
my  sins  ? " 

"  Perhaps,"  said  Mrs.  Lechmere,  endeavoring  to  affect 
a  kinder  tone,  though  dislike  was  still  too  evident  in  her 
manner,  "  in  the  hurry  of  my  grandnephew's  reception,  I 
have  forgotten  my  usual  liberality." 

The  woman  took  the  piece  of  silver  which  Mrs.  Lecfi- 
mere  slowly  placed  in  her  hand,  and  held  it  in  her  open 
palm  for  several  moments,  regarding  it  with  a  vacant  look,, 
which  the  other  mistook  for  dissatisfaction. 

"  The  troubles,  and  the  decreasing  value  of  property, 
have  sensibly  affected  my  income,"  continued  the  richly 
clad  and  luxurious  Mrs.  Lechmere  ;  "  but  if  that  should 
be  too  little  for  your  immediate  wants,  I  will  add  to  it 
another  crown," 

"  'Twill  do— 'twill  do,"  said  Abigail,  clenching  her  hand 
over  the  money,  with  a  grasp  that  was  convulsive — "  yes, 
yes.  'twill  do.  Oh !  Madam  Lechmere,  humbling  and 
sinful  as  that  wicked  paision  is,  would  to  God  that  no 
motive  worse  than  avarice  had  proved  my  ruin  !  " 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  139 

Lionel  thought  his  aunt  cast  an  uneasy  and  embarrassed 
glance  at  her  companion,  which  he  construed  into  an 
expression  that  betrayed  there  were  secrets  even  between 
these  strange  confidants  ;  but  the  momentary  surprise 
exhibited  in  her  features  soon  gave  place  to  her  habitual 
look  of  guarded  and  severe  formality  ;  and  she  replied, 
with  an  air  of  coldness,  as  if  she  would  repulse  any  ap- 
proach to  an  acknowledgment  of  their  common  trans- 
gression— 

"  The  woman  talks  like  one  who  is  beside  herself !  Of 
what  crime  has  she  been  guilty,  but  such  as  those  "to  which 
our  nature  is  liable  !  " 

"True,  true,"  said  Abigail  Pray,  with  a  half-stifled,  hys- 
terical laugh — "'tis  our  guilty,  guilty  nature,  as  you  say. 
But  I  grow  nervous,  I  believe,  as  I  grow  old  and  feeble, 
Madam  Lechmere  ;  and  I  often  forget  myself.  The  sight 
of  the  grave,  so  very  near,  is  apt  to  bring  thoughts  of  re- 
pentance to  such  as  are  more  hardened  even  than  I." 

"  Foolish  girl  !  "  said  Mrs.  Lechmere,  endeavoring  to 
screen  her  pallid  features,  by  drawing  down  her  calash, 
with  a  hand  that  trembled  more  with  terror  than  with  age  ; 
"  why  should  you  speak  thus  freely  of  death,  who  are  but 
a  child  ? " 

Lionel  heard  the  faltering,  husky  tones  of  his  aunt,  as 
they  appeared  to  die  in  her  throat,  but  nothing  more  was 
distinctly  audible,  until,  after  a  long  pause,  she  raised  her 
face,  and  looked  about  her  again  with  her  severe,  unbend- 
ing eye,  and  continued — 

"  Enough  of  this  folly,  Abigail  Pray — I  have  come  to 
learn  more  of  your  strange  inmate " 

"Oh!  'tis  not  enough,  Madam  Lechmere,"  interrupted 
the  conscience-stricken  woman  ;  "  we  have  so  little  time 
left  us  for  penitence  and  prayer,  that  there  never  can  be 
enough,  I  fear,  to  answer  our  mighty  transgressions.  Let 
us  speak  of  the  grave,  Madam  Lechmere,  while  we  can  yet 
do  it  on  this  side  of  eternity." 

"  Ay !  speak  of  the  grave,  while  out  of  its  damp  clois- 
ters ;  'tis  the  home  of  the  aged,"  said  a  third  voice,  whose 
hollow  tones  might  well  have  issued  from  some  tomb, 
"and  I  am  here  to  join  in  the  wholesome  theme." 

"  Who — who — in  the  name  of  God,  who  art  thou  ?  "  ex- 
claimed Mrs.  Lechmere,  forgetting  her  infirmities,  and  her 
secret  compunctions,  in  new  emotions,  and  rising  involun- 
tarily from  her  seat;  "tell  me,  I  conjure  thee,  who  art 


140  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

"  One,  aged  like  thyself,  Priscilla  Lech  mere,  and  stand- 
nig  on  the  threshold  of  that  final  home  of  which  you  would 
discourse.  Speak  on,  then,  ye  widowed  women  ;  for  if 
ever  ye  have  done  aught  that  calls  for  forgiveness,  'tis  in 
the  grave  ye  shall  find  the  heavenly  gift  of  mercy  offered 
to  your  unworthiness." 

By  changing  the  position  of  his  body  a  little,  Lionel  was 
now  enabled  to  command  a  view  of  the  whole  apartment. 
In  the  doorway  stood  Ralph,  immovable  in  his  attitude, 
with  one  hand  raised  high  toward  heaven,  and  the  other 
pointing  impressively  downward,  as  if  about  to  lay  bare 
the  secrets  of  that  tomb,  of  which  his  wasted  limbs,  and 
faded  lineaments,  marked  him  as  a  fit  tenant,  while  his 
searching  eyeballs  glared  about  him,  from  the  face  of  one 
to  the  other,  with  that  look  of  quickness  and  penetration, 
that  Abigail  Pray  had  so  well  described  as  "scorching." 
Within  a  few  feet  of  the  old  man,  Mrs.  Lechmere  remained 
standing,  rigid  and  motionless  as  marble,  her  calash  fallen 
back,  and  her  death-like  features  exposed,  with  horror  and 
astonishment  rooted  in  every  muscle,  as,  with  open  mouth, 
and  eyes  riveted  on  the  intruder,  she  gazed  as  steadily  as 
if  placed  in  that  posture  by  the  chisel  of  the  statuary.  Abi- 
gail shaded  her  eyes  with  her  hand,  and  buried  her  face  in 
the  folds  of  her  garments,  while  strong  convulsive  shud- 
derings  ran  througli  her  frame,  and  betrayed  the  extent  of 
the  emotions  she  endeavored  to  conceal.  Amazed  at  what 
he  had  witnessed,  and  concerned  for  the  apparent  insensi- 
bility of  his  aunt,  whose  great  age  rendered  such  scenes 
dangerous,  Lionel  was  about  to  rush  into  the  apartment, 
when  Mrs.  Lechmere  so  far  recovered  her  faculties  as  to 
speak,  and  the  young  man  lost  every  consideration  in  a 
burning  curiosity,  which  was  powerfully  justified  by  his 
situation. 

"  Who  is  it  that  calls  me  by  the  name  of  Priscilla  ?  "  said 
Mrs.  Lechmere  ;  "none  now  live  who  can  claim  to  be  so 
familiar." 

"Priscilla,  Priscilla,"  repeated  the  old  man,  looking 
about  him,  as  if  he  would  require  the  presence  of  another  ; 
"  it  is  a  soft  and  pleasant  sound  to  my  ears,  and  there  is 
one  that  owns  it  besides  thee,  as  thou  knowest." 

"  She  is  dead  ;  years  have  gone  by  since  I  saw  her  in  her 
coffin  ;  and  I  would  forget  her,  and  all  like  her,  who  have 
proved  unworthy  of  my  blood." 

"  She  is  not  dead  !  " — shouted  the  old  man,  in  a  voice 
that  rung  through  the  naked  rafters  of  the  edifice  like  th« 


LION-EL   LINCOLN7.  141 

unearthly  tones  of  some  spirit  of  the  air  ;  "she  lives — she 
lives — ay  !  she  yet  lives  !  " 

"  Lives  !  "  repeated  Mrs.  Lechmere,  recoiling  a  step  be- 
fore the  forward  movement  of  the  other  ;  "  why  am  I  so 
weak  as  to  listen  I'tis  impossible." 

"  Lives  !  "  exclaimed  Abigail  Pray,  clasping  her  hands 
with  agony.  "  Oh  !  would  to  God  she  did  live  !  but  did  I 
not  see  her  a  bloated,  disfigured  corpse  ?  did  I  not  with 
these  very  hands  place  the  grave-clothes  about  her  once 
lovely  frame  ?  Oh  !  no — she  is  dead — dead — and  I  am 
a '; 

"  Tis  some  madman  that  asserts  these  idle  tales,"  ex- 
claimed Mrs.  Lechmere,  with  a  quickness  that  interrupted 
the  criminal  epithet  the  other  was  about  to  apply  to  her- 
self. ''The  unfortunate  girl  is  long  since  dead,  as  we 
know  ;  why  should  we  reason  with  a  maniac  ?  " 

"  Maniac  !  "  repeated  Ralph,  with  an  expression  of  the 
most  taunting  irony  ;  ".no — no — no— such  a  one  there  is, 
as  you  and  I  well  know,  but  'tis  not  I  who  am  mad — thou 
art  rather  crazed  thyself,  woman  ;  thou  hast  made  one 
maniac  already,  wouldst  thou  make  another  ?" 

"  I  !  "  said  Mrs.  Lechmere,  without  quailing  before  the 
ardent  look  she  encountered — "that  God  who  bestows 
reason,  recalls  his  gift  at  will ;  'tis  not  I  who  exercise  such 
power." 

"  How  sayest  thou,  Priscilla  Lechmere  ?"  cried  Ralph, 
stepping  with  an  inaudible  tread  so  nigh  as  to  grasp,  un- 
perceived,  her  motionless  arm  with  his  own  wasted  fingers; 
"yes — I  will  call  thee  Priscilla,  little  as  thou  deservest 
such  a  holy  name — dost  thou  deny  the  power  to  craze — 
where,  then,  is  the  head  of  thy  boasted  race  ?  the  proud 
baronet  of  Devonshire,  the  wealthy,  and  respected,  and 
once  happy  companion  of  princes— thy  nephew,  Lionel 
Lincoln?  Is  he  in  the  halls  of  his  fathers  ? — leading  the 
armies  of  his  king  ? — ruling  and  protecting  his  household  ? 
— or  is  he  the  tenant  of  a  gloomy  cell  ? — thou  knowest  he 
is — thou  knowest  he  is — and,  woman,  thy  vile  machina- 
tions have  placed  him  there  !  " 

"  Who  is  it  that  dare  thus  speak  to  me  ? "  demanded 
Mrs.  Lechmere,  rallying  her  faculties  with  a  mighty  effort, 
to  look  down  this  charge — "if  my  unhappy  nephew  is  in- 
deed known  to  thee,  thy  own  knowledge  will  refute  this 
base  accusation " 

"  Known  to  me  !  I  would  ask  what  is  hid  from  me  ?  I 
have  looked  at  thee,  and  observed  thy  conduct,  woman,  for 


142  LIONEL  LINCOLN. 

the  life  of  man  ;  and  nothing  that  thou  hast  done  is  hid 
from  me — I  tell  thee,  I  know  all.  Of  this  sinful  woman 
here,  also,  I  know  all — have  I  not  told  thee,  Abigail  Pray, 
of  thy  most  secret  transgressions  ?  " 

"  Oh  !  yes — yes  ;  he  is  indeed  acquainted  with  what  I 
had  thought  was  now  concealed  from  every  eye  but  that 
of  God  ! "  cried  Abigail,  with  superstitious  terror. 

"  Nor  of  thee  am  I  ignorant,  thou  miserable  widow  of 
John  Lechmere  ;  and  of  Priscilla,  too,  do  I  not  know 
all  ?— " 

"  All  !  "  again  exclaimed  Abigail — 

"  All !  "  repeated  Mrs.  Lechmere,  in  a  voice  barely  audi- 
ble ;  when  she  sunk  back  in  her  chair,  in  a  state  of  total 
insensibility.  The  breathless  interest  he  felt  in  all  that 
had  passed,  could  detain  Lionel  no  longer  from  rushing  to 
the  assistance  of  his  aunt.  Abigail  Pray,  who,  it  would 
seem,  had  been,  in  some  measure  accustomed  to  such  scenes 
with  her  lodger,  retained,  however,  sufficient  self-command 
to  anticipate  his  motions  ;  and,  when  he  had  gained  the 
door,  he  found  her  already  supporting,  and  making  the 
usual  applications  to  Mrs.  Lechmere.  It  became  neces- 
sary to  divest  the  sufferer  of  part  of  her  attire,  and  Abigail, 
assuring  Lionel  of  her  perfect  competency  to  act  by  her- 
self, requested  him  to  withdraw,  not  only  on  that  account, 
but  because-she  felt  assured  that  nothing  could  prove  more 
dangerous  to  her  reviving  patient,  than  his  unexpected 
presence.  After  lingering  a  moment,  until  he  witnessed 
the  signs  of  returning  life,  Lionel  complied  with  the  ear- 
nest entreaties  of  the  woman  ;  and,  leaving  the  room,  he 
groped  his  way  to  the  foot  of  the  ladder,  with  a  determina- 
tion to  ascend  to  the  apartment  of  Ralph,  in  order  to  de- 
mand at  once  an  explanation  of  what  he  had  just  seen  and 
heard.  He  -found  the  old  man  seated  in  his  little  tower, 
his  hand  shading  his  eyes  from  the  feeble  light  of  the 
miserable  candle,  and  his  head  drooping  upon  his  bosom, 
like  one  in  pensive  musing.  Lionel  approached  him,  with- 
out appearing  to  attract  his  attention,  and  was  compelled 
to  speak,  in  order  to  announce  his  presence. 

"I  have  received' your  summons,  by  Job,"  he  said,  "and 
have  obeyed  it." 

"  Tis  well,"  returned  Ralph. 

"  Perhaps  I  should  add,  that  I  have  been  an  astonished 
witness  of  your  interview  with  Mrs.  Lechmere,  and  have 
heard  the  bold  and  unaccountable  language  you  have  seen 
proper  to  use  to  that  lady." 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  143 

The  old  man  now  raised  his  head,  and  Lionel  saw  the 
bright  rays  from  his  eyes  quicken,  as  he  answered— 

"  You  then  heard  the  truth,  and  witnessed  its  effects  on  a 
guilty  conscience." 

"  I  also  heard  what  you  call  the  truth,  in  connection,  as 
you  know,  with  the  names  most  dear  to  me." 

"Art  certain  of  it,  boy.?"  returned  Ralph,  looking  the 
other  steadily  in  the  face  ;  "  has  no  other  become  dearer 
to  you,  of  late,  than  the  authors  of  your  being  ? — speak, 
and  remember  that  you  answer  one  of  no  common  knowl- 
edge." 

"  What  mean  you,  sir  ?  is  it  in  nature  to  love  any  as  we 
do  a  parent  ?  " 

"  Away  with  this  childish  simplicity,"  continued  the 
other,  sternly ;  "  the  grandchild  of  that  wretched  woman 
below — do  you  not  love  her,  and  can  I  put  trust  in  thee  ?" 

"  What  trust  is  there  incompatible  with  affection  for  a 
being  so  pure  as  Cecil  Dynevor  ?  " 

"  Ay,"  murmured  the  old  man  in  an  undertone,  "  her 
mother  was  pure,  and  why  may  not  the  child  be  worthy  of 
its  parentage  ?"  He  paused,  and  a  long,  and,  on  the  part 
of  Lionel,  a  painful  and  embarrassing  silence  succeeded, 
which  was  at  length  broken  by  Ralph,  who  said,  abruptly 
— "you  were  in  the  field  to-day,  Major  Lincoln." 

"Of  that  you  must  be  certain,  as  I  owe  my  life  to  your 
kind  interposition.  But  why  have  you  braved  the  danger 
of  an  arrest,  by  trusting  your  person  in  the  power  of  the 
troops  ?  Your  presence  and  activity  among  the  Americans 
must  be  known  to  many  in  the  army  besides  myself." 

"And  would  they  think  of  searching  for  their  enemies 
within  the  streets  of  Boston,  when  the  hills  without  are 
filling  with  armed  men  ?  My  residence  in  this  building  is 
known  only  to  the  woman  below,  who  dare  not  betray  me, 
her  worthy  son,  and  to  you.  My  movements  are  secret 
and  sudden,  when  men  least  expect  them.  Danger  cannot 
touch  such  as  I." 

"But,"  said  Lionel,  hesitating  with  embarrassment, 
"ought  I  to  conceal  the  presence  of  one  whom  I  know  to 
be  inimical  to  my  king?" 

"  Lionel  Lincoln,  you  overrate  your  courage,"  inter- 
rupted Ralph,  smiling  in  scorn — "you  dare  not  shed  the 
blood  of  him  who  has  spared  your  own  ; — but  enough  of 
this — we  understand  each  other,  and  one  old  as  I  ghoul^ 
be  a  stranger  to  fear  ?" 

"No,  no,"  said  a  low,  solemn  voice,  from  a  dark  corner 


144  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

of  the  apartment,  where  Job  had  stolen  unseen,  and  was 
now  nestled  in  security — "you  can't  frighten  Ralph!" 

"  The  boy  is  a  worthy  boy,  and  he  knows  good  from  evil ; 
what  more  is  necessary  to  man  in  this  wicked  world  ? " 
muttered  Ralph,  in  those  quick  and  indistinct  tones  that 
characterized  his  manner. 

"Whence  came  you,  fellow,  and  why  did  you  abandon 
me  so  abruptly?"  demanded  Lionel. 

"Job  has  just  been  into  the  market,  to  see  if  he  couldn't 
find  something  that  might  be  good  for  Nab,"  returned  the 
lad. 

"  Think  not  to  impose  on  me  with  this  nonsense  !  Is 
food  to  be  purchased  at  any  hour  of  the  night,  though  you 
had  the  means  ? " 

"  Now  that  is  convincing  the  king's  officers  don't  know 
every  thing,"  said  the  simpleton,  laughing  within  him- 
self— "  here's  as  good  a  pound  bill,  old  tenor,  as  was 
ever  granted  by  the  Bay  colony  ;  and  meat's  no  such  rarity, 
that  a  man,  who  has  a  pound  bill,  old  tenor,  in  his  pocket, 
can't  go  under  old  Funnel  when  he  pleases,  for  all  their 
acts  of  Parliament." 

"You  have  plundered  the  dead!"  cried  Lionel,  observ- 
ing that  Job  exhibited  in  his  hand  several  pieces  of  silver, 
besides  the  note  he  had  mentioned. 

"  Don't  call  Job  a  thief  !  "  said  the  lad,  with  a  threatening 
air ;  "  there's  law  in  the  Bay  yet,  though  the  people  don't 
use  it ;  and  right  will  be  done  to  all,  when  the  time  comes. 
Job  shot  a  granny,  but  he's  no  thief." 

"You  were  then  paid  for  your  secret  errand,  last  night, 
foolish  boy  ;  and  have  been  tempted  to  run  into  danger  by 
money.  Let  it  be  the  last  time — in  future,  when  you  want, 
come  to  me  for  assistance." 

"Job  won't  go  of  a'r'nds  for  the  king,  if  he'd  give  him 
his  golden  crown,  with  all  its  di'monds  and  flauntiness,  un- 
less Job  pleases,  for  there's  no  law  for  it." 

Lionel,  with  a  view  to  appease  the  irritated  lad,  now 
made  a  few  kind  and  conciliating  remarks,  but  the  change- 
ling did  not  deign  to  reply,  falling  back  in  his  corner  in  a 
sullen  manner,  as  if  he  would  repair  the  fatigue  of  the  day 
by  a  few  moments  of  sleep.  In  the  meantime,  Ralph  had 
sunk  into  a  profound  reverie,  when  the  young  soldier  re- 
membered that  the  hour  was  late,  and  he  had  yet  obtained 
no  explanation  of  the  mysterious  charges.  He  therefore 
alluded  to  the  subject  in  a  manner  which  he  thought  best 
adapted  to  obtain  the  desired  intelligence.  The  instant 


LIONEL  LINCOLN.  145 

Lionel  mentioned  the  agitation  of  his  aunt,  his  companion 
raised  his  head  again,  and  a  smile  like  that  of  fierce  ex- 
ultation lighted  the  wan  face  of  the  old  man,  who  an- 
swered, pointing  with  an  emphatic  gesture  to  his  own 
bosom — 

"  'Twas  here,  boy,  'twas  here — nothing  short  of  the  pow- 
er of  conscience,  and  a  knowledge  like  that  of  mine,  could 
strike  that  woman  speechless  in  the  presence  of  anything 
human." 

"  But  what  is  this  extraordinary  knowledge  ?  I  am  in 
some  degree  the  natural  protector  of  Mrs.  Lechmere ;  and, 
independent  of  my  individual  interest  in  your  secret,  have 
a  right,  in  her  behalf,  to  require  an  explanation  of  such 
serious  allegations." 

"In  her  behalf!"  repeated  Ralph.  "Wait,  impetuous 
young  man,  until  she  bids  you  push  the  inquiry — it  shall 
then  be  answered,  in  a  voice  of  thunder." 

"  If  not  in  justice  to  my  aged  aunt,  at  least  remember 
your  repeated  promises  to  unfold  that  sad  tale  of  my  own 
domestic  sorrows,  of  which  you  claim  to  be  the  master." 

"  Ay,  of  that,  and  much  more,  am  I  in  possession,"  re- 
turned the  old  man,  smiling,  as  if  conscious  of  his  knowl- 
edge and  power ;  "  if  you  doubt  it,  descend  and  ask  the 
miserable  tenant  of  this  warehouse — or  the  guilty  widow 
of  John  Lechmere." 

"  Nay,  I  doubt  nothing  but  my  own  patience ;  the  mo- 
ments fly  swiftly,  and  I  have  yet  to  learn  ail  I  wish  to 
know." 

"This  is  neither  the  time,  nor  is  it  the  place,  where  you 
are  to  hear  the  tale,"  returned  Ralph  ;  "  I  have  already  said 
that  we  shall  meet  beyond  the  colleges  for  that  purpose." 

"  But  after  the  events  of  this  day,  who  can  tell  when  it 
will  be  in  the  power  of  an  officer  of  the  crown  to  visit  the 
colleges  in  safety  ?  " 

"  What !  "  cried  the  old  man,  laughing  aloud,  in  the  bit- 
terness of  his  scorn,  "  has  the  boy  found  the  strength  and 
the  will  of  the  despised  colonists  so  soon !  But  I  pledge 
to  thee  my  word,,  that  thou  shalt  yet  see  the  place,  and  in 
safety. — Yes,  yes,  Priscilla  Lechmere,  thy  hour  is  at  hand, 
and  thy  doom  is  sealed  forever  ! " 

Lionel  again  mentioned  his  aunt,  and  alluded  to  the  ne* 
cessity  of  his  soon  rejoining  her,  as  he  already  heard  foot- 
steps below,  which  indicated  that  preparations  were  mak- 
ing for  her  departure.  But  his  petitions  and  remonstrances 
were  now  totally  unheeded;  his  aged  companion  was  pacing 

10 


146  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

swiftly  up  and  down  his  small  apartment,  muttering  inco 
herent  sentences,  in  which  the  name  of  Priscilla  was  alone 
audible,  and  his  countenance  betraying  the  inward  work- 
ings of  absorbing  and  fierce  passions.  In  a  few  moments 
more,  the  shrill  voice  of  Abigail  was  heard  calling  upon 
her  son,  in  a  manner  which  plainly  denoted  her  knowledge 
that  the  changeling  was  concealed  somewhere  about  the 
building.  Job  heard  her  calls  repeated,  until  the  tones  of 
her  voice  became  angry  and  threatening,  when  he  stole 
slowly  from  his  corner,  and  moved  toward  the  ladder,  with 
a  sunken  brow  and  lingering  steps.  Lionel  now  knew  not 
how  to  act.  His  aunt  was  still  ignorant  of  his  presence, 
and  he  thought  if  Abigail  Pray  had  wished  him  to  appear, 
he  would  in  some  manner  be  soon  included  in  the  sum- 
mons. He  had  also  his  own  secret  reasons  for  wishing  his 
visits  to  Ralph  unknown.  Accordingly,  he  determined  to 
watch  the  movements  below,  under  the  favor  of  the  dark- 
ness, and  to  be  governed  entirely  by  circumstances.  He 
took  no  leave  of  his  companion  on  departing,  for  long  use 
had  so  far  accustomed  him  to  the  eccentric  manner  of  the 
old  man,  that  he  well  knew  any  attempt  to  divert  his  at- 
tention from  his  burning  thoughts,  would  be  futile  at  a 
.moment  of  such  intense  excitement. 

From  the  head  of  the  ladder,  where  Lionel  took  his 
stand,  he  saw  Mrs.  Lechmere,  preceded  by  Job  with  a 
lantern,  walking,  with  a  firmer  step  than  he  could  have 
hoped  for,  toward  the  door,  and  he  overheard  Abigail 
cautioning  her  wilful  son  to  light  her  visitor  to  a  neigh- 
boring corner,  where  it  appeared  a  conveyance  was  in 
waiting.  On  the  threshold,  his  aunt  turned,  and,  the  light 
from  the  candle  of  Abigail  falling  on  her  features,  Lionel 
caught  a  full  view  of  her  cold,  hard  eye,  which  had  regained 
all  its  worldly  expression,  though  softened  a  little  by  a 
deeper  shade  of  thought  than  usual. 

"  Let  the  scene  of  to-night  be  forgotten,  my  good 
Abigail,"  she  said.  "  Your  lodger  is  a  nameless  being, 
who  has  gleaned  some  idle  tale,  and  wishes  to  practise  on 
our  credulity  to  enrich  himself.  I  will  consider  more  of 
it ;  but  on  no  account  do  you  hold  any  further  communion 
with  him— I  must  remove  you,  my  trusty  woman  ;  this 
habitation"  is  unworthy  of  you,  and  of  your  dutiful  son, 
too — I  must  see  you  better  lodged,  my  good  Abigail,  in- 
deed I  must." 

Lionel  could  distinguish  the  slight  shudder  that  passed 
through  the  frame  of  her  companion,  as  she  alluded  to 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  147 

the  doubtful  character  of  Ralph  ;  but,  without  answering, 
Abigail  held  the  door  open  for  the  departure  of  her  guest. 
The  instant  Mrs.  Lechmere  disappeared,  Lionel  glided 
down  the  ladder,  and  stood  before  the  astonished  woman. 

"When  I  tell  you  I  have  heard  all  that  passed  to-night," 
he  abruptly  said,  "  you  will  see  the  folly  of  any  further 
attempt  at  concealment — I  now  demand  so  much  of  your 
secret  as  affects  the  happiness  of  me  or  mine." 

"  No — no — not  of  me,  Major  Lincoln,"  said  the  terrified 
female — "  not.  of  me,  for  the  love  of  God,  not  of  me — I 
have  sworn  to  keep  it,  and  one  oath— — '  Her  emotions 
choked  her,  and  her  voice  became  indistinct. 

Lionel  regretted  his  vehemence,  and,  ashamed  to  ex- 
tort a  confession  from  a  woman,  he  attempted  to  pacify 
her  feelings,  promising  to  require  no  further  communica- 
tion at  that  time. 

"Go— go"— she  said,  motioning  him  to  depart,  "and  I 
shall  be  well  again — leave  me,  and  then  I  shall  be  alone 
with  that  terrible  old  man,  and  my  God !  " 

Perceiving  her  earnestness,  he  reluctantly  complied,  and, 
meeting  Job  on  the  threshold,  he  ceased  to  feel  any  further 
uneasiness  for  her  safety. 

During  his  rapid  walk  to  Tremont  Street,  Major  Lincoln 
thought  intently  on  all  he  had  heard  and  witnessed.  He 
remembered  the  communications  by  which  Ralph  had 
attained  such  a  powerful  interest  in  his  feelings,  and  he 
fancied  he  could  discover  a  pledge  of  the  truth  of  the  old 
man's  knowledge  in  the  guilt  betrayed  by  the  manner  of 
his  aunt.  From  Mrs.  Lechmere  his  thoughts  recurred  to 
her  lovely  grandchild,  and  for  a  moment  he  was  perplexed, 
by  endeavoring  to  explain  her  contradictory  deportment 
toward  himself  ; — at  one  time  she  was  warm,  frank,  and 
even  affectionate  ;  and  at  another,  as  in  the  short  and  pri- 
vate interview7  of  that  very  evening,  cold,  constrained,  and 
repulsive.  Then,  again,  he  recollected  the  object  which 
had  chiefly  induced  him  to  follow  his  regiment  to  his 
native  country  ;  and  the  recollection  was  attended  by  that 
shade  of  dejection  which  such  reflections  never  failed  to 
cast  across  his  intelligent  features.  On  reaching  the 
house,  he  ascertained  the  safe  return  of  Mrs.  Lechmere, 
who  had  already  retired  to  her  room,  attended  by  her 
lovely  relatives.  Lionel  immediately  followed  their  ex- 
ample ;  and  as  the  excitement  of  that  memorable  and  busy 
day  subsided,  it  was  succeeded  by  a  deep  sleep,  and  fell  on 
his  senses  like  the  forgetfulness  of  the  dead, 


I48  LIONEL  LINCOLN. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

"Now  let  it  work  :  Mischief,  thou  art  afoot : 
Take  thou  what  course  thou  wilt !  " — SHAKESPEARE. 

THE  alarm  of  the  inroad  passed  swiftly  by  the  low  shores 
of  the  Atlantic,  and  was  heard  echoing  among  the  rugged 
mountains  west  of  tjie  rivers,  as  if  borne  along  on  a  whirl- 
wind. The  male  population,  between  the  rolling  waters 
of  Massachusetts  Bay  and  the  limpid  stream  of  the  Con- 
necticut, rose  as  one  man  ;  and  as  the  cry  of  blood  was 
sounded  far  inland,  the  hills  and  valleys,  the  highways  and 
footpaths,  were  seen  covered  with  bands  of  armed  husband- 
men, pressing  eagerly  toward  the  scene  of  the  war.  Within 
eight- and-forty  hours  after  the  fatal  meeting  at  Lexington, 
it  was  calculated  that  more  than  a  hundred  thousand  men 
were  in  arms  ;  and  near  one-fourth  of  that  number  was 
gathered  before  the  peninsulas  of  Boston  and  Charlestown. 
They  who  were  precluded  by  distance,  and  a  want  of  mili- 
tary provisions,  to  support  such  a  concourse,  from  partici- 
pating in  the  more  immediate  contest,  lay  by  in  expecta- 
tion of  the  arrival  of  that  moment  when  their  zeal  might 
also  be  put  to  severer  trials.  In  short,  the  sullen  quietude, 
in  which  the  colonies  had  been  slumbering  for  a  year,  was 
suddenly  and  rudely  broken  by  the  events  of  that  day ; 
and  the  patriotic  among  the  people  rose  with  such  a  cry  of 
indignation  on  their  lips,  that  the  disaffected,  who  were  no 
insignificant  class  in  the  more  southern  provinces,  were 
compelled  to  silence,  until  the  first  burst  of  revolutionary 
excitement  had  an  opportunity  to  subside,  under  the  never- 
failing  influence  of  time  and  suffering. 

Gage,  secure  in  his  positions,  and  supported  by  a  con- 
stantly increasing  power,  as  well  as  the  presence  of  a  for- 
midable fleet,  looked  on  the  gathering  storm  with  a  steady 
eye,  and  with  that  calmness  which  distinguished  the  mild 
benevolence  of  his  private  character.  Though  the  attitude 
and  the  intentions  of  the  Americans  could  no  longer  be 
mistaken,  he  listened  with  reluctant  ears  to  the  revengeful 
advice  of  his  counsellors,  and  rather  strove  to  appease  the 
tumult,  than  to  attempt  crushing  it  by  a  force,  which, 
though  a  month  before  it  had  been  thought  equal  to  the 
united  power  of  the  peaceful  colonists,  he  now  prudently 
deemed  no  more  than  competent  to  protect  itself  within  its 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  149 

watery  boundaries.  Proclamations  were,  however,  ful- 
minated against  the  rebels  ;  and  such  other  measures  as 
were  thought  indispensable  to  assert  the  dignity  and  au- 
thority of  the  crown,  were  promptly  adopted.  Of  course, 
these  harmless  denunciations  were  disregarded,  and  all  his' 
exhortations  to  return  to  an  allegiance,  which  the  people 
still  denied  had  ever  been  impaired,  were  lost  amid  the 
din  of  arms,  and  the  popular  cries  of  the  time.  These  ap- 
peals of  the  British  general,  as  well  as  sundry  others,  made 
by  the  royal  governors,  who  yet  held  their  rule  throughout 
all  the  provinces,  except  the  one  in  which  the  scene  of  our 
tale  is  laid,  were  answered  by  the  people  in  humble,  but 
manly  petitions  to  the  throne  for  justice  ;  and  in  loud  re- 
monstrances to  the  Parliament,  requiring  to  be  restored  to 
the  possession  of  those  rights  and  immunities,  which'should 
be  secured  to  all  who  enjoyed  the  protection  of  their  com- 
mon constitution.  Still  the  power  and  prerogatives  of 
the  prince  were  deeply  respected,  and  were  alluded  to  in 
all  public  documents,  with  the  veneration  which  was 
thought  due  to  the  sacredness  of  his  character  and  station. 
But  that  biting,  though  grave  sarcasm,  which  the  colonists 
knew  so  well  how  to  use,  was  freely  expended  on  his 
ministers,  who  were  accused  of  devising  the  measures  so 
destructive  to  the  peace  of  the  empire.  In  this  manner 
passed  some  weeks  after  the  series  of  skirmishes  which 
were  called  the  battle  of  Lexington,  from  the  circum- 
stance of  commencing  at  the  hamlet  of  that  name,  both 
parties  continuing  to  prepare  for  a  mightier  exhibition  of 
their  power  and  daring. 

Lionel  had  by  no  means  been  an  unconcerned  spectator 
of  these  preparations.  The  morning  after  the  return  of 
the  detachment,  he  applied  for  a  command  equal  to  his 
just  expectations.  But  while  he  was  complimented  on  the 
spirit  and  loyalty  he  had  manifested  on  the  late  occasion, 
it  was  intimated  to  the  young  man  that  he  might  be  of 
more  service  to  the  cause  of  his  prince  by  devoting  his 
time  to  the  cultivation  of  his  interest  among  those  power- 
ful colonists  with  whom  his  family  was  allied  by  blood,  or 
connected  by  long  and  close  intimacies.  It  was  even  sub- 
mitted to  his  own  judgment  whether  it  would  not  be  well, 
at  some  auspicious  moment,  to  trust  his  person  without 
the  defences  of  the  army,  in  the  prosecution  of  this  com- 
mendable design.  There  was  so  much  that  was  flattering 
to  the  self-love,  and  soothing  to  the  pride  of  the  young 
soldier,  artfully  mingled  with  these  ambiguous  proposals, 


150  LIONEL  LINCOLN. 

that  he  became  content  to  await  the  course  of  events,  having, 
however,  secured  a  promise  of  obtaining  a  suitable  military 
command  in  the  case  of  further  hostilities.  That  such  an 
event  was  at  hand,  could  not  well  be  concealed  from  one 
much  less  observing  than  Major  Lincoln. 

Gage  had  already  abandoned  his  temporary  position  in 
Charlestown,  for  the  sake  of  procuring  additional  security 
by  concentrating  his  force.  From  the  hills  of  the  penin- 
sula of  Boston,  it  was  apparent  that  the  colonists  were  fast 
assuming  the  front  of  men  who  were  resolved  to  beleaguer 
the  army  of  the  king.  Many  of  the  opposite  heights  were 
already  crowned  with  hastily-formed  works  of  earth,  and  a 
formidable  body  of  these  unpractised  warriors  had  set 
themselves  boldly  down  before  the  entrance  to  the  isth- 
mus, cutting  off  all  communication  with  the  adjacent 
country,  and  occupying  the  little  village  of  Roxbury,  di- 
rectly before  the  muzzles  of  the  British  guns,  with  a  hardi- 
ness that  would  not  have  disgraced  men  much  longer  tried 
in  the  field,  and  more  inured  to  its  dangers. 

The  surprise  created  in  the  army  by  these  appearances  of 
skill  and  spirit  among  the  hitherto  despised  Americans,  in 
some  measure  ceased  when  the  rumor  spread  itself  in  their 
camp  that  many  gentlemen  of  the  provinces,  who  had  served 
with  credit  in  the  forces  of  the  crown,  at  former  periods,  were 
mingled  with  the  people  in  stations  of  responsibility  and 
command.  Among  others  Lionel  heard  the  names  of  Ward 
and  Thomas  ;  men  of  liberal  attainments,  and  of  some  ex- 
perience in  arms.  Both  were  regularly  commissioned  by 
the  congress  of  the  colony  as  leaders  of  their  forces  ;  and 
under  their  orders  were  numerous  regiments  duly  organ- 
ized ;  possessing  all  the  necessary  qualifications  of  soldiers, 
excepting  the  two  indispensable  requisites  of  discipline 
and  arms.  Lionel  heard  the  name  of  Warren  mentioned 
oftener  than  any  other  in  the  circles  of  Province-House, 
and  with  the  sort  of  bitterness,  which,  even  while  it  be- 
spoke their  animosity,  betrayed  the  respect  of  his  ene- 
mies. This  gentleman,  who  until  the  last  moment,  had 
braved  the  presence  of  the  royal  troops,  and  fearlessly  ad- 
vocated his  principles,  while  encircled  with  their  bayo- 
nets, was  now  known  to  have  suddenly  disappeared  from 
among  them,  abandoning  home,  property,  and  a  lucrative 
profession  ;  and  by  sharing  in  the  closing  scenes  of  the 
day  of  Lexington,  to  have  fairly  cast  his  fortunes  on  the 
struggle.  But  the  name  which  in  secret  possessed  the 
greatest  charm  for  the  ear  of  the  young  British  soldier, 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  151 

was  that  of  Putnam,  a  yeoman  of  the  neighboring  colony 
of  Connecticut,  who,  as  the  uproar  of  the  alarm  whirled 
by  him,  literally  deserted  his  plough,  and  mounting  a  beast 
from  its  team,  made  an  early  halt,  after  a  forced  march  of 
a  hundred  miles,  in  the  foremost  ranks  of  his  countrymen. 
While  the  name  of  this  sturdy  American  was  passing  in 
whispers  among  the  veterans  who  crowded  the  levees  of 
Gage,  a  flood  of  melancholy  and  tender  recollections 
flashed  through  the  brain  of  the  young  man.  He  remem- 
bered the  frequent  and  interesting  communications  which, 
in  his  boyhood,  he  had  held  with  his  own  father,  before 
the  dark  shade  had  passed  across  the  reason  of  Sir  Lionel, 
and,  in  every  tale  of  murderous  combats  ^with  the  savage 
tenants  of  the  wilds,  in  each  scene  of  danger  and  of  daring 
that  had  distinguished  the  romantic  warfare  of  the  wilder- 
ness, and  even  in  strange  and  fearful  encounters  with  the 
beasts  of  the  forest,  the  name  of  this  man  was  blended 
with  a  species  of  chivalrous  fame  that  is  seldom  obtained 
in  an  enlightened  age,  and  never  undeservedly.  The  great 
wealth  of  the  family  of  Lincoln,  and  the  high  expectations 
of  its  heir,  had  obtained  for  the  latter  a  military  rank 
which  at  that  period  was  rarely  enjoyed  by  any  but  such 
as  had  bought  the  distinction  by  long  and  arduous  ser- 
vices. Consequently,  many  of  his .  equals  had  shared  in 
those  trials  of  his  father,  in  which  the  *  Lion  heart '  of 
America  had  been  so  conspicuous  for  his  deeds.  By  these 
grave  veterans,  who  should  know  him  best,  the  name  o* 
Putnam  was  always  mentioned  with  strong  and  romantic 
affection  ;  and  when  the  notable  scheme  of  detaching  him, 
by  the  promise  of  office  and  wealth,  from  the  cause  of  the 
colonists  was  proposed  by  the  cringing  counsellors  who 
surrounded  the  commander-in-chief,  it  was  listened  to  with 
a  contemptuous  incredulity  by  the  former' associates  of  the 
old  partisan,  that  the  result  of  the  plan  fully  justified. 
Similar  inducements  were  offered  to  others  among  the 
Americans,  whose  talents  were  thought  worthy  of  pur- 
chase ;  but  so  deep  root  had  the  principles  of  the  day  taken, 
that  not  a  man  was  found  to  listen  to  the  proposition. 

While  these  subtle  experiments  were  adopted  in  the 
room  of  more  energetic  measures,  troops  continued  to  ar- 
rive from  England,  and,  before  the  end  of  May,  many  lead- 
ers of  renown  appeared  in  the  councils  of  Gage,  who  now 
possessed  a  disposable  force  of  not  less  than  eight  thou- 
sand bayonets.  -With  the  appearance  of  these  reinforce- 
ments, the  fallen  pride  of  the  army  began  to  revive,  and 


,52  LIONEL  LINCOLN. 

the  spirits  of  the  haughty  young  men,  who  had  so  recently 
left  the  gay  parades  of  their  boasted  island,  were  chafed 
by  the  reflection  that  such  an  army  should  be  cooped 
within  the  narrow  limits  of  the  peninsula  by  a  band  of 
half-armed  husbandmen,  destitute  alike  of  the  knowledge 
of  war,  and  of  most  of  its  munitions.  This  feeling  was 
increased  by  the  taunts  of  the  Americans  themselves,  who 
now  turned  the  tables  on  their  adversaries,  applying, 
among  other  sneers,  the  term  of  " elbow-room"  freely  to 
Burgoyne,  one  of  those  chieftains  of  the  royal  army,  who 
had  boasted  unwittingly  of  the  intention  of  himself  and 
his  compeers  to  widen  the  limits  of  the  army  immediately 
on  their  arrival  at  the  scene  of  the  contest.  The  aspect  of 
things  within  trie  British  camp  began  to  indicate,  how- 
ever, that  their  leaders  were  serious  in  the  intention  to 
extend  their  possessions,  and  all  eyes  were  again  turned 
to  the  heights  of  Charlestown,  the  spot  most  likely  to  be 
first  occupied. 

No  military  positions  could  be  more  happily  situated,  as 
respects  locality,  to  support  each  other,  and  to  extend  and 
weaken  the  lines  of  their  enemies,  than  the  two  opposite 
peninsulas  so  often  mentioned.  The  distance  between 
them  was  but  six  hundred  yards,  and  the  deep  and  navi- 
gable waters,  by  which  they  were  nearly  surrounded,  ren- 
dered it  easy  for  the  royal  general  to  command,  at  any 
time,  the  assistance  of  the  heaviest  vessels  of  the  fleet,  in 
defending  either  place.  With  these  advantages  before  them, 
the  army  gladly  heard  those  orders  issued,  which,  it  was 
well  understood,  indicated  an  approaching  movement  to 
the  opposite  shores. 

It  was  now  eight  weeks  since  the  commencement  of  hos- 
tilities, and  the  war  had  been  confined  to  the  preparations 
detailed,  with  the  exception  of  one  or  two  sharp  skir- 
mishes on  the  islands  of  the  harbor,  between  the  foragers 
of  the  army,  and  small  parties  of  the  Americans,-  in  which 
the  latter  well  maintained  their  newly  acquired  reputation 
for  spirit. 

With  the  arrival  of  the  regiments  from  England  gayety 
had  once  more  visited  the  town,  though  such  of  the  inhab- 
itants as  were  compelled  to  remain  against  their  inclina- 
tions, continued  to  maintain  that  cold  reserve,  in  their  de- 
portment, which  effectually  repelled  all  the  efforts  of  the 
officers  to  include  them  in  the  wanton  festivities  of  the 
time.  There  were  a  few,  however,  among  the  colonists, 
who  had  been  bribed,  by  offices  and  emoluments,  to  desert 


LIONEL  LINCOLN.  153 

the  good  cause  of  the  land  ;  and  'as  some  of  these  had  al- 
ready been  rewarded  by  offices  which  gave  them  access  to 
the  ear  of  the  royal  governor,  he  was  thought  to  be  unduly 
and  unhappily  influenced  by  the  pernicious  counsels  with 
which  they  poisoned  his  mind,  and  prepared  him  for  acts 
of  injustice  and  harshness,  that  both  his  unbiassed  feelings 
and  ordinary  opinions  would  have  condemned.  A  few 
days  succeeding  the  affair  of  Lexington,  a  meeting  of  the 
inhabitants  had  been  convened,  and  a  solemn  compact 
was  made  between  them  and  the  governor,  that  such  as 
chose  to  deliver  up  their  arms  might  leave  the  place,  while 
the  remainder  were  promised  a  suitable  protection  in  their 
own  dwellings.  The  arms  were  delivered,  but  that  part  of 
the  conditions  which  related  to  the  removal  of  the  inhabi- 
tants was  violated  under  slight  and  insufficient  pretexts. 
This,  and  various  other  causes  incidental  to  military  rule, 
imbittered.the  feelings  of  the  people,  and  furnished  new 
causes  of  complaint ;  while,  on  the  other  hand,  hatred  was 
rapidly  usurping  the  place  of  contempt,  in  the  breasts  of 
those  who  had  been  compelled  to  change  their  sentiments 
with  respect  to  a  people  that  they  could  never  love.  In 
this  manner,  resentment  and  distrust  existed,  with  all  the 
violence  of  personality,  within  the  place  itself,  affording 
an  additional  reason  to  the  troops  for  wishing  to  extend 
their  limits.  Notwithstanding  these  inauspicious  omens 
of  the  character  of  the  contest,  the  native  kindness  of 
Gage,  and  perhaps  a  desire  to  rescue  a  few  of  his  own  men 
from  the  hands  of  the  colonists,  induced  him  to  consent  to 
an  exchange  of  the  prisoners  made  in  the  inroad  ;  thus  es- 
tablishing, in  the  outset,  a  precedent  to  distinguish  the 
controversy  from  an  ordinary  rebellion  against  the  loyal 
authority  of  the  sovereign.  A  meeting  was  held,  for  this 
purpose,  in  the  village  of  Charlestown,  at  that  time  unoc- 
cupied by  either  army.  At  the  head  of  the  American  dep- 
utation appeared  Warren,  and  the  old  partisan  of  the 
wilderness  already  mentioned,  who,  by  a 'happy,  though 
not  uncommon  constitution  of  temperament,  wras  as  for- 
ward in  deeds  of  charity  as  in  those  of  daring.  At  this  in- 
terview, several  of  the  veterans  of  the  royal  army  were 
present,  having  passed  the  strait  to  hold  a  last,  friendly 
converse  with  their  ancient  comrade,  who  received  them 
with  the  frankness  of  a  soldier,  while  he  rejected  their 
subtle  endeavors  to  entice  him  from  the  banners  under 
which  he  had  enlisted,  with  a  sturdiness  as  unpretending 
as  it  was  inflexible. 


,54  LIONEL  LINCOLN. 

While  these  events  were  occurring  at  the  great  scene 
of  the  contest,  the  hum  of  preparation  was  to  be  heard 
throughout  the  whole  of  the  wide  extent  of  the  colonies. 
In  various  places  slight  acts  of  hostility  were  committed, 
the  Americans  no  longer  waiting  for  the  British  to  be  the 
aggressors,  and  everywhere  such  military  stores  as  could 
be  reached,  were  seized,  peaceably  or  by  violence,  as  the 
case  required.  The  concentration  of  most  of  the  troops 
in  Boston,  had,  however,  left  the  other  colonies  compara- 
tively but  little  to  achieve,  though,  while  they  still  rested, 
nominally,  under  the  dominion  of  the  crown,  they  neglected 
no  means  within  their  power  to  assert  their  rights  in  the 
last  extremity. 

At  Philadelphia  "  the  Congress  of  the  Delegates  from 
the  United  Colonies,"  the  body  that  controlled  the  great 
movements  of  a  people,  who  now  first  began  to  act  as  a 
distinct  nation,  issued  their  manifestoes,  'supporting,  in  a 
masterly  manner,  their  principles,  and  proceeded  to  organ- 
ize an  army  that  should  be  as  competent  to  maintain  them 
as  circumstances  would  allow.  Gentlemen  who  had  been 
trained  to  arms  in  the  service  of  the  king,  were  invited  to 
resort  to  their  banners,  and  the  remainder  of  the  vacancies 
were  filled  by  the  names  of  the  youthful,  the  bold,  and 
adventurous,  who  were  willing  to  risk  their  lives  in  a  cause 
where  even  success  promised  so  little  personal  advantage. 
At  the  head  of  this  list  of  untrained  warriors,  the  congress 
placed  one  of  their  own  body,  a  man  already  distinguished 
for  his  services  in  the  field,  and  who  has  since  bequeathed 
to  his  country  the  glory  of  an  untarnished  name. 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

c<Thou  shalt  meet  me  at  Philippi. " — Julius  Ctzsar. 

DURING  this  period  of  feverish  excitement,  while  the 
appearance  and  privations  of  war  existed  with  so  little  of 
its  danger  or  its  action,  Lionel  had  not  altogether  forgotten 
his  personal  feelings,  in  the  powerful  interest  created  by  the 
state  of  public  affairs.  Early  on  the  morning  succeeding 
the  night  of  the  scene  between  Mrs.  Lechmere  and  the  in- 
mates of  the  warehouse,  he  had  repaired  again  to  the  spot, 
to  relieve  the  intense  anxiety  of  his  mind,  by  seeking  a 
complete  explanation  of  all  those  mysteries,  which  had 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  155 

been  the  principal  ligament  that  bound  him  to  a  man,  little 
known,  except  for  his  singularities. 

The  effects  of  the  preceding  day's  battle  were  already 
visible  in  the  market-place,  where,  as  Lionel  passed,  he 
saw  few  or  none  of  the  countrymen,  who  usually  crowded 
the  square  at  that  hour.  In  fact,  the  windows  of  the  shops, 
were  opened  with  caution,  and  men  looked  out  upon  the 
face  of  the  sun,  as  if  doubting  of  its  appearance  and 
warmth,  as  in  seasons  of  ordinary  quiet ;  jealousy  and  dis- 
trust having  completely  usurped  the  place  of  security 
within  the  streets  of  the  town.  Notwithstanding  the  hour, 
few  were  in  their  beds,  and  those  who  appeared  betrayed 
by  their  looks  that  they  had  passed  the  night  in  watchful- 
ness. Among  this  number  was  Abigail  Pray,  who  re- 
ceived her  guest  in  her  little  tower,  surrounded  by  every- 
thing as  he  had  seen  it  on  the  past  evening,  nothing  al- 
tered, except  her  own  dark  eye,  which  at  times  looked  like 
a  gem  of  price  set  in  her  squalid  features,  but  which  now 
appeared  haggard  and  sunken,  participating,  more  marked- 
ly than  common,  in  the  general  air  of  misery  that  pervad- 
ed the  woman. 

"  I  have  intruded  at  a  somewhat  unusual  hour,  Mrs. 
Pray,",  said  Lionel,  as  he  entered;  "but  business  of  the 
last  moment  requires  that  I  should  see  your  lodger — 1 
suppose  he  is  above  ;  it  will  be  well  to  announce  my 
visit." 

Abigail  shook  her  head  with  an  air  of  solemn  meaning, 
as  she  answered  in  a  subdued  voice,  "  He  is  gone  !" 

"  Gone  !  "  exclaimed  Lionel — "whither,  and  when  ?  " 

"  The  people  seem  visited  by  the  wrath  of  God,  sir  ;  * 
returned  the  woman — "  old  and  young,  the  sick  and  well, 
are  crazy  about  the  shedding  of  blood  :  and  it's  beyond 
the  might  of  man  to  say  where  the  torrent  will  be  stayed  !" 

"But  what  has  this  to  do  with  Ralph?  where  is  he? 
Woman,  you  are  not  playing  me  false  ? " 

"  I  !  heaven  forbid  that  I  should  ever  be  false  again  ! 
and  to  you  least  of  all  God's  creatures  !  No,  no,  Major 
Lincoln  ;  the  wonderful  man,  who  seems  to  have  lived  so 
long  that  he  can  even  read  our  secret  thoughts,  as  I  had 
supposed  man  could  never  read  them,  has  left  me,  and  I 
know  not  whether  he  will  ever  return." 

"  Ever  !  you  have  not  driven  him  by  violence  from 
under  your  miserable  roof  ?  " 

<{My  roof  is  like  that  of  the  fowls  of  the  air — 'tis  the 
roof  of  any  who  are  so  unfortunate  as  to  need  it. — There  is 


156  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

no  spot  on  earth,  Major  Lincoln,  that  I  can  call  mine--, 
but  one  day  there  will  be  one — yes,  yes,  there  will  be  a 
narrow  house  provided  for  us  all  ;  and  God  grant  that 
mine  may  be  as  quiet  as  the  coffin  is  said  to  be  !  I  lie  not, 
Major  Lincoln — no,  this  time  I  am  innocent  of  deceit — 
Ralph  and  Job  have  gone  together,  but  whither,  I  know 
not,  unless  it  be  to  join  the  people  without  the  town — they 
left  me  as  the  moon  rose,  and  he  gave  me  a  parting  and  a 
warning  voice,  that  will  ring  in  my  ears  until  they  are 
deafened  by  the  damps  of  the  grave  ! " 

"  Gone  to  join  the  Americans,  and  with  Job  !  "  returned 
Lionel,  musing,  and  without  attending  to  the  closing 
words  of  Abigail. — "Your  boy  will  purchase  peril  with 
this  madness,  Mrs.  Pray,  and  should  be  looked  to." 

"  Job  is  not  one  of  God's  accountables,  nor  is  he  to  be 
treated  like  other  children,"  returned  the  woman.  "  Ah  ! 
Major  Lincoln,  a  healthier,  and  a  stouter,  and  a  finer  boy 
was  not  to  be  seen  in  the  Bay  province,  till  the  child  had 
reached  his  fifth  year  !  then,  then  it  was  that  the  judgment 
of  heaven  fell  on  mother  and  son — sickness  made  him 
what  you  see,  a  being  with  the  form,  but  without  the 
reason  of  man,  and  I  have  grown  the  wretch  I  am.  But  it 
has  all  been  foretold,  and  warnings  enough  have  I  had  of 
it  all !  for  is  it  not  said,  that  He  '  will  visit  the  sins  of  the 
fathers  upon  the  children  until  the  third  and  fourth  gen- 
eration ? '  Thank  God,  my  sorrows  and  sins  will  end 
with  Job,  for  there  never  can  be  a  third  to  suffer  !  " 

"  If,"  said  Lionel,  "there  be  any  sin  which  lies  heavy  at 
your  heart,  every  consideration,  whether  of  justice  or  re- 
pentance, should  induce  you  to  confess  your  errors  to 
those  whose  happiness  may  be  affected  by  the  knowledge, 
if  any  such  there  be." 

The  anxious  eye  of  the  woman  raised  itself  to  meet  the 
look  of  the  young  man  ;  but,  quailing  before  the  piercing 
gaze  it  encountered,  she  quickly  turned  it  upon  the  litter 
and  confusion  of  her  disordered  apartment.  Lionel  waited 
some  time  for  a  reply,  but  finding  that  she  remained  ob- 
stinately silent,  he  continued — 

"  From  what  has  already  passed,  you  must  be  conscious 
that  I  have  good  reason  to  believe,  that  my  feelings  are 
deeply  concerned  in  your  secret ;  make,  then,  your  confes- 
sion of  the  guilt  which  seems  to  bear  you  down  so  heavily  ; 
and  in  return  for  the  confidence,  I  promise  you  my  forgive* 
ness  and  protection." 

As  Lionel  pressed  thus   directly  the  point  so  near  his 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  157 

heart,  the  woman  shrunk  away  from  her  situation  near 
him,  and  her  countenance  lost,  as  he  proceeded,  its  remark- 
able expression  of  compunction,  in  a  forced  look  of  deep 
surprise,  that  showed  she  was  no  novice  in  dissimulation, 
whatever  might  be  the  occasional  warnings  of  her  con- 
science. 

"  Guilt !  "  she  repeated,  in  a  slow  and  tremulous  voice  ; 
"  we  are  all  guilty,  and  would  be  lost  creatures,  but  for  the 
blood  of  the  Mediator." 

l<  Most  true  ;  but  you  have  spoken  of  crimes  that  infringe 
the  laws  of  man,  as  well  as  those  of  God." 

"  I  !  Major  Lincoln — I  a  disorderly  law-breaker  ?  "  ex- 
claimed Abigail,  affecting  to  busy  herself  in  arranging  her 
apartment — "  it  is  not  such  as  I,  that  have  leisure  or  cour- 
age to  break  the  laws  !  Major  Lincoln  is  trying  a  poor  lone 
woman,  to  make  his  jokes  with  the  gentlemen  of  his  mess 
this  evening — 'tis  certain  we  all  of  us  have  our  burdens  of 
guilt  to  answer  for — surely  Major  Lincoln  couldn't  have 
heard  minister  Hunt  preach  his  sermon,  the  last  Sabbath, 
on  the  sins  of  the  town  ! " 

Lionel  colored  highly  at  the  artful  imputation  of  the 
woman,  that  he  was  practising  on  her  sex  and  unprotected 
situation  ;  and,  greatly  provoked,  in  secret,  at  her  duplicity, 
he  became  more  guarded  in  his  language,  endeavoring  to 
lead  her  on,  by  kindness  and  soothing,  to  the  desired  com- 
munications. But  all  his  ingenuity  was  met  by  more  than 
equal  abilities  on  the  part  of  Abigail,  from  whom  he 
only  obtained  expressions  of  surprise,  that  he  could  have 
mistaken  her  language  for  more  than  the  usual  acknowl- 
edgment of  errors,  that  are  admitted  to  be  common  to  our 
lost  nature.  In  this  particular,  the  woman  was  in  no  re- 
spect singular ;  the  greater  number  of  those,  who  are 
loudest  in  their  confessions  and  denunciations  on  the  aban- 
doned nature  of  our  hearts,  commonly  resenting,  in  the 
deepest  manner,  the  imputation  of  individual  offences. 
The  more  earnest  and  pressing  his  inquiries  became,  the 
more  wary  she  grew,  until,  disgusted  with  her  pertinacity, 
and  secretly  suspecting  her  of  foul  play  with  her  lodger,  he 
left  the  house  in  anger,  determining  to  keep  a  close  eye  on 
her  movements,  and,  at  a  suitable  moment,  to  strike  such 
a  blow  as  should  bring  her  not  only  to  confession,  but  to 
shame. 

Under  the  influence  of  this  momentary  resentment,  and 
unable  to  avoid  harboring  the  most  unpleasant  suspicions 
of  his  aunt,  the  young  man  determined,  that  very  morning 


/58  LIONEL  LINCOLN. 

to  withdraw  himself  entirely,  as  a  guest,  from  her  dwelling. 
Mrs.  Lechmere,  who,  if  she  knew  at  all  that  Lionel  had 
been  a  witness  of  her  intercourse  with  Ralph,  must  have 
received  the  intelligence  from  Abigail,  received  him,  at 
breakfast,  with  a  manner  that  betrayed  no  such  conscious- 
ness. She  listened  to  his  excuses  for  removing,  with  evi- 
dent concern  ;  and  more  than  once,  as  Lionel  spoke  of  the 
probable  nature  of  his  future  life,  now  that  hostilities  had 
•commenced — the  additional  trouble  his  presence  would 
occasion  to  one  of  her  habits  and  years — of  his  great  con- 
cern in  her  behalf — and,  in  short,  of  all  that  he  could  de- 
vise in  the  way  of  apology  for  the  step,  he  saw  her  eyes 
turned  anxiously  on  Cecil  with  an  expression  which,  at 
another  time,  might  have  led  him  to  distrust  the  motives 
of  her  hospitality.  The  young  lady,  herself,  however,  evi- 
dently heard  the  proposal  with  great  satisfaction,  and, 
when  her  grandmother  appealed  to  her  opinion,  whether 
he  had  urged  a  single  good  reason  for  the  measure,  she  an- 
swered with  a  vivacity  that  had  been  a  stranger  to  her  man- 
ner of  late — 

"Certainly,  my  dear  grandmamma — the  best  of  all 
reasons — his  inclinations.  Major  Lincoln  tires  of  us,  and 
of  our  humdrum  habits,  and — and  in  my  eyes,  true  polite- 
ness requires,  that  we  should  suffer  him  to  leave  us  for  his 
barracks,  without  a  word  of  remonstrance." 

"  My  motive  must  be  greatly  mistaken,  if  a  desire  to 
leave  you — 

"  Oh  !  sir,  the  explanation  is  not  required.  You  have 
urged  so  many  reasons,  cousin  Lionel,  that  the  true  and 
moving  motive  is  yet  kept  behind  the  curtain.  It  must, 
and  can  be  no  other  than  ennui." 

"Then  I  will  remain,"  said  Lionel;  ufor  anything  is 
better  than  to  be  suspected  of  insensibility." 

Cecil  looked  both  gratified  and  disappointed— she  played 
with  her  spoon  a  moment  in  embarrassment,  bit  her  beau- 
tiful lip  with  vexation,  and  then  said,  in  a  more  friendly 
tone — 

"  I  must  then  exonerate  you  from  the  imputation.  Go 
to  your  own  quarters,  if  it  be  agreeable,  and  we  will  be- 
lieve your  incomprehensible  reasons  for  the  change — 
besides,  as  a  kinsman,  we  shall  see  you  every  day,  you 
know." 

Lionel  had  now  no  longer  any  excuse  for  not  abiding 
by  his  avowed  determination  ;  and,  notwithstanding  Mrs. 
Lechmere  parted  from  her  interesting  nephew  with  an 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  I5g 

exhibition  of  reluctance  that  was  in  singular  contrast  with 
fcer  usually  cold  and  formal  manner,  the  desired  removal 
was  made*  in  the  course  of  that  very  morning. 

When  this  change  was  accomplished,  week  after  week 
slipped  by,  in  the  manner  related  in  the  preceding  chapter, 
during  which  the  reinforcements  continued  to  arrive,  and 
general  after  general  appeared  in  the  place  to  support  the 
unenterprising  Gage  in  the  con'duct  of  the  wrar.  The  timid 
amongst  the  colonists  were  appalled  as  they  heard  the  long 
list  of  proud  and  boasted  names  recounted.  There  was 
Howe,  a  man  sprung  from  a  noble  race,  long  known  for 
their  deeds  in  arms,  and  whose  chief  had  already  shed  his 
blood  on  the  soil  of  America — Clinton,  another  cadet  of  an 
illustrious  house,  better  known  for  his  personal  intrepidity 
and  domestic  kindness,  than  for  the  rough  qualities  of  the 
warrior — and  the  elegant  and  accomplished  Burgoyne,  who 
had  already  purchased  a  name  in  the  fields  of  Portugal  and 
Germany,  which  he  was  destined  soon  to  lose  in  the  wilds 
of  America.  In  addition  to  these  might  be  mentioned 
Pigot,  Grant,  Robertson,  and  the  heir  of  Northumberland, 
each  of  whom  led  a  brigade  in  the  cause  of  his  prince  ;  be- 
sides a  host  of  men  of  lesser  note,  who  had  passed  their 
youth  in  arms,  and  were  now  about  to  bring  their  experi- 
ence to  the  field,  in  opposition  to  the  untrained  husband- 
men of  the  plains  of  New  England.  As  if  this  list  were 
not  sufficient  to  overwhelm  their  inexperienced  adversaries, 
the  pride  of  arms  had  gathered  many  of  the  young  among 
the  noble  and  chivalric  in  the  British  empire,  to  the  point 
on  which  all  eyes  were  turned  ;  amongst  whom  the  one  who 
afterward  added  the  fairest  wreath  to  the  laurels  of  his  an- 
cestors, was  the  joint  heir  of  Hastings  and  Moira,  the  gal- 
lant, but,  as  yet,  untried  boy  of  Rawdon.  Amongst  such 
companions,  many  of  whom  had  been  his  associates  in  Eng- 
land, the  hours  of  Lionel  passed  swiftly  by,  leaving  him 
but  little  leisure  to  meditate  on  those  causes  which  had 
brought  him  also  to  the  scene  of  contention. 

One  warm  evening,  toward  the  middle  of  June,  Lionel 
became  a  witness  of  the  following  scene,  through  the  open 
doors  which  communicated  between  his  private  apartment 
and  the  room  which  Pplwarth  had  dedicated  to  what  he 
called  "  the  knowing  mess."  M'Fuse  was  seated  at  a  table, 
with  a  ludicrous  air  of  magisterial  authority,  while  Pol- 
warth  held  a  station  at  his  side,  which  appeared  to  partake 
of  the  double  duties  of  a  judge  ancTa  scribe.  Before  this 
formidable  tribunal  Seth  Sage  was  arraigned,  as  it  would 


160  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

seem,  to  answer  for  certain  offences  alleged  to  have  been 
committed  in  the  field  of  battle.  Ignorant  that  his  land* 
lord  had  not  received  the  benefit  of  the  late  exchange,  and 
curious  to  know  what  all  the  suppressed  roguery  he  could 
detect  in  the  demure  countenances  of  his  friends  might 
signify,  Lionel  dropped  his  pen,  and  listened  to  the  suc- 
ceeding dialogue. 

"Now  answer  to  your  offences,  thou  silly  fellow,  with  a 
wise  name,"  M'Fuse  commenced,  in  a  voice  that  did  not 
fail,  by  its  harsh  cadences,  to  create  some  of  that  awe,  which, 
by  the  expression  of  the  speaker's  eye,  it  would  seem  he 
labored  to  produce — "  speak  out  with  the  freedom  of  a 
man,  and  the  compunctions  of  a  Christian,  if  you  have 
them.  Why  should  I  not  send  you  at  once  to  Ireland, 
that  ye  may  get  your  deserts  on  three  pieces  of  timber, 
the  one  being  laid  cross-wise  for  the  sake  of  conA^eni- 
ence  ?  'If  you  have  a  contrary  reason,  bestow  it  without 
delay,  for  the  love  you  bear  your  own  angular  daiformi- 
ties." 

The  wags  did  not  altogether  fail  in  their  object,  Seth  be- 
traying a  good  deal  more  uneasiness  than  it  was  usual  for 
the  man  to  exhibit  even  in  situations  of  uncommon  peril. 
After  clearing  his  throat,  and  looking  about  him,  to  gather 
from  the  eyes  of  the  spectators  wThich  way  their  sympathies 
inclined,  he  answered  with  a  very  commendable  fortitude — 

"Because  it's  ag'in  all  law." 

"  Have  done  with  your  interminable  perplexities  of  the 
law,"  cried  M'Fuse,  "and  do  not  bother  honest  gentle- 
men with  its  knavery,  as  if  they  were  no  more  than  so 
many  proctors  in  big  wigs  !  'tis  the  gospel  you  should  be 
thinking  of,  you  godless  reprobate,  on  account  of  that 
final  end  you  will  yet  make,  one  day,  in  a  most  indecent 
hurry." 

"To  your  purpose,  Mac,"  interrupted  Polwarth,  who 
perceived  that  the  erratic  feelings  of  his  friend  were  begin- 
ning already  to  lead  him  from  the  desired  point ;  "  or  I  will 
propound  the  matter  myself,  in  a  style  that  would  do  credit 
to  a  mandamus  counsellor." 

"  The  mandamuses  are  all  ag'in  the  charter,  and  the  law 
too,"  continued  Seth,  whose  courage  increased  as  the  dia- 
logue bore  more  directly  upon  his  political  principles — 
"and  to  my  mind  it's  quite  convincing,  that  if  ministers 
calculate  largely  on  upholding  them,  there  will  be  great 
disturbances,  if  not  a  proper  fight  in  the  land  ;  for  the 
whole  country  is -in  a  blaze  !  " 


LIONEL  LINCOLN;  161 

"  Disturbances,  thou  immovable  iniquity !  thou  quiet 
assassin!"  roared  M'Fuse  ;  "do  ye  not  call  a  light  of  a 
day  a  disturbance  ? — or  do  ye  tarm  skulking  behind  fences, 
and  laying  the  muzzle  of  a  musket  on  the  head  of  Job 
Pray,  and  the  breech  on  a  mullein-stalk,  while  ye  draw  upon 
a  fellow-creature,  a  commendable  method  of  fighting? 
Now  answer  me  to  the  truth,  and  disdain  all  lying,  as  ye 
would  'ating  anything  but  cod  on  a  Saturday,  who  were 
the  two  men  that  fired  into  my  very  countenance,  from  the 
unfortunate  situation  among  the  mulleins  that  I  have  de- 
tailed to  you  ? " 

"Pardon  me,  Captain  M'Fuse,"  said  Polwarth,  "if  I  say 
that  your  zeal  and  indignation  run  ahead  of  your  discre- 
tion. If  we  alarm  the  prisoner  in  this  manner,  we  may 
defeat  the  ends  of  justice.  Besides,  sir,  there  is  a  reflec- 
tion contained  in  your  language,  to  which  I  must  dissent. 
A  real  dumb  is  not  to  be  despised,  especially  when  served 
up  in  wrapper,  and  between  two  coarser  fish,  to  preserve 
the  steam — I  have  had  my  private  meditations  on  the  sub- 
ject of  getting  up  a  Saturday's  club,  in  order  to  enjoy  the 
bounty  of  tiie  Bay,  and  for  improving  the  cookery  of  the 
cod ! " * 

''And  let  me  tell  you,  Captain  Polwarth,"  returned  the 
grenadier,  cocking  his  eye  fiercely  at  the  other,  "  that  your 
epicurean  propensities  lead  you  to  the  verge  of  cannibal- 
ism ;  for  sure  it  may  be  called  that,  when  you  speak  of 
'ating,  while  the  life  of  a  fellow-cr'ature  is  under  a  discus- 
sion for  its  termination " 

"  I  conclude,"  interrupted  Seth,  who  was  greatly  averse 
to  all  quarrelling,  and  who  thought  he  saw  the  symptoms 
of  a  breach  between  his  judges,  "the  captain  wishes  to 
know  who  the  two  men  were  that  fired  on  him  a  short 
time  before  he  got  the  hit  in  the  shoulder?" 

"  A  short  time,  ye  marvellous  hypocrite  ! — 'twas  as  quick 
as  pop  and  slap  could  make  it."  • 

"  Perhaps  there  might  be  some  mistake,  for  a  great  many 
of  the  troops  were  much  disguised — 

"  Do  ye  insinuate  that  I  got  drunk  before  the  enemies  of 

*  NOTE. — It  may  be  a  fit  matter  of  inquiry  for  the  antiquarian,  to 
learn  whether  the  captain  ever  put  his  project  in  execution  ;  and,  if  so, 
whether  he  has  not  the  merit  of  founding  that  famous  association,  which, 
to  this  hour,  maintains  the  Catholic  custom  of  the  east,  by  feasting  on  the 
last  day  of  the  week  on  the  staple  of  New  England  ;  and  which  is -said  to 
assemble  regularly,  with  much  good-fellowship,  around  more  good  wine 
than  is  ever  encountered  at  any  other  board  in  the  known  world. 
II 


1 62  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

my  king?"  roared  the  grenadier — "  Harkye,  Master  Sage; 
I  ask  you  in  a  genteel  way,  who  the  two  men  were  that 
fired  on  me,  in  the  manner  detailed  ;  and  remember  that  a 
man  may  tire  of  putting  questions  which  are  never  an- 
swered." 

"Why,"  returned  Seth,  who,  however  expert  at  prevari- 
cation, eschewed,  with  religious  horror,  a  direct  lie — "  I 
pretty  much  conclude  that  they — the  captain  is  sure  the 
place  he  means  was  just  beyond  Menotomy  ?" 

"  As  sure  as  men  can  be,"  said  Polwarth,  "who  possess 
the  use  of  their  eyes." 

"Then  Captain  Polwarth  can  give  testimony  to  the 
fact  ?" 

"I  believe  Major  Lincoln's  horse  carries  a  small  bit  of 
your  lead  to  this  moment,  Master  Sage." 

Seth  yielded  to  this  accumulation  of  evidence  against 
him  ;  and  knowing,  moreover,  that  the  grenadier  had  liter- 
ally made  him  a  prisoner  in  the  fact  of  renewing  his  fire, 
he  sagaciously  determined  to  make  a  merit  of  necessity, 
and  candidly  to  acknowledge  his  agency  in  inflicting  the 
wounds.  The  utmost,  however,  that  his  cautious  habits 
would  permit  him  to  say,  was — 

"  Seeing  there  can't  well  be  any  mistake,  I  seem  to  think 
the  two  men  were  chiefly  Job  and  I." 

"  Chaifly,  you  lath  of  uncertainty  !  "  exclaimed  M'Fuse  ; 
"if  there  was  any  chaif  in  that  cowardly  assassination  of 
wounding  a  Christian,  and  of  also  hurting  a  horse — which, 
though  nothing  but  a  dumb  baste,  has  better  blood  than 
runs  in  your  own  beggarly  veins — 'twas  your  own  ugly 
proportions.  But  I  rejoice  that  you  have  come  to  the  con- 
fessional!  I  can  now  see  you  hung  with  felicity— if  you 
have  anything  to  say,  urge  it  at  once,  why  I  should  not 
embark  you  for  Ireland  by  the  first  vessel,  in  a  letter  to 
my  lord-lieutenant,  with  a  request  that  he'll  give  you  an 
early  procession,  and  a  dacent  funeral." 

Seth  belonged  to  a  class  of  his  countrymen,  amongst 
whom,  while  there  was  a  superabundance  of  ingenuity, 
there  was  literally  no  joke.  Deceived  by  the  appearance 
of  anger,  which  had  in  reality  blended  with  the  assumed 
manner  of  the  grenadier,  as  he  dwelt  upon  the  irritating 
subject  of  his  own  injuries,  the  belief  of  the  prisoner  in 
the  sacred  protection  of  the  laws  became  much  shaken, 
and  he  began  to  reflect  very  seriously  on  the  insecurity  of 
the  times,  as  well  as  on  the  despotic  nature  of  the  military 
power.  The  little  humor  he  had  inherited  from  his  puritan 


LIONEL   LINCOLN  163 

ancestors,  was,  though  exceedingly  quaint,  altogether  after 
a  different  fashion  from  the  off-hand,  blundering  wit  of  the 
Irishman  ;  and  that  manner  which  he  did  not  possess,  he 
could  not  entirely  comprehend,  so  that,  as  far  as  a  very 
visible  alarm  furthered  the  views  of  the  two  conspirators, 
they  were  quite  successful.  Polwarth  now  took  pity  on 
his  evident  embarrassment,  and  observed,  with  a  careless 
manner — 

"  Perhaps  I  can  make  a  proposal,  by  which  Mr.  Sage 
may  redeem  his  neck  from  the  halter,  and  at  the  same  time 
essentially  serve  an  old  friend." 

"  Hear  ye  that,  thou  confounder  of  men  and  bastes  ! " 
cried  M'Fuse — "down  on  your  knees,  and  thank  Mr. 
Paiter  Polwarth  for  the  charity  of  his  insinuation." 

Seth  was  not  displeased  to  hear  such  amicable  inten- 
tions announced  ;  but,  habitually  cautious  in  all  bargain- 
ing, he  suppressed  the  exhibition  of  his  satisfaction,  and 
said,  with  an  air  of  deliberation  that  would  have  done 
credit  to  the  keenest  trader  in  King  Street — that  "  he  should 
like  to  hear  the  terms  of  the  agreement,  before  he  gave 
his  conclusion." 

"  They  are  simply  these,"  returned  Polwarth — "you  shall 
receive  your  passports  and  freedom  to-night,  on  condition 
that  you  sign  this  bond,  whereby  you  will  become  obliged 
to  supply  our  mess,  as  usual,  during  the  time  the  place  is 
invested,  writh  certain  articles  of  food  and  nourishment, 
as  herein  set  forth,  and  according  to  the  prices  mentioned, 
which  the  veriest  Jew  in  Duke's  Place  would  pronounce 
to  be  liberal.  Here  ;  take  the  instrument,  and  'read,  and 
mark,'  in  order  that  we  may  *  inwardly  digest.' " 

Seth  took  the  paper,  and  gave  it  that  manner  of  investi- 
gation that  he  was  wont  to  bestow  on  everything  which 
affected  his  pecuniary  interests.  He  objected  to  the  price 
of  every  article,  all  of  which  were  altered  in  compliance 
with  his  obstinate  resistance  ;  and  he  moreover  insisted, 
that  a  clause  should  be  inserted  to  exonerate  him  from  the 
penalty,  provided  the  intercourse  should  be  prohibited  by 
the  authorities  of  the  colony  ;  after  which  he  continued — • 

"If  the  captain  will  agree  to  take  charge  of  the  things, 
and  become  liable,  I  will  conclude  to  make  the  trade." 

"  Here  is  a  fellow  who  wants  boot  in  a  bargain  for  his 
life  !  "  cried  the  grenadier;  "but  we  will  humor  his  covet- 
ous inclinations,  Polly,  and  take  charge  of  the  chattels. 
Captain  Polwarth  and  myself  pledge  our  words  to  their 
safe-keeping.  Let  me  run  my  eyes  over  the  articles,"  con- 


1 64  LIONRL   LINCOLN. 

tinued  the  grenadier,  looking  very  gravely  at  the  several 
covenants  of  the  bond — "faith,  Paiter,  you  have  bargained 
for  a  goodly  larder !  Baif,  mutton,  pigs,  turnips,  pota- 
toes, melons,  and  other  fruits — there's  a  blunder,  now,  that 
would  keep  an  English  mess  on  a  grin  for  a  month,  if  an 
Irishman  had  made  it !  as  if  a  melon  was  a  fruit,  and  a  po- 
tato was  not !  The  devil  a  word  do  I  see  that  you  have 
said  about  a  mouthful,  except  aitables,  either  !  Here,  fel- 
low, clap  your  learning  to  it,  and  I'll  warrant  you  we  yet 
get  a  meal  out  of  it,  in  some  manner  or  other." 

"  Wouldn't  it  be  as  well  to  put  the  last  agreement  in  the 
writings,  too,"  said  Seth,  "  in  case  of  accidents  ?  " 

"  Hear  how  a  knave  halters  himself  ! "  cried  M'Fuse  ; 
"  he  has  the  individual  honor  of  two  captains  of  foot,  and 
is  willing  to  exchange  it- for  their  joint  bond  !  The  request 
is  too  raisonable  to  be  denied,  Polly,  and  we  should  be 
guilty  of  pecuniary  suicide  to  reject  it  ;  so  place  a  small 
article  at  the  bottom,  explanatory  of  the  mistake  the  gen- 
tleman has  fallen  into." 

Polwarth  did  not  hesitate  to  comply,  and  in  a  very  few 
minutes  everything  was  arranged  to  the  perfect  satisfaction 
of  the  parties  ;  the  two  soldiers  felicitating  themselves  on 
the  success  of  a  scheme  which  seemed  to  avert  the  prin- 
cipal evils  of  the  leaguer  from  their  own  mess  ;  and  Seth 
finding  no  difficulty  in  complying  with  an  agreement, 
which  was  likely  to  prove  so  profitable,  however  much  he 
doubted  its  validity  in  a  court  of  justice.  The  prisoner  was 
now  declared  at  liberty,  and  was  advised  to  make  his  way 
out  of  the  place,  with  as  little  noise  as  possible,  and  under 
favor  of  the  pass  he  held.  Seth  gave  the  bond  a  last  and 
most  attentive  perusal,  and  then  departed,  well  contented 
to  abide  by  its  conditions,  and  not  a  little  pleased  to  escape 
from  the  grenadier,  the  expression  of  whose  half-comic, 
half-serious  eye,  occasioned  him  more  perplexity  than  any 
other  subject  which  had  ever  before  occupied  his  astute- 
ness. After  the  disappearance  of  the  prisoner,  the  two 
worthies  repaired  to  their  nightly  banquet,  laughing  heart- 
ily at  the  success  of  their  notable  invention. 

Lionel  suffered  Seth  to  pass  from  the  room,  without 
speaking ;  but,  as  the  man  left  his  own  abode  with  a  lin- 
gering and  doubtful  step,  the  young  soldier  followed  him 
into  the  street,  without  communicating  to  any  one  that  he 
had  witnessed  what  had  passed,  with  the  laudable  intention 
of  adding  his  own  personal  pledge  for  the  security  of  the 
household  goods  in  question.  He,  however,  found  it  no 


LIONEL  LINCOLN:  165 

easy  achievement  to  equal  the  speed  of  a  man,  who  had 
just  escaped  from  a  long  confinement,  and  who  now  ap- 
peared inclined  to  indulge  his  limbs  freely  in  the  pleasure 
of  an  unlimited  exercise.  The  velocity  of  Seth  continued 
unabated,  until  he  had  conducted  Lionel  far  into  the  lower 
parts  of  the  town,  where  the  latter  perceived  him  to  en- 
counter a  man,  with  whom  he  turned  suddenly  under  an 
arch  which  led  into  a  dark  and  narrow  court.  Lionel  in- 
stantly increased  his  speed,  and  as  he  entered  beneath  the 
passage,  he  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  lank  figure  of  the  ob- 
ject of  his  pursuit,  gliding  through  the  opposite  entrance 
to  the  court,  and,  at  the  same  moment,  he  encountered  the 
man  who  had  apparently  induced  the  deviation  in  his 
route.  As  Lionel  stepped  a  little  on  one  side,  the  light  of 
a  lamp  fell  full  on  the  form  of  the  other,  and  he  recognized 
the  person  of  the  active  leader  of  the  caucus,  (as  the 
political  meeting  he  had  attended  was  called,)  though  so 
disguised  and  muffled,  that,  but  for  the  accidental  opening 
of  the  folds  of  his  cloak,  the  unknown  might  have  passed 
his  nearest  friend  without  discovery. 

"We  meet  again  !"  exclaimed  Lionel,  in  the  quickness 
of  surprise  ;  "  though  it  would  seem  that  the  sun  is  never 
to  shine  on  our  interviews." 

The  stranger  started,  and  betrayed  an  evident  wish  to 
continue  his  walk,  as  though  the  other  had  mistaken  his 
person  ;  then,  as  if  suddenly  recollecting  himself,  he  turned 
and  approached  Lionel,  with  easy  dignity,  and  answered — 

"The  third  time  is  said  to  contain  the  charm  !  I  am 
happy  to  find  that  I  meet  Major  Lincoln  unharmed,  after 
the  dangers  he  so  lately  encountered." 

"  The  dangers  have  probably  been  exaggerated  by  those 
who  wish  ill  to  the  cause  of  our  master,"  returned  Lionel, 
coldly. 

There  was  a  calm,  but  proud  smile  on  the  face  of  the 
stranger,  as  he  replied — 

"  I  shall  not  dispute  the  information  of  one  who  bore  so 
conspicuous  a  part  in  the  deeds  of  that  day — still  you  will 
remember,  though  the  inarch  to  Lexington  was,  like  our 
o\vn  accidental  rencontres,  in  the  dark,  that  a  bright  sun 
shone  upon  the  retreat,  and  nothing  has  been  hid." 

"  Nothing  need  be  concealed,"  replied  Lionel,  nettled 
by  the  proud  composure  of  the  other — u  unless,  indeed, 
the  man  I  address  is  afraid  to  walk  the  streets  of  Boston 
in  open  day." 

"  The  man  you  address,  Major  Lincoln,"  said  the  stran- 


166  LIONEL   LINCOLN-. 

ger,  advancing  in  his  warmth  a  step  nearer  to  Lionel, 
"  has  dared  to  walk  the  streets  of  Boston  both  by  day  and 
by  night,  when  the  bullies  of  him  you  call  your  master 
have  strutted  their  hour  in  the  security  of  peace  ;  and,  now 
a  nation  is  up  to  humble  their  pretensions,  shall  he  shrink 
from  treading  his  native  soil  when  he  will  ? " 

"This  is  bold  language  from  an  enemy  within  a  British 
camp !  Ask  yourself  what  course  my  duty  requires  of 
me?" 

"That  is  a  question  which  lies  between  Major  Lincoln 
and  his  conscience,"  returned  the  stranger — "though,"  he 
added,  after  a  momentary  pause,  and  in  a  milder  tone,  as 
if  he  recollected  the  danger  of  his  situation — "  the  gentle- 
men of  his  name  and  lineage  were  not  apt  to  be  informers, 
when  they  dwelt  in  the  land  of  their  birth." 

"  Neither  is  their  descendant  But  let  this  be  the  last  of 
our  interviews,  until  we  can  meet  as  friends,  or,  as  enemies 
should,  where  we  may  discuss  these  topics  at  the  points  of 
our  weapons." 

"  Amen,"  said  the  stranger,  seizing  the  hand  of  the 
young  man,  and  pressing  it  with  the  warmth  of  a  generous 
emulation — "that  hour  may  not  be  far  distant,  and  may 
God  smile  only  on  the  just  cause." 

Without  uttering  more,  he  drew  the  folds  of  his  dress 
more  closely  around  his  form,  and  walked  so  swiftly  away 
that  Lionel,  had  he  possessed  the  inclination,  could  not 
have  found  an  opportunity  to  arrest  his  progress.  As  all 
expectation  of  overtaking  Seth  was  now  lost,  the  young 
soldier  returned  slowly  and  thoughtfully  towards  his  quar- 
ters. 

The  two  or  three  succeeding  days  were  distinguished  by 
an  appearance  of  more  than  usual  preparation  among  the 
troops,  and  it  became  known  that  officers  of  rank  had 
closely  reconnoitred  the  grounds  of  the  opposite  penin- 
sula. Lionel  patiently  awaited  the  progress  of  events  ; 
but  as  the  probability  of  active  service  increased,  his 
wishes  to  make  another  effort  to  probe  the  secret  of  the 
tenant  of  the  warehouse  revived,  and  he  took  his  way 
towards  the  Dock-Square,  with  that  object,  on  the  night  of 
the  fourth  day  from  the  preceding  interview  with  the 
stranger.  It  was  long  after  the  tattoo  had  laid  the  town 
in  that  deep  quiet,  which  follows  the  bustle  of  a  garrison  ; 
and,  as  he  passed  along  he  saw  none  but  the  sentinels  pac- 
ing their  short  limits,  or  an  occasional  officer,  returning  at 
that  late  hour  from  his  revels  or  his  duty.  The  windows 


LIONEL   LIXCOLX.  167 

of  the  warehouse  were  dark,  find  its  inhabitants,  if  any  it 
had,  were  wrapped  in  deep  sleep.  Restless,  and  excited, 
Lionel  pursued  his  walk  through  the  narrow  and  gloomy 
streets  of  the  North-End,  until  he  unexpectedly  found' 
himself  issuing  upon  the  open  space  that  is  tenanted  by 
the  dead,  on  Copp's-Hill.  On  this  eminence  the  English 
general  had  caused  a  battery  of  heavy  cannon  to  be  raised 
and  Lionel,  unwilling  to  encounter  the  challenge  of  the 
sentinels,  inclining  a  little  to  one  side,  proceeded  to  tht, 
brow  of  the  hill,  and,  seating  himself  on  a  stone,  began  to 
muse  deeply  on  his  own  fortunes,  and  the  situation  of  the 
country. 

The  night  was  obscure,  but  the  thin  vapors  which  ap- 
peared to  overhang  the  place  opened  at  times,  when  a 
faint  star-light  fell  from  the  heavens,  and  rendered  the 
black  hulls  of  the  vessels  of  war,  that  lay  moored  before 
the  town,  and  the  faint  outlines  of  the  opposite  shores,  dimly 
visible.  The  stillness  of  midnight  rested  on  the  scene,  and 
when  the  loud  calls  of  "  all's  well"  ascended  from  the  ships 
and  batteries,  the  momentary  cry  was  succeeded  by  a  quiet 
as  deep  as  if  the  universe  slumbered  under  this  assurance  of 
safety.  At  such  an  instant,  when  even  the  light  breathings 
of  the  night  air  were  audible,  the  sound  of  rippling  waters, 
like  that  occasioned  by  raising  a  paddle  with  extreme  cau- 
tion, was  borne  to  the  car  of  the  young  soldier.  He  lis- 
tened intently,  and  then,  bending  his  eyes  in  the  direction 
of  the  faint  sounds,  he  saw  a  small  canoe  gliding  along  the 
surface  of  the  water,  and  soon  shoot  upon  the  gravelly 
shore,^  at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  with  a  motion  so  easy  and  uni- 
form as  scarcely  to  curl  a  wave  on  the  land.  Curious  to 
know  who  could  be  moving  about  the  harbor  at  this  hour, 
in  such  a  secret  manner,  Lionel  was  in  the  act  of  rising  to 
descend,  when  he  saw  the  dim  figure  of  a  man  land  from 
the  boat,  and  climb  the  hill,  directly  in  a  line  with  his  own 
position.  Suppressing  even  the  sounds  of  his  breath,  and 
drawing  his  body  back  within  the  deep  shadow  cast  from 
a  point  of  the  hill,  a  little  above  him,  Lionel  waited  until 
the  figure  had  approached  within  ten  feet  of  him,  when  it 
stopped,  and  appeared,  like  himself,  to  be  endeavoring  to 
suppress  all  other  sounds  and  feelings  in  the  absorbing  act 
of  deep  attention.  The  young  soldier  loosened  his  sword 
in  its  sheath,  before  he  said — 

"We  have  chosen  a  private  spot,  and  a  secret  hour,  sir, 
for  our  meditations  !  " 

Had  the  figure  possessed  the  impalpable  nature  of  an 


1 68  LIONEL  LINCOLN. 

immaterial  being,  it  could  not  have  received  this  remark, 
so  startling  from  its  suddenness,  with  greater  apathy  than 
did  the  man  to  whom  it  was  addressed.  He  turned  slowly 
toward  the  speaker,  and  seemed  to  look  at  him  earnestly, 
before  he  answered,  in  a  low,  menacing  voice — 

"There's  a  granny  on  the  hill,  with  a  gun  andbaggonet, 
walking  among  the  cannon,  and  if  he  hears  people  talking 
down  here,  he'll  make  them  prisoners,  though  one  of  them 
should  be  Major  Lincoln." 

"  Ha  !  Job,"  said  Lionel — "  and  is  it  you  I  meet  prowling 
about  like  a  thief  at  night! — on  what  errand  of  mischief 
have  you  been  sent  this  time  ?  " 

"  If  Job's  a  thief  for  coming  to  see  the  graves  on 
Copp's,"  returned  the  lad  sullenly,  "  there's  two  of  them." 

"  Well  answered,  boy  !  "  said  Lionel,  with  a  smile  ;  "  but 
I  repeat,  on. what  errand  have  you  returned  to  the  town  at 
this  unseasonable  and  suspicious  hour  ?  " 

"  Job  loves  to  come  up  among  the  graves,  before  the 
cocks  crow ;  they  say  the  dead  walk  when  living  men  sleep." 

"  And  would  you  hold  communion  with  the  dead,  then  ? '' 

" '  Tis  sinful  to  ask  them  many  questions,  and  such  as 
you  do  put  should  be  made  in  the  Holy  Name,"  returned 
the  lad,  in  a  tone  so  solemn,  that,  connected  with  the  place 
and  the  scene,  it  caused  the  blood  of  Lionel  to  thrill — 
"  but  Job  loves  to  be  near  them,  to  use  him  to  the  damps, 
ag'in  the  time  he  shall  be  called  to  walk  himself  in  a  sheet 
at  midnight." 

"  Hush  !  "  said  Lionel — "  what  noise  is  that  ?  " 

Job  stood  a  moment,  listening  as  intently  as  his,  com- 
panion, before  he  answered — 

"  There's  no  noise  but  the  moaning  of  the  wind  in  the 
bay,  or  the  sea  tumbling  on  the  beaches  of  the  islands." 

"  '  Tis  neither,"  said  Lionel  ;  "  I  heard  the  low  hum  of  a 
hundred  voices,  or  my  ears  have  played  me  falsely." 

"May  be  the  spirits  speak  to  each  other,"  said  the  lad — 
"they  say  their  voices  are  like  the  rushing  winds." 

Lionel  passed  his  hand  across  his  brow,  and  endeavored 
to  recover  the  tone  of  his  mind,  which  had  been  strangely 
disordered  by  the  solemn  manner  of  his  companion,  and 
walked  slowly  from  the  spot,  closely  attended  by  the  silent 
changeling.  He  did  not  stop  until  he  had  reached  the  in- 
ner angle  of  the  wall  that  enclosed  the  field  of  the  dead, 
when  he  paused,  and,  leaning  on  the  fence,  again  listened 
intently. 

"  Boy,  I  know  not  how  your  silly  conversation  may  have 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  169 

warped  my  brain,"  he  said,  "  but  there  are  surely  strange 
and  unearthly  sounds  lingering  about  this  place,  to-night  J 
By  heavens !  there  is  another  rush  of  voices,  as  if  the  air 
above  the  water  were  filled  with  living  beings  ;  and  then, 
again,  I  think  I  hear  a  noise  as  if  heavy  weights  were  fall- 
ing to  the  earth !" 

"Ay,"  said  Job,  "  'tis  the  clods  on  the  coffins,  the  dead 
are  going  into  their  graves  ag'in,  and  'tis  time  that  we 
should  leave  them  their  own  grounds." 

Lionel  hesitated  no  longer,  but  he  rather  ran  than  walked 
from  the  spot,  with  a  secret  horror  that,  at  another  mo- 
ment, he  would  have  blushed  to  acknowledge  ;  nor  did  he 
perceive  that  he  was  still  attended  by  Job,  until  he  had  de- 
scended some  distance  down  Lynn  Street.  Here  he  was  ad- 
dressed by  his  companion,  in  his  usually  quiet  and  un- 
meaning tones — 

"  There's  the  house  that  the  governor  built,  who  went 
down  into  the  sea  for  money!  "  he  said — "  he  was  a  poor 
boy  once,  like  Job,  and  now  they  say  his  grandson  is  a 
great  lord,  and  the  king  knighted  the  grand'ther  too.  It's 
pretty  much  the  same  thing  whether  a  man  gets  his  money 
out  of  the  sea  or  out  of  the  earth  ;  the  king  will  make  him 
a  lord  for  it." 

"You  hold  the  favors  of  royalty  cheap,  fellow,"  re- 
turned Lionel,  glancing  his  eye  carelessly  at  the  "  Phipps' 
House,"  as  he  passed — "  you  forget  that  I  am  to  be  some 
day  one  of  your  despised  knights  !  " 

"  I  know  it,"  said  Job  ;  "  and  you  come  from  America 
too — it  seems  to  me  that  all  the  poor  boys  go  from  Amer- 
ica to  the  king  to  be  great  lords,  and  all  the  sons  of  the 
great  lords  come  to  America  to  be  made  poor  boys — Nab 
says  Job  is  the  son  of  a  great  lord  too  !  " 

"  Then  Nab  is  as  great  a  fool  as  her  child,"  said  Lionel  ; 
"  but,  boy,  I  would  see  your  mother  in  the  morning,  and 
I  expect  you  to  let  me  know  at  what  hour  I  may  visit 
her." 

Job  did  not  answer,  and  Lionel,  on  turning  his  head, 
perceived  that  he  was  suddenly  deserted  by  the  change- 
ling, who  was  already  gliding  back  towards  his  favorite 
haunt  among  the  graves.  Vexed  at  the  wild  humors  of 
the  lad,  Lionel  hastened  to  his  quarters,  and  threw  himself 
in  his  bed,  though  he  heard  the  loud  cries  of  "  all's  well," 
again  and  again,  before  the  strange  fantasies,  which  con- 
tinued to  cross  his  mind,  would  permit  him  to  obtain  the 
rest  he  sought. 


170  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

"  We  are  finer  gentlemen,  no  doubt,  than  the  plain  farmers  we  are  about 
to  encounter.  Our  hats  carry  a  smarter  cock,  our  swords  hang  more  grace- 
fully by  our  sides,  and  we  make  an  easier  figure  in  a  ballroom  ;  but  let  it 
be  remembered,  that  the  most  finished  macaroni  amongst  us,  would  pass 
for  an  arrant  clown  at  Pekin." — Letter  from  a  Veteran  Officer,  &c. 

WHEN  the  heavy  sleep  of  morning  fell  upon  his  senses, 
visions  of  the  past  and  future  mingled  with  wild  confusion 
in  the  dreams  of  the  youthful  soldier.  The  form  of  his 
father  stood  before  him,  as  he  had  known  it  in  his  child- 
hood, fair  in  the  proportions  and  vigor  of  manhood,  re- 
garding him  witli  those  eyes  of  benignant,  but  melancholy 
affection,  which  characterized  their  expression  after  he 
had  become  the  sole  joy  of  his  widowed  parent.  While  his 
heart  was  warming  at  the  sight,  the  figure  melted  away, 
and  was  succeeded  by  fantastic  phantoms,  which  appeared 
to  dance  among  the  graves  on  Copp's,  led  along  in  those 
gambols,  which  partook  of  the  ghastly  horrors  of  the 
dead,  by  Job  Pray,  who  glided  among  the  tombs  like  a 
being  of  another  world.  Sudden  and  loud  thunder  then 
burst  upon  them,  and  the  shadows  fled  into  their  secret 
places,  from  whence  he  could  see,  ever  and  anon,  some 
glassy  eyes  and  spectral  faces,  peering  out  upon  him,  as  if 
conscious  of  the  power  they  possessed  to  chill  the  blood 
of  the  living.  His  visions  now  became  painfully  distinct, 
and  his  sleep  was  oppressed  with  their  vividness,  when 
his  senses  burst  their  unnatural  bonds,  and  he  awoke. 
The  air  of  morning  was  breathing  through  his  open  cur- 
tains, and  the  light  of  day  had  already  shed  itself  upon  the 
dusky  roofs  of  the  town.  Lionel  arose  from  his  bed,  and 
had  paced  his  chamber  several  times,  in  a  vain  effort  to 
shake  off  the  images  that  had  haunted  his  slumbers,  when 
the  sounds  which  broke  upon  the  stillness  of  the  air,  be- 
came too  plain  to  be  longer  mistaken  by  a  practised  ear. 

"  Ha  !  "  he  muttered  to  himself,  "  I  have  been  dreaming 
but  by  halves — these  are  the  sounds  of  no  fancied  tempest, 
but  cannon,  speaking  most  plainly  to  the  soldier  !  " 

He  opened  his  window,  and  looked  out  upon  the  sur- 
rounding scene.  The  roar  of  artillery  was  now  quick  and 
heavy,  and  Lionel  bent  his  eyes  about  him  to  discover  the 
cause  of  this  unusual  occurrence.  It  had  been  the  policy 
of  Gage  to  await  the  arrival  of  his  reinforcements,  before 


LIONEL   LINCOLN".  171 

he  struck  a  blow,  which  was  intended  to  be  decisive  ;  and 
the  Americans  were  well  known  to  be  too  scantily  sup- 
plied with  the  munitions  of  war,  to  waste  a  single  charge 
of  powder  in  any  of  the  vain  attacks  of  modern  sieges.  A 
knowledge  of  these  facts  gave  an  additional  interest  to  the 
curiosity  with  which  Major  Lincoln  endeavored  to  pene- 
trate the  mystery  of  so  singular  a  disturbance.  Window 
after  window  in  the  adjacent  buildings  soon  exhibited,  like 
his  own,  its  wondering  and  alarmed  spectator.  Here  and 
there  a  half-dressed-soldier,  or  a  busy  townsman,  was  seen 
hurrying  along  the  silent  streets,  with  steps  that  denoted 
the  eagerness  of  his  curiosity.  Women  began  to  rush 
wildly  from  their  dwellings,  and  then,  as  the  sounds  broke 
on  their  ears  with  ten-fold  heaviness  in  the  open  air,  they 
shrunk  back  into  their  habitations  in  pallid  dismay.  Lionel 
called  to  three  or  four  of  the  men,  as  they  hurried  by  ;  but, 
turning  their  eyes  wildly  towards  his  window,  they  passed 
on  without  answering,  as  if  the  emergency  were  too  press- 
ing to  admit  of  speech.  Finding  his  repeated  inquiries 
fruitless,  he  hastily  dressed  himself,  and  descended  to  the 
street.  As  he  left  his  own  door,  a  half-clad  artillerist 
hurried  past  him,  adjusting  his  garments  with  one  hand, 
and  bearing  in  the  other  some  of  the  lesser  implements  of 
the  particular  corps  in  which  he  served. 

"  What  means  the  firing,  sergeant,"  demanded  Lionel, 
"  and  whither  do  you  hasten  with  those  fuses  ?  " 

"  The  rebels,  your  honor,  the  rebels  !  "  returned  the  sol- 
dier, looking  back  to  speak,  without  ceasing  his  speed  ; 
"  and  I  go  to  my  guns  !  " 

"The  rebels  !"  repeated  Lionel — "what  can  we  have  to 
fear  from  a  mob  of  countrymen,  in  such  a  position — that 
fellow  has  slept  from  his  post,  and  apprehensions  for  him- 
self mingle  with  this  zeal  for  his  king  !  " 

The  towns-people  now  began  to  pour  from  their  dwell- 
ings in  scores  ;  and  Lionel  imitated  their  example,  and 
took  his  course  towards  the  adjacent  height. of  Beacon- 
Hill.  He  toiled  his  way  up  the  steep  ascent,  in  company 
with  twenty  more,  without  exchanging  a  syllable  with  men 
who  appeared  as  much  astonished  as  himself  at  this  early 
interruption  of  their  slumbers,  and  in  a  few  minutes  he 
stood  on  the  little  grassy  platform,  surrounded  by  a  hundred 
interested  gazers.  The  sun  had  just  lifted  the  thin  veil  of 
mist  from  the  bosom  of  the  waters,  and  the  eye  was  per- 
mitted to  range  over  a  wide  field  beneath  the  light  vapor. 
Several  vessels  were  moored  in  the  channels  of  the  Charles 


1 72  LIONEL  LINCOLN. 

and  Mystic,  to  cover  the  northern  approaches  to  the 
place  ;  and  as  he  beheld  the  column  of  white  smoke  that 
was  wreathing  about  the  masts  of  a  frigate  among  them, 
Lionel  was  no  longer  at  a  loss  to  comprehend  whence 
the  firing  proceeded.  While  he  was  yet  gazing,  uncertain 
of  the  reasons  which  demanded  this  show  of  war,  immense 
fields  of  smoke  burst  from  the  side  of  a  ship  of  the  line, 
who  also  opened  her  deep-mouthed  cannon,  and  presently 
her  example  was  followed  by  several  floating  batteries, 
and  lighter  vessels,  until  the  wide  amphitheatre  of  hills 
that  encircled  Boston,  was  filled  with  the  echoes  of  a  hun- 
dred pieces  of  artillery. 

"What  can  it  mean,  sir  ? "  exclaimed  a  young  officer  of 
his  own  regiment,  addressing  Major  Lincoln — "  the  sailors 
are  in  downright  earnest,  and  they  scale  their  guns  with 
shot,  I  know,  by  the  rattling  of  the  reports  !  " 

"  I  can  boast  of  a  vision  no  better  than  your  own,"  re- 
turned Lionel;  "for  no  enemy  can  I  see.  As  the  guns 
seem  pointed  at  the  opposite  peninsula,  it  is  probable  a 
party  of  the  Americans  are  attempting  to  destroy  the  grass 
which  lies  newly  mown  in  the  meadows."  . 

The  young  officer  was  in  the  act  of  assenting  to  this  con- 
jecture, when  a  voice  was  heard  above  their  heads,  shout- 
ing— 

"  There  goes  a  gun  from  Copp's  !  They  needn't  think 
to  frighten  the  people  with  their  rake-helly  noises  ;  let  them 
blaze  away  till  the  dead  get  out  of  their  graves — the  Bay- 
men  will  keep  the  hill !  " 

Every  eye  was  immediately  turned  upward,  and  the 
wondering  and  amused  spectators  discovered  Job  Pray, 
seated  in  the  grate  of  the  beacon,  his  countenance,  usually 
so  vacant,  gleaming  with  exultation,  while  he  continued 
waving  his  hat  high  in  air,  as  gun  after  gun  was  added  to 
the  uproar  of  the  cannonade. 

"  How  now,  fellow  !  "  exclaimed  Lionel  :  "what  see  you  t 
and  where  are  the  Bay-men  of  whom  you  speak  ? " 

"Where  ?"  returned  the  simpleton,  clapping  his  hands 
with  childish  delight — "why,  where  they  came  at  dark  mid- 
night, and  where  they'll  stand  at  open  noonday  !  The 
Bay-men  can  look  into  the  windows  of  old  Funnel  at  last, 
and  now  let  the  reg'lars  come  on,  and  they'll  teach  the  god- 
less murderers  the  law  '.  " 

Lionel,  a  little  irritated  with  the  bold  language  of  Job, 
called  to  him  in  an  angry  voice-— 

"  Come  down  from  that  perch,  fellow,  and  explain  your- 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  173 

self,  or  this  grenadier  shall  lift  you  from  your  seat,  and 
transfer  you  to  the  post  for  a  little  of  that  wholesome  cor- 
rection which  you  need." 

"  You  promised  that  the  grannies  should  never  flog  Job 
ag'in,"  said  the  changeling,  crouching  down  in  th,e  grate, 
whence  he  looked  out  at  his  threatened  chastiser  with  a 
lowering  and  sullen  eye — "  and  Job  agreed  to  run  your 
a'r'nds,  and  not  take  any  of  the  king's  crowrns  in  pay." 

"Come  down,  then,  this  instant,  and  I  will  remember 
the  compact." 

Comforted  by  this  assurance,  which  was  made  in  a  more 
friendly  tone,  Job  threw  himself  carelessly  from  his  iron 
seat,  and  clinging  to  the  post,  he  slid  swiftly  to  the  earth, 
where  Major  Lincoln  immediately  arrested  him  by  the  arm, 
and  demanded — 

"Where  are  those  Day-men,  I  once  more  ask  ? " 

"There  !"  repeated  Job,  pointing  over  the  low  roofs  of 
the  town,  in  the  direction  of  the  opposite  peninsula.  "  They 
dug  their  cellar  on  Breed's,  and  now  they  are  fixing  the 
underpinnin',  and  next  you'll  see  what  a  raising  they'll  in- 
vite the  people  to  !  " 

The  instant  the  spot  was  named,  all  those  eyes  which 
had  hitherto  gazed  at  the  vessels  themselves,  instead  of 
searching  for  the  object  of  their  hostility,  were  turned  on 
the  green  eminence  which  rose  a  little  to  the  right  of  the 
village  of  Charlestown,  and  every  doubt  \vas  at  once  re- 
moved by  the  discovery.  The  high,  conical  summit  of 
Bunker  Hill  lay  naked,  and  unoccupied,  as  on  the  preced- 
ing day  ;  but  on  the  extremity  of  a  more  humble  ridge, 
which  extended  within  a  short  distance  of  the  water,  a  low 
bank  of  earth  had  been  thrown  up,  for  purposes  which  no 
military  eye  could  mistake.  This  redoubt,  small  and  in- 
artificial as  it  was,  commanded  by  its  position  the  whole  of 
the  inner  harbor  of  Boston,  and  even  endangered,  in  some 
measure,  the  occupants  of  the  town  itself.  It  was  the  sud- 
den appearance  of  this  magical  mound,  as  the  mists  of  the 
morning  had  dispersed,  which  roused  the  slumbering  sea- 
men ;  and  it  had  already  become  the  target  of  all  the  guns 
of  the  shipping  in  the  bay.  Amazement  at  the  temerity 
of  their  countrymen  held  the  townsmen  silent,  while  Major 
Lincoln,  and  the  few  officers  who  stood  nigh  him,  saw,  at 
a  glance,  that  this  step  on  the  part  of  their  adversaries 
would  bring  the  affairs  of  the  leaguer  to  an  instant  crisis. 
In  vain  they  turned  their  wondering  looks  on  the  neigh- 
boring eminence,  and  around  the  different  points  of  the 


174  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

peninsula,  in  quest  of  those  places  of  support,  with  which 
soldiers  generally  entrench  their  defences.  The  husband- 
men opposed  to  them  had  seized  upon  the  point  best  cal- 
culated to  annoy  their  foes,  without  regard  to  the  conse- 
quences ;  and  in  a  few  short  hours,  favored  by  the  mantle 
of  night,  had  thrown  up  their  work  with  a  dexterity  that 
was  only  exceeded  by  their  boldness.  The  truth  flashed 
across  the  brain  of  Major  Lincoln  with  his  first  glance, 
and  he  felt  his  cheeks  glow  as  he  remembered  the  low 
and  indistinct  murmurs,  which  the  night  air  had  wafted  to 
his  ears,  and  tho'se  inexplicable  fancies,  which  had  even 
continued  to  haunt  him  till  dispersed  by  truth  and  the  light 
of  day.  Motioning  to  Job  to  follow,  he  left  the  hill  with 
a  hurried  step,  and  when  they  gained  the  Common,  he 
turned,  and  said,  sternly,  to  his  companion — 

"Fellow,  you  have  been  privy  to  this  midnight  work  ! " 

"Job  has  enough  to  do  in  the  day,  without  laboring  in 
the  night,  when  none  but  the  dead  are  out  of  their  places 
of  rest,"  returned  the  lad,  with  a  look  of  mental  imbe- 
cility, which  immediately  disarmed  the  resentment  of  the 
other. 

Lionel  smiled  as  he  again  remembered  his  own  weak- 
ness, and  repeated  to  himself — 

"The  dead  !  ay,  these  are  the  works  of  the  living  ;  and 
bold  men  are  they  who  have  dared  to  do  the  deed.  But 
tell  me,  Job, — for  'tis  in  vain  to  attempt  deceiving  me  any 
longer — what  number  of  Americans  did  you  leave  on  the 
hill,  when  you  crossed  the  Charles  to  visit  the  graves  on 
Copp's,  the  past  night?" 

"  Both  hills  were  crowded,"  returned  the  other — 
"  Breed's  with  the  people,  and  Copp's  with  the  ghosts — 
Job  believes  the  dead  rose  to  see  their  children  digging  so 
nigh  them ! " 

"  Tis  probable,"  said  Lionel,  who  believed  it  wisest  to 
humor  the  wild  conceits  of  the  lad,  in  order  to  disarm  his 
cunning;  "but,  though  the  dead  are  invisible,  the  living 
may  be  counted." 

"  Job  did  count  five  hundred  men,  marching  over  the 
nose  of  Bunker,  by  starlight,  with  their  picks  and  spades  ; 
and  then  he  stopped,  for  he  forgot  whether  seven  or  eight 
hundred  came  next." 

"And  after  you  had  ceased  to  count,  did  many  others 
pass  ? " 

"  The  Bay  colony  isn't  so  poorly  off  for  men,  that  it  can't 
muster  a  thousand  at  a  raising." 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  175 

"  But  you  had  a  master  workman  on -the  occasion  ;  was 
it  the  wolf-hunter  of  Connecticut?" 

"  There  is  no  occasion  to  go  from  the  province  to  find  a 
workman  to  lay  out  a  cellar !  Dickey  Gridley  is  a  Boston 
boy  !  " 

"Ah!  he  is  the  chief!  we  can  have  nothing  to  fear  then, 
since  the  Connecticut  woodsman  is  not  at  their  head ! " 

"  Do  you  think  old  Prescott,  of  Pepperel,  will  quit  the 
hill  while  he  has  a  kernel  of  powder  to  burn  ? — no,  no, 
Major  Lincoln,  Ralph  himself  an't  a  stouter  warrior  ;  and 
you  can't  frighten  Ralph  !  " 

"  But  if  they  fire  their  cannon  often,  their  small  stock  of 
ammunition  will  be  soon  consumed,  and  then  they  must 
unavoidably  run." 

Job  laughed  tauntingly,  and  with  an  appearance  of  high 
scorn,  before  he  answered — 

'•  Yes,  if  the  Bay-men  were  as  dumb  as  the  king's  troops, 
and  used  such  big  guns!  but  the  cannon  of  the  colony 
want  but  little  brimstone,  and  there's  but  few  of  them. 
Let  the  rake-heliies  go  up  to  Breed's  ;  the  people  will 
teach  them  the  law!" 

Lionel  had  now  obtained  all  he  expected  to  learn  from 
the  simpleton,  concerning  the  force  and  condition  of  the 
Americans  ;  and  as  the  moments  wrere  too  precious  to  be 
wasted  in  vain  discourse,  he  bid  the  lad  repair  to  his  quar- 
ters that  night,  and  left  him.  On  entering  his  own  lodgings, 
Major  Lincoln  shut  himself  up  in  his  private  apartment,  and 
passed  several  hours  in  writing,  and  examining  important 
papers.  One  letter,  in  particular,  was  written,  read,  torn, 
and  re-written,  five  or  six  times,  until  at  length  he  placed 
his  seal,  and  directed  the  important  paper  with  a  sort  of 
carelessness  that  denoted  his  patience  was  exhausted  by 
repeated  trials.  These  documents  were  entrusted  to  Mer- 
iton,  with  orders  to  deliver  them  to  their  several  addresses, 
unless  countermanded  before  the  following  day  ;  and  the 
young  man  hastily  swallowed  a  late  and  light  breakfast. 
While  shut  up  in  his  closet,  Lionel  had  several  times 
thrown  aside  his  pen  to  listen,  as  the  hum  of  the  place 
penetrated  to  his  retirement,  and  announced  the  excite- 
ment and  bustle  which  pervaded  the  streets  of  the  town. 
Having  at  length  completed  the  task  he  had  assigned 
himself,  he  caught  up  his  hat,  and  took  his  way,  with  hasty 
steps,  into  the  centre  of  the  place. 

Cannon  were  rattling  over  the  rough  pavements,  fol- 
lowed by  ammunition  wagons,  and  officers  and  men  of  the 


176  JJONKL   LINCOLN. 

artillery  were  seen  in  swift  pursuit  of  their  pieces.  Aides- 
de-camp  were  riding  furiously  through  the  streets,  charged 
with  important  messages  ;  and  here  and  there  an  officer 
might  be  seen  issuing  from  his  quarters,  with  a  counte- 
nance in  which  manly  pride  struggled  powerfully  with 
inward  dejection,  as  he  caught  the  last  glance  of  anguish, 
which  followed  his  retiring  form,  from  eyes  that  had  been 
used  to  meet  his  own  with  looks  of  confidence  and  love. 
There  was,  however,  but  little  time  to  dwell  on  these  flit- 
ting glimpses  of  domestic  woe,  amid  the  general  bustle  and 
glitter  of  the  scene.  Now  and  then  the  strains  of  martial 
music  broke  up  through  the  windings  of  the  crooked 
avenues,  and  detachments  of  the  troops  wheeled  by,  on 
their  way  to  the  appointed  place  of  embarkation.  While 
Lionel  stood  a  moment  at  the  corner  of  a  street,  admiring 
the  firm  movement  of  a  body  of  grenadiers,  his  eye  fell  on 
the  powerful  frame  and  rigid  features  of  M'Fuse,  marching 
at  the  head  of  his  company  with  that  gravity  which  re- 
garded the  accuracy  of  the  step  amongst  the  important 
incidents  of  life.  At  a  short  distance  from  him  was  Job 
Pray,  timing  his  paces  to  the  tread  of  the  soldiers,  and 
regarding  the  gallant  show  with  stupid  admiration,  while 
his  ear  unconsciously  drank  the  inspiriting  music  of  their 
band.  As  this  fine  body  of  men  passed  on,  it  was  imme- 
diately succeeded  by  a  battalion,  in  which  Lionel  instantly 
recognized  the  facings  of  his  own  regiment.  The  warm- 
hearted Polwarth  led  its  forward  files,  and,  waving  his 
hand,  he  cried — 

"  God  bless  you,  Leo,  God  bless  you — we  shall  make 
a  fair  stand  up  fight  of  this  ;  there  is  an  end  of  all  stag- 
hunting." 

The  notes  of  the  horns  rose  above  his  voice,  and  Lionel 
could  do  no  more  than  return  his  cordial  salute  ;  when,  re- 
called to  his  purpose  by  the  sight  of  his  comrades,  he 
turned  and  pursued  his  way  to  the  quarters  of  the  com- 
mander-in-chief. 

The  gate  of  Province-House  was  thronged  with  military 
men  ;  some  waiting  for  admittance,  and  others  entering 
and  departing  with  the  air  of  those  who  were  charged  with 
the  execution  of  matters  of  the  deepest  moment.  The 
name  of  Major  Lincoln  was  hardly  announced  before  an 
aid  appeared  to  conduct  him  into  the  presence  of  the  gov- 
ernor, with  a  politeness  and  haste  that  several  gentlemen, 
who  had  been  in  waiting  for  hours,  deemed  in  a  trifling 
degree  unjust. 


LIONEL   LINCOLN. 


'77 


Lionel,  however,  having  little  to  do  with  murmurs  which 
he  did  not  hear,  followed  his  conductor,  and  was  immedi- 
ately ushered  into  the  apartment,  where  a  council  of  war 
had  just  closed  its  deliberations.  On  the  threshold  of  its 
door  he  was  compelled  to  give  way  to  an  officer,  who  was 
departing  in  haste,  and  whose  powerful  frame  seemed  bent 
a  little  in  the  intensity  of  thought,  as  his  dark,  military 
countenance  lighted  for  an  instant  with  the  salutation  he 
returned  to  the  low  bow  of  the  young  soldier.  Around 
this  chief  a  group  of  younger  men  immediately  clustered, 
and  as  they  departed  in  company,  Lionel  was  enabled  to 
gather  from  their  conversation,  that  they  took  their  way 
for  the  field  of  battle.  The  room  was  filled  with  officers 
of  high  rank  ;  though  here  and  there  was  to  be  seen  a 
man  in  civil  attire,  whose  disappointed  and  bitter  looks 
announced  him  to  be  one  of  those  mandamus  counsellors, 
whose  evil  advice  had  hastened  the  mischief  their  wisdom 
could  never  repair.  From  out  a  small  circle  of  these 
mortified  civilians,  the  unpretending  person  of  Gage  ad- 
vanced to  meet  Lionel,  forming  a  marked  contrast,  by  the 
simplicity  of  his  dress,  to  the  military  splendor  that  was 
glittering  around  him. 

"  In  what  can  I  oblige  Major  Lincoln  ? "  he  said,  tak- 
mg  the  young  man  by  the  hand  cordially,  «is  if  glad  to  be 
rid  of  the  troublesome  counsellors  he  had  so  unceremoni- 
ously quitted. 

"'  Wolfe's  own '  has  just  passed  me  on  its  way  to  the 
boats,  and  I  have  ventured  to  intrude  on  your  excellency 
to  inquire  if  it  were  not  time  its  major  had  resumed  his 
duty." 

A  shade  of  thought  was  seated  for  a  moment  on  the 
placid  features  of  the  general,  and  he  then  answered  with 
a  friendly  smile — 

"'Twill  be  no  more  than  an  affair  of  out-posts,  and  must 
be  quickly  ended.  But  should  I  grant  the  request  of  every 
brave  young  man  whose  spirit  is  up  to-day,  it  might  cost 
liis  majesty's  service  the  life  of  some  officer  that  would 
make  the  purchase  of  the  pile  of  earth  too  dear." 

"  But  may.  I  not  be  permitted  to  say,  that  the  family  of 
Lincoln  is  of  the  province,  and  its  example  should  not  be 
.ost  on  such  an  occasion  ? " 

"The  loyalty  of  the  colonies  is  too  well  represented  here 
10  need  the  sacrifice,"  said  Gage  glancing  his  eyes  care- 
lessly at  the  expecting  group  behind  him. — "  My  council 
have  decided  on  the  officers  to  be  employed,  and  I  regret 


178  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

that  Major  Lincoln's  name  was  omitted,  since  I  know  it 
will  give  him  pain  ;  but  valuable  lives  are  not  to  be  lightly 
and  unnecessarily  exposed." 

Lionel  bowed  in  submission  ;  and,  after  communicating 
the  little  he  had  gathered  from  Job  Pray,  he  turned  away, 
and  found  himself  near  another  officer  of  high  rank,  who 
smiled  as  he  observed  his  disappointed  countenance,  and, 
taking  him  by  the  arm,  led  him  from  the  room,  with  a  free- 
dom suited  to  his  fine  figure  and  easy  air. 

"  Then,  like  myself,  Lincoln,  you  are  not  to  battle  for 
the  king  to-day,"  he  said,  on  gaining  the  ante-chamber. 
"  Howe  has  the  luck  of  the  occasion,  if  there  can  be  luck  in 
so  vulgar  an  affair.  But  allons  ;  accompany  me  to  Copp's. 
as  a  spectator,  since  they  deny  us  parts  in  the  drama  ;  and 
perhaps  we  may  pick  up  materials  for  a  pasquinade,  though 
not  for  an  epic." 

"  Pardon  me,  General  Burgoyne,"  said  Lionel,  "  if  I  view 
the  matter  with  more  serious  eyes  than  yourself." 

"  Ah !  I  had  forgot  that  you  were  a  follower  of  Percy  in 
the  hunt  of  Lexington!"  interrupted  the  other;  "we 
will  call  it  a  tragedy,  then,  if  it  better  suits  your  humor. 
For  myself,  Lincoln,  I  weary  of  these  crooked  streets  and 
gloomy  houses,  and,  having  some  taste  for  the  poetry  of 
nature,  would  have  long  since  looked  out  upon  the  deserted 
fields  of  these  husbandmen,  had  the  authority,  as  well  as 
the  inclination,  rested  with  me.  But  Clinton  is  joining  us ; 
he,  too,  is  for  Copp's,  where  we  can  all  take  a  lesson  in 
arms,  by  studying  the  manner  in  which  Howe  wields  his 
battalions." 

A  soldier  of  middle  age  now  joined  them,  whose  stout 
frame,  while  it  wanted  the  grace  and  ease  of  the  gentleman 
who  still  held  Lionel  by  the  arm,  bore  a  martial  character 
to  which  the  look  of  the  quiet  and  domestic  Gage  was  a 
stranger  ;  and,  followed  by  their  several  attendants,  the 
whole  party  immediately  left  the  Government-house  to 
take  their  destined  position  on  the  eminence  so  often  men- 
tioned. 

As  they  entered  the  street,  Burgoyne  relinquished  the 
arm  of  his  companion,  and  moved  with  becoming  dignity 
by  the  side  of  his  brother  general.  Lionel  gladly  availed 
himself  of  this  alteration,  to  withdraw  a  little  from  the 
group,  whose  steps  he  followed  at  such  a  distance  as  per- 
mitted him  to  observe  those  exhibitions  of  feeling,  on  the 
part  of  the  inhabitants,  which  the  pride  of  the  others  in- 
duced them  to  overlook.  Pallid  and  anxious  female  faces 


LIONEL   LINCOLN,  179 

were  gleaming  out  upon  them  from  every  window,  while 
the  roofs  of  the  houses,  and  the  steeples  of  the  churches^ 
were  beginning  to  throng  with  more  daring,  and  equally 
interested  spectators.  The  drums  no  longer  rolled  along 
the  narrow  streets,  though  occasionally,  the  shrill  strain  of 
a  fife  was  heard  from  the  water,  announcing  the  movements 
of  the  troops  to  the  opposite  peninsula.  Over  all  was  heard 
the  incessant  roaring  of  the  artillery,  which,  untired,  had 
not  ceased  to  rumble  in  the  air  since  the  appearance  of 
light,  until  the  ear,  accustomed  to  its  presence,  had  learnt 
to  distinguish  the  lesser  sounds  we  have  recorded. 

As  the  party  descended  into  the  lower  passages  of  the 
town,  it  appeared  deserted  by  everything  having  life  ;  the 
open  windows  and  neglected'  doors  betraying  the  urgency 
of  the  feelings,  which  had  called  the  population  to  situa- 
tions more  favorable  for  observing  the  approaching  con- 
test. This  appearance  of  intense  curiosity  excited  the  sym- 
pathies of  even  the  old  and  practised  soldiers  ;  and,  quick- 
ening their  paces,  the  whole  soon  rose  from  among  the 
gloomy  edifices  to  the  open  and  unobstructed  view  from 
the  hill. 

The  whole  scene  now  lay  before  them.  Nearly  in  their 
front  was  the  village  of  Charlestown,  with  its  deserted 
streets,  and  silent  roofs,  looking  like  a  place  of  the  dead  ; 
or,  if  the  signs  of  life  were  visible  within  its  open  avenues, 
'twas  merely  some  figure  moving  swiftly  in  the  solitude, 
like  one  who  hastened  to  quit  the  devoted  spot.  On  the 
opposite  point  of  the  southeastern  face  of  the  peninsula, 
and  at  the  distance  of  a  thousand  yards,  the  ground  was 
already  covered  by  masses  of  human  beings,  in  scarlet, 
with  their  arms  glittering  in  a  noonday  sun.  Between  the 
two,  though  in  the  more  immediate  vicinity  of  the  silent 
town,  the  rounded  ridge,  already  described,  rose  abruptly 
from  a  flat  that  was  bounded  by  the  water,  until,  having 
attained  an  elevation  of  some  fifty  or  sixty  feet,  it  swelled 
gradually  to  the  little  crest,  where  was  planted  the  humble 
object  that  had  occasioned  all  this  commotion.  The  mead- 
ows, on  the  right,  were  still  peaceful  and  smiling,  as  in  the 
most  quiet  days  of  the  province,  though  the  excited  fancy 
of  Lionel  imagined  that  a  sullen  stillness  lingered  about, 
the  neglected  kilns  in  their  front,  and  over  the  whole  land- 
scape, that  was  in  gloomy  consonance  with  the  approach- 
ing scene.  Far  on  the  left,  across  the  waters  of  the  Charles, 
the  American  camp  had  poured  forth  its  thousands  to  the 
hills  ;  and  the  whole  population  of  the  country,  for  many 


i8o  LIONEL   LAVCOL.V. 

miles  inland,  had  gathered  to  a  point,  to  witness  a  struggle 
charged  with  the  fate  of  their  nation.  Beacon  Hill  rose 
from  out  the  appalling  silence  of  the  town  of  Boston,  like 
a  pyramid  of  living  faces,  with  every  eye  fixed  on  the  fatal 
point  ;  and  men  hung  along  the  yards  of  the  shipping,  or 
were  suspended  on  cornices,  cupolas,  and  steeples,  in 
thoughtless  security,  while  every  other  sense  was  lost  in 
the  absorbing  interest  of  the  sight.  The  vessels  of  war 
had  hauled  deep  into  the  rivers,  or,  more  properly,  those 
narrow  arms  of  the  sea  which  formed  the  peninsula,  and 
sent  their  iron  missiles,  with  unwearied  industry,  across  the 
low  passage,  which  alone  opened  the  means  of  communi- 
cation between  the  self-devoted  yeomen  on  the  hill,  and 
their  distant  countrymen.  While  battalion  landed  after  bat- 
talion on  the  point,  cannon-balls  from  the  battery  of  Copp's, 
and  the  vessels  of  war,  were  glancing  -up  the  natural  glacis 
that  surrounded  the  redoubt,  burying  themselves  in  its 
earthen  parapet,  or  plunging  with  violence  into  the  de- 
serted sides  of  the  loftier  height  which  lay  a  few  hundred 
yards  in  its  rear  ;  and  the  black  and  smoking  bombs,  ap- 
peared to  hover  above  the  spot,  as  if  pausing  to  select  the 
places  in  which  to  plant  their  deadly  combustibles. 

Notwithstanding  these  appalling  preparations,  and  cease- 
less annoyances,  throughout  that  long  and  anxious  morn- 
ing, the  stout  husbandmen  on  the  hill  had  never  ceased 
their  steady  efforts  to  maintain,  to  the  uttermost  extremity, 
the  post  they  had  so  daringly  assumed.  In  vain  the  Eng- 
lish exhausted  every  means  to  disturb  their  stubborn  foes  ; 
the  pick,  the  shovel,  and  the  spade  continued  to  perform 
their  offices  ;  and  mound  rose  after  mound,  amidst  the  din 
and  danger  of  the  'cannonade,  steadily,  and  as  well  as  if 
the  fanciful  conceits  of  Job  Pray  embraced  their  real  ob- 
jects, and  the  laborers  were  employed  in  the  peaceful  pur- 
suits of  their  ordinary  lives.  This  firmness,  however,  was 
not  like  the  proud  front,  which  high  training  can  impart 
to  the  most  common  mind  ;  for,  ignorant  of  the  glare  of 
military  show  ;  in  the  simple  and  rude  vestments  of  their 
calling  ;  armed  with  such  weapons  as  they  had  seized  from 
the  hooks  above  their  own  mantels  ;  and  without  even  a 
banner  to  wave  its  cheering  folds  above  their  heads,  they 
stood,  sustained  only  by  the  righteousness  of  their  cause, 
and  those  deep  moral  principles  which  they  had  received 
from  their  fathers,  and  which  they  intended  this  day  should 
show  were  to  be  transmitted  untarnished  to  their  children. 
It  was  afterward  known,  that  they  endured  their  labors 


LIONEL  LINCOLN.  181 

and  their  dangers  even  in  want  of  that  sustenance,  which 
is  so  essential  to  support  animal  spirits  in  moments  of  calm- 
ness and  ease  ;  while  their  enemies,  on  the  point,  awaiting 
the  arrival  of  their  latest  bands,  were  securely  devouring 
a  meal,  which  to  hundreds  amongst  them  proved  to  be 
their  last.  The  fatal  instant  now  seemed  approaching.  A 
general  movement  was  seen  among  the  battalions  of  the 
British,  who  began  to  spread  along  the  shore,  under  cover 
of  the  brow  of  the  hill — the  lingering  boats  having  arrived 
with  the  rear  of  their  detachments — and  officers  hurried 
from  regiment  to  regiment  with  the  final  mandates  of  their 
chief.  At  this  moment  a  body  of  Americans  appeared  on 
the  crown  of  Bunker  Hill,  and  descending  swiftly  by  the 
road,  disappeared  in  the  meadows  to  the  left  of  their  own 
redoubt.  This  band  was  followed  by  others,  who,  like 
themselves,  had  broken  through  the  dangers  of  the  narrow 
pass,  by  braving  the  fire  of  the  shipping,  and  who  also 
hurried  to  join  their  comrades  on  the  low  land.  The  Brit- 
ish general  determined  at  once  to  anticipate  the  arrival  of 
further  reinforcements,  and  gave  forth  the  long-expected 
order  to  prepare  for  the  attack. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

"  Th'  imperious  Briton,  on  the  well-fought  ground, 
No  cause  for  joy,  or  wanton  triumph  found  ; 
But  saw,  with  grief,  their  dreams  of  conquest  vain, 
Felt  the  deep  wounds,  and  mourn' d  their  vet'rans  slain." 

— HUMPHREYS. 

THE  Americans  had  made  a  show,  in  the  course  of  that 
fearful  morning,  of  returning  the  fire  of  their  enemies,  by 
throwing  a  few  shot  from  their  light  field-pieces,  as  if  in 
mockery  of  the  tremendous  cannonade  which  they  sus- 
tained. But  as  the  moment  of  severest  trial  approached, 
the  same  awful  stillness,  which  had  settled  upon  the  de- 
serted streets  of  Charlestown,  hovered  around  the  redoubt. 
On  the  meadows,  to  its  left,  the  recently  arrived  bands 
hastily  threw  the  rails  of  two  fences  into  one,  and,  cover- 
ing the  whole  with  the  mown  grass  that  surrounded  them, 
they  posted  themselves  along  the  frail  defence,  which  an- 
swered no  better  purpose  than  to  conceal  their  weakness 
from  their  adversaries.  Behind  this  characteristic  rampart, 
several  bodies  of  husbandmen,  from  the  neighboring  prov- 


i%2  LIONEL  LINCOLN; 

inces  of  New  Hampshire  and  Connecticut,  lay  on  their 
arms,  in  sullen  expectation.  Their  line  extended  from  the 
shore  to  the  base  of  the  ridge,  where  it  terminated  several 
hundred  feet  behind  the  works  ;  leaving  a  wide  opening  in 
a  diagonal  direction,  between  the  fence  and  an  earthen 
breastwork,  which  ran  a  short  distance  down  the  declivity 
of  the  hill,  from  the  northeastern  angle  of  the  redoubt.  A 
few  hundred  yards  in  the  rear  of  this  rude  disposition, 
the  naked  crest  of  Bu\ker  Hill  rose  unoccupied  and  un- 
defended ;  and  the  streams  of  the  Charles  and  Mystic, 
sweeping  around  its  base,  approached  so  near  each  other 
as  to  blend  the  sounds  of  their  rippling.  It  was  across  this 
low  and  narrow  isthmus,  that  the  royal  frigates  poured  a 
stream  of  fire,  that  never  ceased,  while  around  it  hovered 
the  numerous  parties  of  the  undisciplined  Americans,  hesi- 
tating to  attempt  the  dangerous  passage. 

In  this  manner  Gage  had,  in  a  great  degree,  surrounded 
the  devoted  peninsula  with  his  power  ;  and  the  bold  men, 
who  had  so  daringly  planted  themselves  under  the  muzzles 
of  his  cannon,  were  left,  as  already  stated,  unsupported, 
without  nourishment,  and  with  weapons  from  their  own 
gun-hooks,  singly  to  maintain  the  honor  of  their  nation. 
Including  men  of  all  ages  and  conditions,  there  might  have 
been  two  thousand  of  them  ;  but,  as  the  day  advanced, 
small  bodies  of  their  countrymen,  taking  counsel  of  their 
feelings,  and  animated  by  the  example  of  the  old  partisan 
of  the  woods,  who  crossed  and  recrossed  the  neck,  loudly 
scoffing  at  the  danger,  broke  through  the  fire  of  the  ship- 
ping in  time  to  join  in  the  closing  and  bloody  business  of 
the  hour. 

On  the  other  hand,  Howe  led  more  than  an  equal  num- 
ber of  the  chosen  troops  of  his  prince  ;  and  as  boats  con- 
tinued to  ply  between  the  two  peninsulas  throughout  the 
afternoon,  the  relative  disparity  continued  undiminished 
to  the  end  of  the  struggle.  It  was  at  this  point  in  our  nar- 
rative that,  deeming  himself  sufficiently  strong  to  force 
the  defences  of  his  despised  foes,  the  arrangements  im- 
mediately preparatory  to  such  an  undertaking  were  made 
in  full  view  of  the  excited  spectators.  Notwithstanding  the 
security  with  which  the  English  general  marshalled  his 
warriors,  he  felt  that  the  approaching  contest  would  be 
a  battle  of  no  common  incidents.  The  eyes  of  tens  of 
thousands  were  fastened  on  his  movements,  and  the  oc- 
casion demanded  the  richest  display  of  the  pageantry  of 
war. 


LIONEL   LIXCOLN.  183 

The  troops  formed  with  beautiful  accuracy,  and  the  col- 
umns moved  steadily  along  the  shore,  and  took  their  as- 
signed stations  under  cover  of  the  brow  of  the  eminence. 
Their  force  was  in  some  measure  divided  ;  one  moiety  at- 
tempting the  toilsome  ascent  of  the  hill,  and  the  other 
moving  along  the  beach,  or  in  the  orchards  of  the  more 
level  ground,  toward  the  husbandmen  on  the  meadows. 
The  latter  soon  disappeared  behind  some  fruit-trees  and 
the  brickkilns  just  mentioned.  The  advance  of  the  royal 
columns  up  the  ascent  was  slow  and  measured,  giving  time 
to  their  field-guns  to  add  their  efforts  to  the  uproar  of  the 
cannonade,  which  broke  out  with  new  fury  as  the  bat- 
talions prepared  to  march.  When  each  column  arrived  at 
the  allotted  point,  it  spread  the  gallant  array  of  its  glitter- 
ing warriors  under  a  bright  sun. 

"  It  is  a  glorious  spectacle,"  murmured  the  graceful 
chieftain  by  the  side  of  Lionel,  keenly  alive  to  all  the 
poetry  of  his  alluring  profession  ;  "how  exceeding  soldier- 
like !  and  with  what  accuracy  his  *  first-arm  ascends  the 
hill,'  toward  his  enemy  !  " 

The  intensity  of  his  feelings  prevented  Major  Lincoln 
from  replying,  and  the  other  soon  forgot  that  he  had 
spoken,  in  the  overwhelming  anxiety  of  the  moment.  The 
advance  of  the  British  line,  so  beautiful  and  slow,  resembled 
rather  the  ordered  steadiness  of  a  drill,  than  an  approach 
to  a  deadly  struggle.  Their  standards  fluttered  proudly 
above  them  ;  and  there  were  moments  when  the  wild  music 
of  their  bands  was  heard  rising  on  the  air,  and  tempering 
the  ruder  sounds  of  the  artillery.  The  young  and  thought- 
less in  their  ranks  turned  their  faces  backward,  and  smiled 
exultingly,  as  they  beheld  steeples,  roofs,  masts,  and  heights, 
teeming  with  their  thousands  of  eyes,  bent  on  the  show  of 
their  bright  array.  As  the  British  lines  moved  in  open 
view  of  the  little  redoubt,  and  began  slowly  to  gather 
around  its  different  faces,  gun  after  gun  became  silent,  and 
the  curious  artillerist,  or  tired  seaman,  lay  extended  on  his 
heated  piece,  gazing  in  mute  wonder  at  the  spectacle. 
There  was  just  then  a  minute  when  the  roar  of  the  can- 
nonade seemed  passing  away  like  the  rumbling  of  distant 
thunder. 

"  They  will  not  fight,  Lincoln,"  said  the  animated  leader 
at  the  side  of  Lionel — "  the  military  front  of  Howe  has 
chilled  the  hearts  of  the  knaves,  and  our  victory  will  be 
bloodless  ! " 

"We  shall  see,  sir— we  shall  see !" 


1 84  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

These  words  were  barely  uttered,  when  platoon  after 
platoon,  among  the  British,  delivered  its  fire,  the  blaze  of 
musketry  flashing  swiftly  around  the  brow  of  the  hill,  and 
was  immediately  followed  by  heavy  volleys  that  ascended 
from  the  orchard.  Still  no  answering  sound  was  heard 
from  the  Americans,  and  the  royal  troops  were  soon  lost 
to.  the  eye,  as  they  slowly  marched  into  the  white  cloud 
which  their  own  fire  had  alone  created. 

"  They  are  cowed,  by  heavens — the  dogs  are  cowed !  " 
once  more  cried  the  gay  companion  of  Lionel,  "and  Howe 
is  within  two  hundred  feet  of  them,  unharmed  ! " 

At  that  instant  a  sheet  of  flame  glanced  through  the 
smoke,  like  lightning  playing  in  a  cloud,  while  at  one 
report  a  thousand  muskets  were  added  to  the  uproar.  It 
was  not  altogether  fancy  which  led  Lionel  to  imagine  that 
he  saw  the  smoky  canopy  of  the  hill  to  wave,  as  if  the 
trained  warriors  it  enveloped  faltered  before  this  close  and 
appalling  discharge  ;  but,  in  another  instant,  the  stimulat- 
ing war-cry,  and  the  loud  shouts  of  the  combatants  were 
borne  across  the  strait  to  his  ears,  even  amid  the  horrid  din 
of  the  combat.  Ten  breathless  minutes  flew  by  like  a 
moment  of  time,  and  the  bewildered  spectators  on  Copp's 
were  still  gazing  intently  on  the  scene,  when  a  voice  was 
raised  among  them,  shouting — 

"Hurrah!  let  the  rake-hellies  go  up  to  Breed's  ;  the 
people  will  teach  'em  the  law  ! " 

"  Throw  the  rebel  scoundrel  from  the  hill  !  Blow  him 
from  the  muzzle  of  a  gun  !  "  cried  twenty  soldiers  in  a 
breath. 

"  Hold  !  "  exclaimed  Lionel — "  'tis  a  simpleton,  an  idiot, 
a  fool !  " 

But  the  angry  and  savage  murmurs  as  quickly  subsided, 
and  were  lost  in  other  feelings,  as  the  bright  red  lines  of 
the  royal  troops  were  seen  issuing  from  the  smoke,  waving 
and  recoiling  before  the  still  vivid  fire  of  their  enemies. 

"Ha!"  said  Burgoyne — "'tis  some  feint  to  draw  the 
rebels  from  their  hold  !  " 

"  'Tis  a  palpable  and  disgraceful  retreat !  "  muttered  the 
stern  warrior  nigh  him,  whose  truer  eye  detected  at  a 
glance  the  discomfiture  of  the  assailants. — "  Tis  another 
base  retreat  before  the  rebels !  " 

"  Hurrah  !  "  shouted  the  reckless  changeling  again  ; 
"  there  come  the  reg'lars  out  of  the  orchard  too  ! — see  th£ 
grannies  skulking  behind  the  kilns  !  Let  them  go  on  to 
Breed's  ;  the  people  will  teach  'em  the  law  !  " 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  185 

No  cry  of  vengeance  preceded  the  act  this  time,  but 
fifty  of  the  soldiery  rushed,  as  by  a  common  impulse,  on 
their  prey.  Lionel  had  not  time  to  utter  a  word  of  re- 
monstrance, before  Job  appeared  in  the  air,  borne  on  the 
uplifted  arms  of  a  dozen  men,  and  at  the  next  instant 
he  was  seen  rolling  down  the  steep  declivity,  with  a 
velocity  that  carried  him  to  the  water's  edge.  Springing 
to  his  feet,  the  undaunted  changeling  once  more  waved 
his  hat  in  triumph,  and  shouted  forth  again  his  offensive 
challenge.  Then  turning,  he  launched  his  canoe  from  its 
hiding  place  among  the  adjacent  lumber,  amid  a  shower 
of  stones,  and  glided  across  the  strait ;  his  little  bark  es- 
caping unnoticed  in  the  crowd  of  boats  that  were  rowing 
in  all  directions.  But  his  progress  was  watched  by  the 
uneasy  eye  of  Lionel,  who  saw  him  land  and  disappear, 
with  hasty  steps,  in  the  silent  streets  of  the  town. 

While  this  trifling  by-play  was  enacting,  the  great  drama 
of  the  day  was  not  at  a  stand.  The  smoky  veil,  which 
clung  around  the  brow  of  the  eminence,  was  lifted  by  the 
air,  and  sailed  heavily  away  to  the  southwest,  leaving  the 
scene  of  the  bloody  struggle  again  open  to  the  view. 
Lionel  witnessed  the  grave  and  meaning  glances  which 
the  two  lieutenants  of  the  king  exchanged  as  they  simul- 
taneously turned  their  glasses  from  the  fatal  spot,  and, 
taking  the  one  proffered  by  Burgoyne,  he  read  their  ex- 
planation in  the  numbers  of  the  dead  that  lay  profusely 
scattered  in  front  of  the  redoubt.  At  this  instant,  an  offi- 
cer from  the  field  held  an  earnest  communication  with  the 
two  leaders  ;  when,  having  delivered  his  orders,  he  hast- 
ened back  to  his  boat,  like  one  who  felt  himself  employed 
in  matters  of  life  and  death. 

"  It  shall  be  done,  sir,"  repeated  Clinton,  as  the  other 
departed,  his  honest  brow  sternly  knit  under  high  martial 
excitement. — "  The  artillery  have  their  orders,  and  the 
work  will  be  accomplished  without  delay." 

"  This,  Major  Lincoln  !  "  cried  his  more  sophisticated 
companion,  "this  is  one  of  the  trying  duties  of  the  sol- 
dier !  To  fight,  to  bleed,  or  even  to  die,  for  his  prince,  is 
his  happy  privilege  ;  but  it  is  sometimes  his  unfortunate 
lot  to  become  the  instrument  of  vengeance." 

Lionel  waited  but  a  moment  for  an  explanation — the 
flaming  balls  were  soon  seen  taking  their  wide  circuit  in 
the  air,  and  carrying  their  desolation  among  the  close  and 
inflammable  roofs  of  the  opposite  town.  In  a  very  few 
minutes,  a  dense,  black  smoke  arose  from  the  deserted 


iS6  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

buildings,  and  forked  flames  played  actively  along  the 
heated  shingles,  as  though  rioting  in  their  unmolested 
possession  of  the  place.  He  regarded  the  gathering  de- 
struction in  painful  silence ;  and,  on  bending  his  looks 
toward  his  companions,  he  fancied,  notwithstanding  the 
language  of  the  other,  that  he  read  the  deepest  regret  in 
the  averted  eye  of  him  who  had  so  unhesitatingly  uttered 
the  fatal  mandate  to  destroy. 

In  scenes  like  these  we  are  attempting  to  describe,  hours 
appear  to  be  minutes,  and  time  flies  as  imperceptibly  as 
life  slides  from  beneath  the  feet  of  age.  The  disordered 
ranks  of  the  British  had  been  arrested  at  the  base  of  the 
hill,  and  were  again  forming  under  the  eyes  of  their  lead- 
ers, with  admirable  discipline,  and  extraordinary  care. 
Fresh  battalions,  from  Boston,  marched  with  high  military 
pride  into  the  line,  and  everything  betokened  that  a  sec- 
ond assault  was  at  hand.  When  the  moment  of  stupid 
amazement,  which  succeeded  the  retreat  of  the  royal 
troops,  had  passed,  the  troops  and  batteries  poured  out 
their  wrath  with  tenfold  fury  on  their  enemies.  Shot  were 
incessantly  glancing  up  the  gentle  acclivity,  madly  plough- 
ing across  its  grassy  surface,  while  black  'and  threatening 
shells  appeared  to  hover  above  the  work,  like  the  monsters 
of  the  air,  about  to  stoop  upon  their  prey. 

Still  all  lay  quiet  and  immovable  within  the  low  mounds 
of  earth,  as  if  none  there  had  a  stake  in  the  issue  of  the 
bloody  day.  For  a  few  moments  only  the  tall  figure  of  an 
aged  man  was  seen  slowly  moving  along  the  summit  of 
the  rampart,  calmly  regarding  the  dispositions  of  the  Eng- 
lish general  in  the  more  distant  part  of  his  line,  and  after 
exchanging  a  few  words  wTith  a  gentleman,  who  joined  him 
in  his  dangerous  lookout,  they  disappeared  together  behind 
the  grassy  banks.  Lionel  soon  detected  the  name  of 
Prescott,  of  Pepperell,  passing  through  the  crowd  in  low 
murmurs,  and  his  glass  did  not  deceive  him  when  he 
thought,  in  the  smaller  of  the  two,  he  had  himself  descried 
the  graceful  person  of  the  unknown  leader  of  the  "cau- 
cus." 

All  eyes  were  now  watching  the  advance  of  the  battal- 
ions, which  once  more  drew  nigh  the  point  of  contest.  The 
heads  of  the  columns  were  already  in  view  of  their  ene- 
mies when  a  man  was  seen  swriftly  ascending  the  hill  from 
the  burning  town  :  he  paused  amid  the  peril,  on  the  nat- 
ural glacis,  and  swung  his  hat  triumphantly,  and  Lionel 
even  fancied  he  heard  the  exulting  cry,  as  he  recognized 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  187 

the  ungainly  form  of  the  simpleton,  before  it  plunged  into 
the  work. 

The  right  of  the  British  once  more  disappeared  in  the 
orchard,  and  the  columns  in  front  of  the  redoubt  again 
opened  with  all  the  imposing  exactness  of  their  high  dis- 
cipline. Their  arms  were  already  glittering  in  a  line  with 
the  green  faces  of  the  mound,  and  Lionel  heard  the 
experienced  warrior  at  his  side  murmuring  to  him- 
self— 

"  Let  him  hold  his  fire,  and  he  will  go  in  at  the  point  of 
the  bayonet ! " 

But  the  trial  was  too  great  for  even  the  practised  cour- 
age of  the  royal  troops.  Volley  succeeded  volley,  and  in 
a  few  moments  they  had  again  curtained  their  ranks  be- 
hind the  misty  screen  produced  by  their  own  fire.  Then 
came  the  terrible  flash  from  the  redoubt,  and  the  eddying 
volumes  from  the  adverse  hosts  rolled  into  one  cloud  en- 
veloping the  combatants  in  its  folds,  as  ij:  to  conceal  their 
bloody  work  from  the  spectators.  Twenty  times,  in  the  short 
space  of  as  many  minutes,  Major  Lincoln  fancied  he  heard 
the  incessant  roll  of  American  musketry  die  awray  before 
the  heavy  and  regular  volleys  of  the  troops  ;  and  then  he 
thought  the  sounds  of  the  latter  grew  more  faint,  and  were 
given  at  longer  intervals. 

The  result,  however,  was  soon  known.  The  heavy  bank 
of  smoke,  which  now  even  clung  along  the  ground,  was 
broken  in  fifty  places  ;  and  the  disordered  masses  of  the 
British  were  seen  driven  before  their  deliberate  foes,  in 
wild  confusion.  The  flashing  swords  of  the  officers  in  vain 
attempted  to  arrest  the  torrent,  nor  did  the  flight  cease, 
with  many  of  the  regiments,  until  they  had  even  reached 
their  boats.  At  this  moment  a  hum  was  heard  in  Boston, 
like  the  sudden  rush  of  wind,  and  men  gazed  in  each 
other's  faces  with  undisguised  amazement.  Here  and  there 
a  low  sound  of  exultation  escaped  some  unguarded  lip,  and 
many  an  eye  gleamed  with  a  triumph  that  could  no  long- 
er be  suppressed.  Until  this  moment  the  feelings  of  Lionel 
had  vacillated  between  the  pride  of  country  and  his  mili- 
tary spirit ;  but,  losing  all  other  feelings  in  the  latter  sensa- 
tion, he  now  looked  fiercely  about  him  as  if  he  would  seek 
the  man  who  dare  exult  in  the  repulse  of  his  comrades. 
The  poetic  chieftain  was  still  at  his  side,  biting  his  nether 
lip  in  vexation  ;  but  his  more  tried  companion  had  sud- 
denly disappeared.  Another  quick  glance  fell  upon  his 
missing  form  in  the  act  of  entering  a  boat  at  the  foot  of 


1 88  LIONEL   LINCOLN-. 

the  hill.  Quicker  than  thought,  Lionel  was  on  the  shore, 
crying,  as  he  flew  to  the  water's  edge— 

"  Hold !  for  God's  sake,  hold  !  remember  the  47th  is  in 
the  field,  and  that  I  am  its  major  !  " 

"  Receive  him,"  said  Clinton,  with  that  grim  satisfaction 
with  which  men  acknowledge  a  valued  friend  in  moments 
of  great  trial ;  "  and  then  row  for  your  lives,  or,  what  is  of 
more  value,  for  the  honor  of  the  British  name." 

The  brain  of  Lionel  whirled  as  the  boat  shot  along  its 
watery  bed,  but  before  it  had  gained  the  middle  of  the 
stream  he  had  time  to  consider  the  whole  of  the  appalling 
scene.  The  fire  had  spread  from  house  to  house,  and  the 
whole  village  of  Charlestown,  with  its  four  hundred  build- 
ings, was  just  bursting  into  flames.  The  air  seemed  filled 
with  whistling  balls,  as  they  hurtled  above  his  head,  and 
the  black  sides  of  the  vessels  of  war  were  vomiting  their 
sheets  of  flame  with  unwearied  industry.  Amid  this  tu- 
mult, the  English  general  and  his  companions  sprung  to 
land.  The  former  rushed  into  the  disordered  ranks,  and 
by  his  presence  and  voice  recalled  the  men  of  one  regiment 
to  their  duty.  But  long  and  loud  appeals  to  their  spirit 
and  their  ancient  fame  were  necessary  to  restore  a  moiety 
of  their  former  confidence  to  men  who  had  been  thus 
rudely  repulsed,  and  who  now  looked  along  their  thinned 
and  exhausted  ranks,  missing,  in  many  instances,  more 
than  half  the  well-known  countenances  of  their  fellows. 
In  the  midst  of  the  faltering  troops  stood  their  stern  and 
unbending  chief  ;  but  of  all  those  gay  and  gallant  youths, 
who  followed  in  his  train  as  he  had  departed  from  Prov- 
ince-House that  morning,  not  one  remained,  but  in  his 
blood.  He  alone  seemed  undisturbed  in  that  disordered 
crowd  ;  and  his  mandates  went  forth  as  usual,  calm  and 
determined.  At  length  the  panic,  in  some  degree,  subsid- 
ed, and  order  was  once  more  restored  as  the  high-spirited 
and  mortified  gentlemen  of  the  detachment  regained  their 
lost  authority. 

The  leaders  consulted  together,  apart,  and  the  disposi- 
tions were  immediately  renewed  for  the  assault.  Military 
show  was  no  longer  affected,  but  the  soldiers  laid  down  all 
the  useless  implements  of  their  trade,  and  many  even  cast 
aside  their  outer  garments,  tinder  the  warmth  of  a  broil- 
ing sun,  added  to  the  heat  of  the  conflagration,  which  be- 
gan to  diffuse  itself  along  the  extremity  of  the  peninsula. 
Fresh  companies  were  placed  in  the  columns,  and  most  of 
the  troops  were  withdrawn  from  the  meadows,  leaving 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  189 

merely  a  few  skirmishers  to  amuse  the  Americans  who  lay 
behind  the  fence.  When  each  disposition  was  completed, 
the  final  signal  was  given  to  advance. 

Lionel  had  taken  post  in  his  regiment,  but  marching  on 
the  skirt  of  the  column,  he  commanded  a  view  of  most  of 
the  scene  of  battle.  In  his  front  moved  a  battalion,  re- 
duced to  a  handful  of  men  in  the  previous  assaults.  Behind 
these  came  a  party  of  the  marine  guards,  from  the  shipping, 
led  by  their  own  veteran  major  ;  and  next  followed  the  de- 
jected Nesbitt  and  his  corps,  amongst  whom  Lionel  looked 
in  vain  for  the  features  of  the  good-natured  Polwarth. 
Similar  columns  marched  on  their  right  and  left,  encirc- 
]ing  three  sides  of  the  redoubt  by  their  battalions. 

A  few  minutes  brought  him  in  full  view  of  that  humble 
and  unfinished  mound  of  earth,  for  the  possession  of 
which  so  much  blood  had  that  day  been  spilt  in  vain.  It 
lay,  as  before,  still  as  if  none  breathed  within  its  bosom, 
though  a  terrific  row  of  dark  tubes  were  arrayed  along  its 
top,  following  the  movements  of  the  approaching  columns, 
as  the  eyes  of  the  imaginary  charmers  of  our  own  wilder- 
ness are  said  to  watch  their  victims.  As  the  uproar  of  the 
artillery  again  grew  fainter,  the  crash  of  falling  streets,  and 
the  appalling  sounds  of  the  conflagration,  on  their  left,  be- 
came more  audible.  Immense  volumes  of  black  smoke 
issued  from  the  smouldering  ruins,  and,  bellying  outward, 
fold  beyond  fold,  it  overhung  the  work  in  a  hideous  cloud, 
casting  its  gloomy  shadow  across  the  place  of  blood. 

A  strong  column  was  now  seen  ascending,  as  if  from 
out  the  burning  town,  and  the  advance  of  the  whole  be- 
came quick  and  spirited.  A  low  call  ran  through  the  pla- 
toons to  note  the  naked  weapons  of  their  adversaries,  and 
it  was  followed  by  the  cry  of  "To  the  bayonet!  to  the 
bayonet ! " 

"  Hurrah  !  for  the  Royal  Irish  !  "  shouted  M'Fuse,  at  the 
head  of  the  dark  column  from  the  conflagration. 

"  Hurrah  !"  echoed  a  well-known  voice  from  the  silent 
mound.  "  Let  them  come  on  to  Breed's  ;  the  people  will 
teach  'em  the  law  !  " 

Men  think  at  such  moments  with  the  rapidity  of  light- 
ning, and  Lionel  had  even  fancied  his  comrades  in  posses- 
sion of  the  work,  when  the  terrible  stream  of  fire  flashed 
in  the  faces  of  the  men  in  front. 

"  Push  on  with  the th,"  cried  the  veteran  major  of 

marines — "  push  on,  or  the  i8th  will  get  the  honor  of  the 
day ! " 


190  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

"We  cannot,"  murmured  the  soldiers  of  the th; 

"  their  fire  is  too  heavy  !  " 

"  Then  break,  and  let  the  marines  pass  through  you !" 

The  feeble  battalion  melted  away,  and  the  warriors  of 
the  deep,  trained  to  conflicts  of  hand  to  hand,  sprang  for- 
ward, with  a  loud  shout,  in  their  places.  The  Americans, 
exhausted  of  their  ammunition,  now  sunk  sullenly  back,  a 
few  hurling  stones  at  their  foes,  in  desperate  indignation. 
The  cannon  of  the  British  had  been  brought  to  enfilade 
their  short  breastwork,  which  was  no  longer  tenable  ;  and 
as  the  columns  approached  closer  to  the  low  rampart,  it 
became  a  mutual  protection  to  the  adverse  parties. 

"  Hurrah  !  for  the  Royal  Irish  !  "  again  shouted  M'Fuse, 
rushing  up  the  trifling  ascent,  which  was  but  of  little  more 
than  his  own  height. 

"  Hurrah  !"  repeated  Pitcairn,  waving  his  sword  on  an- 
other angle  of  the  work — "  the  day's  our  own  !  " 

One  more  sheet  of  flame  issued  out  of  the  bosom  of  the 
work,  and  all  those  brave  men,  who  had  emulated  the  ex- 
amples of  their  officers,  were  swept  away,  as  though  a 
whirlwind  had  passed  along.  The  grenadier  gave  his  war- 
cry  once  more,  before  he  pitched  headlong  among  his  ene- 
mies ;  while  Pitcairn  fell  back  into  the  arms  of  his  own  child. 
The  cry  of  "  Forward,  47th,"  rung  through  their  ranks,  and 
in  their  turn  this  veteran  battalion  gallantly  mounted  the 
ramparts.  In  the  shallow  ditch  Lionel  passed  the  expiring 
marine,  and  caught  the  dying  and  despairing  look  from 
liis  eyes,  and  in  another  instant  he  found  himself  in  the 
presence  of  his  foes.  As  company  followed  company  into 
the  defenceless  redoubt,  the  Americans  sullenly  retired  by 
its  rear,  keeping  the  bayonets  of  the  soldiers  at  bay  with 
clubbed  muskets  and  sinewy  arms.  When  the  whole  issued 
upon  the  open  ground,  the  husbandmen  received  a  close 
and  fatal  fire  from  the  battalions,  which  were  now  gather- 
ing around  them  on  three  sides.  A  scene  of  wild  and  sav- 
age confusion  then  succeeded  to  the  order  of  the  fight, 
and  many  fatal  blows  were  given  and  taken,  the  melee 
rendering  the  use  of  fire-arms  nearly  impossible  for  several 
minutes. 

Lionel  continued  in  advance,  pressing  on  the  footsteps 
of  the  retiring  foe,  stepping  over  many  a  lifeless  body  in 
his  difficult  progress.  Notwithstanding  the  hurry,  and 
vast  disorder  of  the  fray,  his  eye  fell  on  the  form  of  the 
graceful  stranger,  stretched  lifeless  on  the  parched  grass, 
which  had  greedily  drank  his  blood.  Amid  the  ferocious 


LIONEL   LINCOLN".  191 

cries,  and  fiercer  passions  of  the  moment,  the  young  man 
paused,  and  glanced  his  eyes  around  him,  with  an  expres- 
sion that  said  he  thought  the  work  of  death  should  cease. 
At  this  instant  the  trappings  of  his  attire  caught  the 
glaring  eyeballs  of  a  dying  yeoman,  who  exerted  his 
wasting  strength  to  sacrifice  one  more  worthy  victim  to 
the  manes  of  his  countrymen.  The  whole  of  the  tumultu- 
ous scene  vanished  from  the  senses  of  Lionel  at  the  flash 
of  the  musket  of  this  man,  and  he  sunk  beneath  the  feet 
of  the  combatants,  insensible  of  further  triumph,  and  of 
every  danger. 

The  fall  of  a  single  officer,  in  such  a  contest,  was  a  cir- 
cumstance not  to  be  regarded  ;  and  regiments  passed  over 
him,  without  a  single  man  stooping  to  inquire  into  his 
fate.  When  the  Americans  had  disengaged  themselves  from 
the  troops,  they  descended  into  the  little  hollow  between 
the  two  hills,  swiftly,  and  like  a  disordered  crowd,  bearing 
off  most  of  their  wounded,  and  leaving  but  few  prisoners 
in  the  hands  of  their  foes.  The  formation  of  the  ground 
favored  their  retreat,  as  hundreds  of  bullets  whistled  harm- 
lessly above  their  heads  ;  and  by  the  time  they  gained  the 
acclivity  of  Bunker,  distance  was  added  to  their  security. 
Finding  the  field  lost,  the  men  at  the  fence  broke  away  in 
a  body  from  their  position,  and  abandoned  the  meadows  ; 
the  whole  moving  in  confused  masses  behind  the  crest  of 
the  adjacent  height.  The  shouting  soldiery  followed  in 
their  footsteps,  pouring  in  fruitless  and  distant  volleys  ; 
but  on  the  summit  of  Bunker  their  tired  platoons  were 
halted,  and  they  beheld  the  throng  move  fearlessly  through 
the  tremendous  fire  that  enfiladed  the  low  pass,  as  little 
injured  as  though  most  of  them  bore  charmed  lives. 

The  day  was  now  drawing  to  a  close.  With  the  disap- 
pearance of  their  enemies,  the  ships  a*nd  batteries  ceased 
their  cannonade  ;  and  presently  not  a  musket  was  heard 
in  that  place,  where  so  fierce  a  contest  had  so  long  raged. 
The  troops  commenced  fortifying  the  outward  eminence, 
on  which  they  rested,  in  order  to  maintain  their  barren 
Conquest ;  and  nothing  further  remained  for  the  achieve- 
ment of  the  royal  lieutenants,  but  to  go  and  mourn  ovel 
their  victory. 


192  LIONEL  LINCOLN. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

"  She  speaks,   yet  she  says  nothing  ;  what  of  that? 
Her  eye  discourses — I  will  answer  it." — Romeo. 

ALTHOUGH  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill  was  fought  whiie 
the  grass  yet  lay  on  the  meadows,  the  heats  of  summer  had 
been  followed  by  the  nipping  frosts  of  November;  the  leaf 
had  fallen  in  its  hour,  and  the  tempests  and  biting  colds 
of  February  had  succeeded,  before  Major  Lincoln  left  that 
couch  where  he  had  been  laid,  when  carried,  in  total  help- 
lessness, from  the  fatal  heights  of  the  peninsula.  Through- 
out the  whole  of  that  long  period,  the  hidden  bullet  had 
defied  the  utmost  skill  of  the  British  surgeons  ;  nor  could 
all  their  science  and  experience  embolden  them  to  risk 
cutting  certain  arteries  and  tendons  in  the  body  of  the  heir 
of  Lincoln,  which  were  thought  to  obstruct  the  passage  to 
that  obstinate  lead,  which,  all  agreed,  alone  impeded  the 
recovery  of  the  unfortunate  sufferer.  This  indecision  was 
one  of  the  penalties  that  poor  Lionel  paid  for  his  great- 
ness ;  for  had  it  been  Meriton  who  lingered,  instead  of  his 
master,  it  is  quite  probable  the  case  would  have  been  de- 
termined at  a  much  earlier  hour.  At  length,  a  young  and 
enterprising  leech,  with  the  world  before  him,  arrived  from 
Europe,  who,  possessing  greater  skill  or  more  effrontery 
(the  effects  are  sometimes  the  same)  than  his  fellows,  did 
not  hesitate  to  decide  at  once  on  the  expediency  of  an 
operation.  The  medical  staff  of  the  army  sneered  at  this 
bold  innovator,  and  at  first  were  content  with  such  silent 
testimonials  of  their  contempt.  But  when  the  friends  of 
the  patient,  listening,  as  usual,  to  the  whisperings  of  hope, 
consented  that  the  confident  man  of  probes  should  use  his 
instruments,  the  voices  of  his  contemporaries  became  not 
only  loud,  but  clamorous.  There  was  a  day  or  two  when 
even  the  watch-worn  and  jaded  subalterns  of  the  army  for- 
got the  dangers  and  hardships  of  the  siege,  to  attend  with 
demure  aud  instructed  countenances  to  the  unintelligible 
jargon  of  the  "  Medici "  of  their  camp  ;  and  men  grew  pale, 
as  they  listened,  who  had  never  been  known  to  exhibit  any 
symptoms  of  the  disgraceful  passion  before  their  more 
acknowledged  enemies.  But  when  it  became  known  that 
the  ball  was  safely  extracted,  and  the  patient  was  pro- 
nounced convalescent,  a  calm  succeeded,  that  was  much 


LIONEL  LINCOLN.  193 

more  portentous  to  the  human  race  than  the  preceding 
tempest  ;  and  in  a  short  time  the  daring  practitioner  was 
universally  acknowledged  to  be  the  founder  of  a  new 
theory.  The  degrees  of  M.D.  were  showered  upon  his 
honored  head  from  half  the  learned  bodies  in  Christendom, 
while  many  of  his  enthusiastic  admirers  and  imitators  be- 
came justly  entitled  to  the  use  of  the  same  magical  sym- 
bols, as  annexments  to  their  patronymics,  with  the  addition 
of  the  first  letter  in  the  alphabet.  The  ancient  reasoning 
was  altered  to  suit  the  modern  facts,  and  before  the  war 
was  ended,  some  thousands  of  the  servants  of  the  crown, 
arid  not  a  few  of  the  patriotic  colonists,  were  thought  to 
have  died,  scientifically,  under  the  favor  of  this  important 
discovery. 

We  might  devote  a  chapter  to  the  minute  promulgation 
of  such  an  event,  had  not  more  recent  philosophers  long 
since  upset  the  practice,  (in  which  case  the  theory  seems 
to  fall,  as  a  matter  of  course,)  by  a  renewal  of  those  bold 
adventures,  which  teach  us,  occasionally,  something  new 
in  the  anatomy  of  man  ;  as  in  the  science  of  geography, 
sealers  of  New  England  have  been  able  to  discover  Terra 
Australis,  where  Cook  saw  nothing  but  water ;  or  Parry 
finds  veins  and  arteries  in  that  part  of  the  American  con- 
tinent, which  had  so  long  been  thought  to  consist  of 
worthless  cartilage. 

Whatever  may  have  been  the  effects  of  the  operation 
on  the  surgical  science,  it  was  healthful,  in  the  first  de- 
gree, to  its  subject.  For  seven  weary  months  Lionel 
lay  in  a  state  in  which  he  might  be  said  to  exist,  instead 
of  live,  but  little  conscious  of  surrounding  occurrences; 
and,  happily  for  himself,  nearly  insensible  to  pain  and 
anxiety.  At  moments  the  flame  of  life  would  apparently 
glimmer  like  the  dying  lamp,  and  then  both  the  fears  and 
hopes  of  his  attendants  were  disappointed,  as  the  patient 
dropped  again  into  that  state  of  apathy  in  which  so  much 
of  his  time  was  wasted.  From  an  erroneous  opinion  of  his 
master's  sufferings,  Meriton  had  been  induced  to  make  a 
free  use  of  soporifics,  and  no  small  portion  of  Lionel's  in- 
sensibility was  produced  by  an  excessive  use  of  that  laud- 
anum, for  which  he  was  indebted  to  the  mistaken  humanity 
of  his  valet.  At  the  moment  of  the  operation,  the  advent- 
urous surgeon  had  availed  himself  of  the  same  stupefy- 
ing drug,  and  many  days  of  dull,  heavy,  and  alarming 
apathy  succeeded,  before  his  system,  finding  itself  relieved 
from  its  unnatural  inmate,  resumed  its  healthful  func- 


194  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

tions,  and  began  to  renew  its  powers.  By  a  singular  good 
fortune  his  leech  was  too  much  occupied  by  his  own  novel 
honors,  to  follow  up  his  success,  secundem  artem,  as  a 
great  general  pushes  a  victory  to  the  utmost  ;  and  that 
matchless  doctor,  Nature,  was  permitted  to  complete  the 
cure. 

When  the  effects  of  the  anodynes  had  subsided,  the  pa- 
tient found  himself  entirely  free  from  uneasiness,  and 
dropped  into  a  sweet  and  refreshing  sleep,  that  lasted  for 
many  hours  without  interruption.  He  awoke  a  new  man  ; 
with  his  body  renovated,  his  head  clear/ and  his  recollec- 
tions, though  a  little  confused  and  wandering,  certainly 
better  than  they  had  been  since  the  moment  when  he  fell 
in  the  melee  on  Breed's.  This  restoration  to  all  the  nobler 
properties  of  life  occurred  about  the  tenth  hour  of  the 
day  ;  and  as  Lionel  opened  his  eyes,  with  understanding 
in  their  expression,  they  fell  upon  the  cheerfulness  which 
a  bright  sun,  assisted  by  the  dazzling  light  of  the  masses 
of  snow  without,  had  lent  to  every  object  in  his  apartment. 
The  curtains  of  the  windows  had  been  opened,  and  every 
article  of  the  furniture  was  arranged  with  a  neatness  that 
manifested  the  studied  care  which  presided  over  his  illness. 
In  one  corner,  it  is  true,  Meriton  had  established  himself 
in  an  easy-chair,  with  an  arrangement  of  attitude  which 
spoke  more  in  favor  of  his  consideration  for  the  valet  than 
the  master,  while  he  was  comforting  his  faculties  for  a 
night  of  watchfulness,  by  the  sweet,  because  stolen,  slum- 
bers of  the  morning. 

A  flood  of  recollections  broke  into  the  mind  of  Lionel 
together,  and  it  was  some  little  time  before  he  could  so  far 
separate  the  true  from  the  imaginary,  as  to  attain  a  toler- 
ably clear  comprehension  of  what  had  occurred  in  the  little 
age  he  had  been  dozing.  Raising  himself  on  one  elbow, 
without  difficulty,  he  passed  his  hand  once  or  twice  slow- 
ly over  his  face,  and  then  trusted  his  voice  in  a  summons 
to  his  man.  Meriton  started  at  the  well-known  sounds, 
and  after  diligently  rubbing  his  eyes,  like  one  who  awakes 
by  surprise,  he  arose  and  gave  the  customary  reply. 

"  How  now,  Meriton  !  "  exclaimed  Major  Lincoln  ;  "you 
sleep  as  sound  as  a  recruit  on  post,  and  1  suppose  you 
have  been  stationed  like  one,  with  twice-told  orders  to  be 
vigilant." 

The  valet  stood  with  open  mouth,  as  if  ready  to  devour 
his  master's  words  with  more  senses  than  one,  and  then,  as 
Lionel  concluded,  passed  his  hands  in  quick  succession 


LIONEL  LINCOLN.  195 

over  his  eyes  as  before,  with  a  very  different  object,  ere  he 
answered — 

"  Thank  God,  sir,  thank  God  !  you  look  like  yourself 
once  more,  and  we  shall  live  again  as  we  used  to.  Yes, 
yes,  sir — you'll  do  now — you'll  do  this  time.  That's  a  mir- 
acle of  a  man,  is  the  great  Lon'non  surgeon  !  and  now  we 
shall  go  back  to  Soho,  and  live  like  civilizers.  Thank  God, 
sir,  thank  God  !  you  smile  again,  and  I  hope  if  anything 
should  go  wrong  you'll  soon  be  able  to  give  me  one  of 
those  awful  looks  that  I  am  so  used  to,  and  which  makes 
mv  heart  jump  into  my  mouth,  when  I  know  I've  been  for- 
getful !  " 

The  poor  fellow,  in  whom  long  service  had  created  a 
deep  attachment  to  his  master,  which  had  been  greatly  in- 
creased by  the  solicitude  of  a  nurse,  was  compelled  to 
cease  his  unconnected  expressions  of  joy,  while  he  actu- 
ally wept.  Lionel  was  too  much  affected  by  this  evidence 
of  feeling  to  continue  the  dialogue,  for  several  minutes  ; 
during  which  time  he  employed  himself  in  putting  on  part 
of  his  attire,  assisted  by  the  gulping  valet,  when,  drawing 
his  robe-de-chambre  around  his  person,  he  leaned  on  the 
shoulder  of  his  man,  and  took  the  seat  which  the  other  had 
so  recently  quitted. 

"  Well,  well,  Meriton,  that  will  do,"  said  Lionel,  giving  a 
deep  hem,  as  though  his  breathing  was  obstructed  ;  "  that 
will  do,  silly  fellow  ;  I  trust  I  shall  live  to  give  you  many 
a  frown,  and  some  few  guineas,  yet. — I  have  been  shot,  I 
know " 

"Shot,  sir!"  interrupted  the  valet — "you  have  been 
downright  and  unlawfully  murdered  !  you  were  first  shot, 
and  then  baggoneted,  and  after  that  a  troop  of  horse  rode 
over  you.  I  had  it  from  one  of  the  Royal  Irish,  who  lay 
by  your  side  the  whole  time,  and  who  now  lives  to  tell  of 
it — a  good  honest  fellow  is  Terence,  and  if  such  a  thing 
was  possible  that  your  honor  was  poor  enough  to  need  a 
pension,  he  would  cheerfully  swear  to  your  hurts  at  the 
King's  Bench,  or  War-office  ;  Bridewell,  or  St.  James',  it's 
all  one  to  the  like  of  him." 

"  I  dare  say,  I  dare  say,"  said  Lionel,  smiling,  though  he 
mechanically  passed  his  hand  over  his  body,  as  his  valet 
spoke  of  the  bayonet — "but  the  poor  fellow  must  have 
transferred  some  of  his  own  wounds  to  my  person — I  own 
the  bullet,  but  object  to  the  cavalry  and  the  steel." 

"  Noy  sir,  /own  the  bullet,  and  it  shall  be  buried  with 
me  in  my  dressing-box,  at  the  head  of  my  grave,"  said 


196  LIONEL  LINCOLN; 

Meriton,  exhibiting  the  flattened  bit  of  lead,  exultingly, 
in  the  palm  of  his  hand — "  it  has  been  in  my  pocket  these 
thirteen  days,  after  tormenting  your  honor  for  six  long 
months,  hid  in  the  what  d'ye  call  'em  muscles,  away  be- 
hind the  thingumy  artery.  But  snug  as  it  was,  we  got  it 
out !  He  is  a  miracle  is  the  great  Lon'non  surgeon  !  " 

Lionel  reached  over  to  his  purse,  which  Meriton  had 
placed  regularly  on  the  table,  each  morning,  in  order  to 
remove  it  again  at  night,  and,  dropping  several  guineas  in 
the  hand  of  his  valet,  said— 

"  So  much  lead  must  need  some  gold  to  sweeten  it.  Put 
up  the  unseemly  thing,  and  never  let  me  see  it  again  !  " 

Meriton  coolly  took  the  opposing  metals,  and  after 
glancing  his  eyes  at  the  guineas,  with  a  readiness  that  em- 
braced their  amount  in  a  single  look,  he  dropped  them 
carelessly  into  one  pocket,  while  he  restored  the  lead  to 
the  other  with  an  exceeding  attention  to  its  preservation. 
He  then  turned  his  hand  to  the  customary  duties  of  his 
station. 

"  I  remember  well  to  have  been  in  a  light  on  the  heights 
of  Charlestown,  even  to  the  instant  when  I  got  my  hurt," 
continued  his  master — "  and  I  even  recollect  many  things 
that  have  occurred  since  ;  a  period  which  appears  like  a 
whole  life  to  me.  But  after  all,  Meriton,  I  believe  my 
ideas  have  not  been  remarkable  for  their  clearness." 

"  Lord,  sir,  you  have  talked  to  me,  and  scolded  me,  and 
praised  me,  a  hundred  and  a  hundred  times  over  again  ; 
but  you  have  never  scolded  as  sharp  like  as  you  can,  nor 
have  you  ever  spoken  and  looked  as  bright  as  you  do  this 
morning !  " 

"  I  am  in  the  house  of  Mrs.  Lechmere,"  again  continued 
Lionel,  examining  the  room — "I  know  this  apartment,  and 
those  private  doors  too  well  to  be  mistaken." 

"To  be  sure  you  are,  sir;  Madam  Lechmere  had  you 
brought  here  from  the  field  to  her  own  house,  and  one  of 
the  best  it  is  in  Boston,  too  :  and  I  expect  that  madam 
would  somehow  lose  her  title  to  it,  if  anything  serious 
should  happen  to  us  !  " 

u  Such  as  a  bayonet,  or  a  troop  of  horse  !  but  why  do 
you  fancy  any  such  thing  ?  " 

"  Because,  sir,  wrhen  madam  comes  here  of  an  afternoon, 
which  she  did  daily,  before  she  sickened,  I  heard  her  very 
often  say  to  herself,  if  you  should  be  so  unfortunate  as  to 
die,  there  would  be  an  end  to  all  her  hopes  of  her  house." 

"Then  it  is  Mrs.  Lechmere  who  visits  me  daily,"  said 


LIONEL   LINCOLN".  197 

Lionel,  thoughtfully  ;  "  I  have  recollections  of  a  female 
form  hovering  around  my  bed,  though  I  had  supposed  it 
more  youthful  and  active  than  that  of  my  aunt." 

"  And  you  are  quite  right,  sir — you  have  had  such  a 
nurse  the  whole  time  as  is  seldom  to  be  met  with.  For 
making  a  posset  or  a  gruel,  I'll  match  her  with  the  oldest 
woman  in  the  wards  of  Guy's  ;  and,  to  my  taste,  the  best 
barkeeper  at  the  Lon'non  is  a  fool  to  her  at  a  negus." 

"  These  are  high  accomplishments,  indeed  !  and  who 
may  be  their  mistress  ?  " 

"  Miss  Agnus,  sir ;  a  rare  good  nurse  is  Miss  Agnus 
Danforth  !  though  in  point  of  regard  to  the  troops,  I 
shouldn't  presume  to  call  her  at  all  distinguishable." 

"Miss  Danforth,"  repeated  Lionel,  dropping  his  expect- 
ing eyes,  in  disappointment,  from  the  face  of  Meriton  to 
the  floor — "  I  hope  she  has  not  sustained  all  this  trouble 
on  my  account  alone.  There  are  women  enough  in  the 
establishment— one  would  think  such  offices  might  be  borne 
by  the  domestics — in  short,  Meriton,  was  she  without  an 
assistant  in  all  these  little  kindnesses  ?  " 

"  /  helped  her,  you  know,  sir,  all  I  could  ;  though  my 
neguses  never  touch  the  right  spot,  like  Miss  Agnus's." 

"  One  would  think,  by  your  account,  that  I  have  done 
little  else  than  guzzle  port  wine  for  six  months,"  said 
Lionel,  pettishly. 

"Lord,  sir,  you  wouldn't  drink  a  thimbleful  from  a 
glass,  often  ;  which  I  always  took  for  a  bad  symptom  ;  for 
I'm  certain  'twas  no  fault  of  the  liquor,  if  it  wasn't  drunk." 

"Well,  enough  of  your  favorite  beverage  !  I  sicken  at 
the  name  already — but,  Meriton,  have  not  others  of  my 
friends  called  to  inquire  after  my  fate  ?" 

"  Certainly,  sir — the  commander-in-chief  sends  an  aid  or 
a  servant  every  day ;  and  Lord  Percy  left  his  card  more 
than — 

"  Poh  !  these  are  calls  of  courtesy ;  but  I  have  relatives 
in  Boston — Miss  Dynevor,  has  she  left  the  town  ?" 

"  No,  sir,"  said  the  valet,  very  coolly  resuming  the  duty 
of  arranging  the  vials  on  the  night-table  ;  "  she  is  not 
much  of  a  moving  body,  is  that  Miss  Cecil." 

"  She  is  not  ill,  I  trust  ?"  demanded  Lionel. 

"  Lord,  it  goes  through  me,  part  joy  and  part  fear,  to 
hear  you  speak  again  so  quick  and  brisk,  sir  !  No,  she 
isn't  downright  ailing,  but  she  hasn't  the  life  and  knowl- 
edge of  things,  as  her  cousin,  Miss  Agnus." 

"  Why  do  you  think  so,  fellow  ? " 


198  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

"  Because,  sir,  she  is  mopy,  and  don't  turn  her  hand  to 
any  of  the  light  lady's  work'in  the  family.  I  have  seen  her 
sit  in  that  very  chair,  where  you  are  now,  sir,  for  hours  to- 
gether, without  moving;  unless  it  was  some  nervous  start 
when  you  groaned,  or  breathed  a  little  upward  through 
your  honor's  nose — I  have  taken  it  into  my  consideration, 
sir,  that  she  poetizes  ;  at  all  events,  she  likes  what  I  calls 
quietude  ! " 

"  Indeed  !  "  said  Lionel,  pursuing  the  conversation  with 
an  interest  that  would  have  struck  a  more  observant  man 
as  remarkable — "what  reason  have  you  for  suspecting 
Miss  Dynevor  of  manufacturing  rhymes  ?" 

"  Because,  sir,  she  has  often  a  bit  of  paper  in  her  hand  ; 
and  I  have  seen  her  read  the  same  thing  over  and  over 
again,  till  I'm  sure  she  must  know  it  by  heart ;  which  your 
poetize rs  always  do  with  what  they  writes." 

"  Perhaps  it  was  a  letter  ?"  cried  Lionel,  with  a  quick- 
ness that  caused  Meriton  to  drop  a  vial  he  was  dusting,  at 
the  expense  of  its  contents. 

"  Bless  me,  master  Lionel,  how  strong,  and  like  old 
times  you  speak  !  " 

"  I  believe  I  am  amazed  to  find  you  know  so  much  of 
the  divine  art,  Meriton." 

"  Practice  makes  perfect,  you  know,  sir,"  said  the 
simpering  valet — "I  can't  say  I  ever  did  much  in  that 
way,  though  I  wrote  some  verses  on  a  pet  pig,  as  died 
down  at  Ravenscliffe,  the  last  time  we  was  there  ;  and  I 
got  considerable  eclaw  for  a  few  lines  on  a  vase  which 
lady  Bab's  woman  broke  one  day,  in  a  scuffle  when  the 
foolish  creature  said  as  I  wanted  to  kiss  her  ;  though  all 
that  knows  me,  knows  that  I  needn't  break  vases  to  get 
kisses  from  the  like  of  her  ! " 

"Very  well,"  said  Lionel;  "some  day,  when  I  am 
stronger,  I  may  like  to  be  indulged  with  a  perusal — go 
now,  Meriton,  to  the  larder,  and  look  about  you  ;  I  feel  the 
symptomsxof  returning  health  grow  strong  upon  me." 

The  gratified  valet  instantly  departed,  leaving  his  master 
to  the  musings  of  his  own  busy  fancy/ 

Several  minutes  passed  away  before  the  young  man 
raised  his  head  from  the  hand  that  supported  it,  and  then 
it  was  only  done  when  he  thought  he  heard  a  light  foot- 
step near  him.  His  ear  had  not  deceived  him,  for  Cecil 
Dynevor  herself  stood  within  a  few  feet  of  the  chair,  which 
concealed,  in  a  great  measure,  his  person  from  her  view. 
It  was  apparent,  by  her  attitude  and  her  tread,  that  she 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  199 

expected  to  find  ths  sick  where  she  had  seen  him  last,  and 
where,  for  so  many  dreary  months,  his  listless  form  had 
been  stretched  in  apathy.  Lionel  followed  her  graceful 
movements  with  his  eyes,  and  as  the  airy  band  of  her 
morning  cap  waved  aside  at  her  own  breathing,  he  dis- 
covered the  unnatural  paleness  that  was  seated  on  her 
speaking  features.  But  when  "she  drew  the  folds  of  the 
bed-curtains,  and  missed  the  invalid,  thought  is  not  quicker 
than  the  motion  with  which  she  turned  her  light  person 
towards  the  chair.  Here  she  encountered  the  eyes  of  the 
young  man,  beaming  on  her  with  delight,  and  expressing 
all  that  animation  and  intelligence,  to  which  they  had  so 
long  been  strangers.  Yielding  to  the  surprise  and  the 
gush  of  her  feelings,  Cecil  flew  to  his  feet,  and  clasping 
one  of  his  extended  hands  in  both  her  own,  she  cried — 

"  Lionel,  dear  Lionel,  you  are  better  !  God  be  praised, 
you  look  well  again  !  " 

Lionel  gently  extricated  his  hand  from  the  warm  and 
unguarded  pressure  of  her  soft  fingers,  and  drew  forth  a 
paper  which  she  had  unconsciously  committed  to  his  keep- 
ing. 

"This,  dearest  Cecil,"  he  whispered  to  the  blushing 
maiden,  "  this  is  my  own  letter,  written  when  I  knew  my 
life  to  be  at  imminent  hazard,  and  speaking  the  purest 
thoughts  of  my  heart — tell  me,  then,  it  has  not  been  thus 
kept  for  nothing  ?  " 

Cecil  dropped  her  face  between  her  hands  for  a  moment, 
in  burning  shame,  and  then,  as  all  the  emotions  of  the  mo- 
ment crowded  around  her  heart,  she  yielded  to  them  as  a 
woman,  and  burst  into  a  paroxysm  of  tears.  It  is  needless 
to  dwell  on  those  consoling  and  seducing  speeches  of  the 
young  man,  which  soon  succeeded  in  luring  his  companion 
not  only  from  her  sobs,  but  even  from  her  confusion,  and 
permitted  her  to  raise  her  beautiful  countenance  to  his 
ardent  gaze,  bright  and  confiding  as  his  fondest  wishes 
could  have  made  it. 

The  letter  of  Lionel  was  too  direct,  not  to  save  her 
pride,  and  it  had  been  too  often  perused  for  a  single  sen- 
tence to  be  soon  forgotten.  Besides,  Cecil  had  watched 
over  his  couch  too  fondly  and  too  long,  to  indulge  in  any 
of  those  little  coquetries  which  are  sometimes  met  with  in 
similar  scenes.  She  said  all  that  an  affectionate,  generous, 
and  modest  female  would  say  on  such  an  occasion  ;  and,  it 
is  certain,  that,  well  as  Lionel  looked  on  waking,  the  little 
she  uttered  had  the  effect  to  improve  his  appearance  tenfold. 


200  LIONEL  LINCOLN. 

"  And  you  received  my  letter  on  the  morning  after  the 
battle  ?"  said  Lionel,  leaning  fondly  over  her,  as  she  still, 
unconsciously,  kneeled  by  his  side. 

"  Yes — yes — it  was  your  order  that  it  should  be  sent  to 
me  only  in  case  of  your  death  ;  but  for  more  than  a  month 
you  were  numbered  as  among  the  dead  by  us  all. — Oh  ! 
what  a  month  was  that ! " 

"  Tis  past,  my  sweet  friend,  and,  God  be  praised,  I  may 
now  look  forward  to  health  and  happiness." 

"  God  be  praised,  indeed,"  murmured  Cecil,  the  tears 
again  rushing  to  her  eyes — "  I  would  not  live  that  month 
over  again,  Lionel,  for  all  that  this  world  can  offer !  " 

"  Dearest  Cecil,"  he  replied,  "  I  can  only  repay  this 
kindness  and  suffering  on  my  account,  by  shielding  you 
from  the  rude  contact  of  the  world,  even  as  your  father 
would  protect  you,  were  he  again  in  being." 

She  looked  up  in  his  face  with  all  the  .soul  of  a  woman's 
confidence  beaming  in  her  eyes,  as  she  answered— 

"  You  will,  Lincoln,  I  know  you  will —  you  have  sworn 
it,  and  I  should  be  a  wretch  to  doubt  you." 

He  drew  her  unresisting  form  into  his  .arms,  and  folded 
her  to  his  bosom.  In  another  moment  a  noise,  like  one 
ascending  the  stairs,  was  heard  through  the  open  door  of 
the  room,  when  all  the  feelings  of  her  sex  rushed  to  the 
breast  of  Cecil.  She  sprung  on  her  feet,  and,  hardly  al- 
lowing time  to  the  delighted  Lionel  to  note  the  burning 
tints  that  suffused  her  whole  face,  she  darted  from  the  room 
with  the  rapidity  and  lightness  of  an  antelope. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

"Dead,  fora  ducat,  dead." — Hamlet. 

WHILE  Lionel  was  in  the  confusion  of  feeling  produced 
by  the  foregoing  scene,  the  intruder,  after  a  prelude  of 
singularly  heavy  and  loud  steps,  on  the  floor,  as  if  some 
one  approached  on  crutches,  entered  by  a  door  opposite  to 
the  one  through  which  Cecil  had  so  suddenly  vanished. 
At  the  next  moment  the  convalescent  was  saluted  by  the 
full,  cheerful  voice  of  his  visitor — 

"  God  bless  you,  Leo,  and  bless  the  whole  of  us,  for  we 
need  it,"  cried  Polwarth,  eagerly  advancing  to  grasp  the 
extended  hands  of  his  friend.  "  Meriton  has  told  me  that 


LIONEL  LINCOLN;  201 

you  have  got  the  true  mark  of  health — a  good  appetite — • 
at  last.  I  should  have  broken  my  neck  in  hurrying  up  to 
wish  you  joy  on  the  moment,  but  I  just  stepped  into  the 
kitchen,  without  Mrs.  Lechmere's  leave,  to  show  her  cook 
how  to  broil  the  steak  they  are  warming  through  for  you — 
a  capital  thing  after  a  long  nap,  and  full  of  nutriment — 
God  bless  you,  my  dear  Leo  ;  the  look  of  your  bright  eye 
is  as  stimulating  to  my  spirits  as  a  West-India  pepper  is  to 
the  stomach." 

Polwarth  ceased  shaking  the  hands  of  his  reanimated 
friend,  as  with  a  husky  voice  he  concluded,  and  turning 
aside  under  the  pretence  of  reaching  a  chair,  he  dashed  his 
hand  before  his  eyes, gave  aloud  hem,  and  took  his  seat  in 
silence.  During  the  performance  of  this  evolution,  Lionel 
had  leisure  to  observe  the  altered  person  of  the  captain. 
His  form,  though  still  rotund,  and  even  corpulent,  was 
much  reduced  in  dimensions,  while,  in  the  place  of  one  of 
those  lower  members,  with  which  nature  furnishes  the 
human  race,  he  had  been  compelled  to  substitute  a  leg  of 
wood,  somewhat  inartificially  made,  and  roughly  shod  with 
iron.  This  last  sad  alteration,  in  particular,  attracted  the 
look  of  Major  Lincoln,  who  continued  to  gaze  at  it  with 
glistening  eyes,  for  some  time  after  the  other  had  estab- 
lished himself,  to  his  entire  satisfaction,  in  one  of  the 
cushioned  seats  of  the  apartment. 

"  I  see  my  frame-work  has  caught  your  eye,  Leo,"  said 
Polwarth,  raising  the  wooden  substitute  with  an  air  of 
affected  indifference,  and  tapping  it  lightly  with  his  cane. 
"  'Tis  not  as  gracefully  cut,  perhaps,  as  if  it  had  been 
turned  from  the  hand  of  master  Phidias  ;  but  in  a  place 
like  Boston,  it  is  an  invaluable  member,  inasmuch  as  it 
knows  neither  hunger  nor  cold  !  " 

"The  Americans,  then,  press  the  town,"  said  Lionel, 
glad  to  turn  the  subject,  "  and  maintain  the  siege  with 
vigor  ? " 

"  They  have  kept  us  in  horrible  bodily  terror,  ever  since 
the  shallow  waters  toward  the  main-land  have  been  frozen, 
and  opened  a  path  directly  into  the  heart  of  the  place. 
Their  Virginian  generalissimo,  Washington,  appeared  a 
short  time  after  the  affair  over  on  the  other  peninsula  (a 
cursed  business  that,  Leo  ! ),  and  with  him  came  all  the 
trimmings  of  a  large  army.  Since  that  time  they  have 
worn  a  more  military  front,  though  little  else  has  been 
done,  excepting  an  occasional  skirmish,  but  cooping  us 
up,  like  so  many  uneasy  pigeons,  in  our  rage." 


202  LIONEL  LINCOLN. 

''And  Gage  chafes  not  at  the  confinement?" 

"  Gage  ! — we  sent  him  off  like  the  soups,  months  ago. 
No,  no — the  moment  the  ministry  discovered  that  we  had 
come  to  our  forks,  in  good  earnest,  they  chose  black  Billy 
to  preside  :  and  now  we  stand  at  bay  with  the  rebels,  who 
have  already  learnt  that  our  leader  is  not  a  child  at  the 
grand  entertainment  of  war." 

"  Yes,  seconded  by  such  men  as  Clinton  and  Burgoyne, 
and  supported  by  the  flower  of  our  troops,  the  position 
can  be  easily  maintained." 

"  No  position  can  be  easily  maintained,  Major  Lincoln," 
said  Polwarth,  promptly,  "  in  the  face  of  starvation,  both 
internal  and  external." 

"  And  is  the  case  so  desperate  ? " 

"  Of  that  you  shall  judge  yourself,  my  friend.  When 
Parliament  shut  the  port  of  Boston,  the  colonies  were 
filled  with  grumblers  ;  and  now  we  have  opened  it,  and 
would  be  glad  to  see  their  supplies,  the  devil  a  craft  enters 
the  harbor  willingly. — Ah !  Meriton,  you  have  the  steak,  I 
see ;  put  it  here,  where  your  master  can  have  it  at  his 
elbow,  and  bring  another  plate — I  breakfasted  but  indiffer- 
ently well  this  morning. — So  we  are  thrown  completely  on 
our  own  resources.  But  the  rebels  do  not  let  us  enjoy 
even  them  in  peace. — This  thing  is  done  to  a  turn — how 
charmingly  the  blood  follows  the  knife  ! — They  have  gone 
so  far  as  to  equip  privateers,  who  cut  off  our  necessaries, 
and  he  is  a  lucky  man  who  can  get  a  meal  like  the  one 
before  us." 

"  I  had  not  thought  the  power  of  the  Americans  could 
have  forced  matters  to  such  a  pass." 

"What  I  have  mentioned,  though  of  vital  importance,  is 
not  half.  If  a  man  is  happy  enough  to  obtain  the  materi- 
als for  a  good  dish — you  should  have  rubbed  an  onion 
over  these  plates,  Mr.  Meriton — he  don't  know  where  he  is 
to  find  fuel  to  cook  it  withal." 

"  Looking  at  the  comforts  with  which  I  am  surrounded, 
my  good  friend,  I  cannot  but  fancy  your  imagination 
heightens  the  distress." 

"  Fancy  no  such  silly  thing ;  for  when  you  get  abroad, 
you  will  find  it  but  too  exact.  In  the  article  of  food,  if  we 
are  not  reduced,  like  the  men  of  Jerusalem,  to  eating  one 
another,  we  are,  half  the  time,  rather  worse  off,  being  en- 
tirely destitute  of  wholesome  nutriment.  Let  but  an 
unlucky  log  float  by  the  town,  among  the  ice,  and  go  forth 
and  witness  the  struggling  and  skirmishing  between  the 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  203 

Yankees  and  our  frozen  fingers  for  its  possession,  and  you 
will  become  a  believer  !  'Twill  be  lucky  if  the  water-soaked 
relic  of  some  wharf  should  escape  without  a  cannonade  ! 
I  don't  tell  you  these  things  as  a  grumbler,  Leo  ;  for,  thank 
God,  I  have  only  half  as  many  toes  as  other  men,  to  keep 
warmth  in  ;  and  as  for  eating,  a  little  will  suffice  for  me, 
now  my  corporeal  establishment  is  so  sadly  reduced." 

Lionel  paused  in  melancholy,  as  his  friend  attempted  to 
jest  at  his  misfortune,  and  then,  by  a  very  natural  transi- 
tion, for  a  young  man  in  his  situation,  he  proudly  ex- 
claimed— 

"  But  we  gained  the  day,  Polvvarth  !  and  drove  the  rebels 
from  their  entrenchments,  like  chaff  before  a  whirlwind !  " 

"  Humph  !  "  ejaculated  the  captain,  laying  his  wooden 
leg  carefully  over  its  more  valuable  fellow,  and  regarding 
it  ruefully,  while  he  spoke — "  had  we  made  a  suitable  use 
of  the  bounties  of  nature,  and  turned  their  position,  instead 
of  running  into  the  jaws  of  the  beast,  many  might  have 
left  the  field  better  supplied  with  appurtenances  than  are 
some  among  us  at  present.  But  dark  William  loves  a 
brush,  they  say,  and  he  enjoyed  it,  on  that  occasion,  to  his 
heart's  content." 

"  He  must  be  grateful  to  Clinton  for  his  timely  pres- 
ence ! " 

"  Does  the  devil  delight  in  martyrdom  ?  The  presence 
of  a  thousand  rebels  w^ould  have  been  more  welcome,  even 
at  that  moment  ;  nor  has  he  smiled  once  on  his  good- 
natured  assistant,  since  he  thrust  himself,  in  that  unwel- 
come manner,  between  him  and  his  enemy.  We  had  enough 
to  think  of,  with  our  dead  and  wounded,  and  in  maintain- 
ing our  conquest,  or  something  more  than  black  looks  and 
unkind  eyes  would  have  followed  the  deed." 

"  I  fear  to  inquire  into  the  fortunes  of  the  field,  so  many 
names  of  worth  must  be  numbered  in  the  loss." 

"  Twelve  or  fifteen  hundred  men  are  not  to  be  knocked 
on  the  head  out  of  such  an  army,  and  all  the  clever  fellows 
escape.  Gage,  I  knowr,  calls  the  loss  something  like  eleven 
hundred  ;  but,  after  vaporing  so  much  about  the  Yankees, 
their  prowess  is  not  to  be  acknowledged  in  its  bloom  at 
once.  A  man  seldom  goes  on  one  leg,  but  he  halts  a  little 
at  first,  as  I  can  say  from  experience — put  down  thirteen, 
Leo,  as  a  medium,  and  you'll  not  miscalculate  largely—- 
yes, indeed,  there  were  some  brave  young  men  amongst 
them  !  those  rascally  light-footed  gentry,  that  I  gave  up  so 
opportunely,  were  finely  peppered — and  there  were  the 


204  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

Fusileers  had  hardly  men  enough  left  to  saddle  their 
goat !  "  * 

"  And  the  marines  !  they  must  have  suffered  heavily  ;  I 
saw  Pitcairn  fall  before  me  ; "  said  Lionel,  speaking  with 
hesitation — "  I  greatly  fear  our  old  comrade,  the  grenadier, 
did  not  escape  with  better  fortune." 

"  Mac  !  "  exclaimed  Polwarth,  casting  a  furtive  glance  at 
his  companion. — "  Ay,  Mac  was  not  as  lucky  in  that  busi- 
ness as  he  was  in  Germany — he-em— Mac — had  an  obsti- 
nate way  with  him,  Leo,  a  damn'd  obstinate  fellow  in  all 
military  matters  ;  but  as  generous  a  heart,  and  as  free  in 
sharing  a  mess-bill  as  any  man  in  his  majesty's  service  !  I 
crossed  the  river  in  the  same  boat  with  him,  and  he  enter- 
tained us  with  his  queer  thoughts  on  the  art  of  war.  Ac- 
cording to  Mac's  notions  of  things,  the  grenadiers  were 
to  do  all  the  fighting — a  damn'd  odd  way  with  him  had 
Mac  !  " 

"  There  are  few  of  us  without  peculiarities,  and  I  could 
wish  that  none  of  them  were  more  offensive  than  the  tri- 
fling prejudices  of  poor  Dennis  M'Fuse." 

"  Yes,  yes,"  added  Polwarth,  hemming  violently,  as  if  de- 
termined to  clear  his  throat  at  every  hazard  ;  "  he  was  a 
little  opinionated  in  trifles,  such  as  a  knowledge  of  war, 
and  matters  of  discipline  ;  but  in  all  important  things  as 
tractable  as  a  child.  He  loved  his  joke,  but  it  was  impossi- 
ble to  have  a  less  difficult  or  a  more  unpretending  palate 
in  one's  mess!  The  greatest  evil  I  can  wish  him  is  breath 
in  his  body,  to  live  and  enjoy,  in  these  hard  times,  when 
things  become  excellent  by  comparison,  the  sagacious 
provision  which  his  own  ingenuity  contrived  to  secure 
out  of  the  cupidity  of  our  ancient  landlord,  Mister  Seth 
Srxge." 

"  Then  that  notable  scheme  did  not  entirely  fall  to  the 
ground,"  said  Lionel,  with  a  feverish  desire  to  change  the 
subject  once  more.  "  I  had  thought  the  Americans  were 
too  vigilant  to  admit  the  intercourse." 

"  Seth  has  been  too  sagacious  to  permit  them  to  obstruct 
it.  The  prices  acted  like  a  soporific  on  his  conscience, 
and  by  using  your  name,  I  believe,  he  has  found  some 
friend  of  sufficient  importance  amongst  the  rebels  to  pro- 
tect him  in  his  trade.  His  supplies  make  their  appearance 

*  This  regiment,  in  consequence  of  some  tradition,  kept  a  goat,  with 
gilded  horns,  as  a  memorial.  Once  a  year  it  celebrated  a  festival,  in  which 
the  bearded  quadruped  acted  a  conspicuous  part.  In  the  battle  of  Bun- 
ker Hill,  the  corps  was  distinguished  alike  for  ite  courage  and  its  losses 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  205 

twice  a  week  as  regularly  as  the  meats  follow  the  soups  in 
a  well-ordered  banquet." 

"  You  then  can  communicate  with  the  country,  and  the 
country  with  the  town  !  Although  Washington  may  wink 
at  the  proceeding,  I  should  fear  the  scowl  of  Howe." 

"  Why,  in  order  to  prevent  suspicions  of  unfair  practices, 
and  at  the  same  time  to  serve  the  cause  of  humanity,  so 
the  explanation  reads,  you  know,  our  sapient  host  has  seen 
fit  to  employ  a  fool  as  his  agent  in  the  intercourse — a  fel- 
low, as  you  may  remember,  of  some  notoriety  ;  a  certain 
simpleton,  who  calls  himself  Job  Pray," 

Lionel  continued  silent  for  many  moments,  during  which 
time  his  recollections  began  to  revive,  and  his  thoughts 
glanced  over  the  scenes  that  occurred  in  the  first  months 
of  his  residence  in  Boston.  It  is  quite  possible  that  a  pain- 
ful, though  still  general  and  indefinite  feeling  mingled 
with  his  musings  ;  for  he  evidently  strove  to  expel  some 
such  unwelcome  intruder,  as  he  resumed  the  discourse 
with  a  strong  appearance  of  forced  gayety. 

"  Ay,  ay,  I  well  remember  poor  Job — a  fellow  once 
seen  and  known,  not  easily  to  be  forgotten.  He  used,  "of 
old,  to  attach  himself  greatly  to  my  person,  but  I  suppose, 
like  the  rest  of  the  world,  I  am  neglected  when  in  retire- 
ment." 

"You  do  the  lad  injustice  ;  he  not  only  makes  frequent 
inquiries,  after  his  slovenly  manner  I  acknowledge,  con- 
cerning your  condition,  but  sometimes  he  seems  better  in- 
formed in  the  matter  than  myself,  and  can  requite  my  fre- 
quent answers  to  his  questions,  by  imparting,  instead  of 
receiving,  intelligence  of  your  improvement ;  more  es- 
pecially since  the  ball  has  been  extracted." 

"  That  should  be  very  singular,  too,"  said  Lionel,  with  a 
still  more  thoughtful  brow. 

"  Not  so  very  remarkable,  Leo,  as  one  would  at  first  im- 
agine," interrupted  his  companion — "  the  lad  is  not  want- 
ing in  sagacity,  as  he  manifested  by  his  choice  of  dishes  at 
our  old  mess-table. — Ah  !  Leo,  Leo,  we  may  see  many  a 
discriminating  palate,  but  where  shall  we  go  to  find  an- 
other such  a  friend  !— one  who  could  eat  and  joke — drink 
and  quarrel  with  a  man,  in  a  breath,  like  poor  Dennis,  who 
is  gone  from  among  us  forever  ! — There  was  a  piquancy 
about  poor  Mac,  that  acted  on  the  dulness  of  life  like  con- 
diments on  the  natural  appetite  !  " 

Meriton,  who  was  diligently  brushing  his  master's  coat, 
an  office  that  he  performed  daily,  though  the  garment  had 


206  LIONEL  LINCOLN. 

not  been  worn  in  so  long  a  period,  stole  a  glance  at  the 
averted  eye  of  the  major,  and  understanding  its  expression 
to  indicate  a  determined  silence,  he  ventured  to  maintain 
the  discourse  in  his  own  unworthy  person. 

"Yes,  sir,  a  nice  gentleman  was  Captain  M'Fuse,  and 
one  as  fought  as  stoutly  for  the  king  as  any  gentleman  in 
the  army,  all  agrees. — It  was  a  thousand  pities  such  a  fine 
figure  of  a  man  hadn't  a  better  idea  of  dress  ;  it  isn't  all, 
sir,  as  is  gifted  in  that  way  !  But  every  body  says  he's  a 
detrimental  loss,  though  there's  some  officers  in  town,  who 
consider  so  little  how  to  wear  their  ornaments,  that  if  they 
were  to  be  shot,  I  am  sure  no  one  would  miss  them." 

"Ah  !  Meriton,"  cried  the  full-hearted  Polwarth,  "I  see 
you  are  a  youth  of  more  observation  than  I  had  suspected  ! 
Mac  had  all  the  seeds  of  a  man  in  him,  though  some  of 
them  might  not  have  come  to  maturity.  There  was  a  flavor 
in  his  humor,  that  served  as  a  relish  to  every  conversation 
in  which  he  mingled.  Did  you  serve  the  poor  fellow  up 
in  handsome  style,  Meriton,  for  his  last  worldly  exhibi- 
tion ? " 

"Yes,  indeed,  sir,  we  gave  him  as  ornamental  a  funeral 
as  can  be  seen  out  of  Lon'non.  Besides  the  Royal  Irish, 
all  the  grenadiers  was  out  ;  that  is,  all  as  wasn't  hurt, 
which  was  near  half  of  them.  As  I  knowed  the  regard 
Master  Lionel  had  for  the  captain,  I  dressed  him  with  my 
own  hands — I  trimmed  his  whiskers,  sir,  and  altered  his 
hair  more  in  front,  and  seeing  that  his  honor  was  getting 
a  little  gray,  T  threw  on  a  sprinkling  of  powder,  and  as 
handsome  a  corpse  was  Captain  M'Fuse  as  any  gentleman 
in  the  army,  let  the  other  be  who  he  may  !  " 

The  eyes  of  Polwarth  twinkled,  and  he  blew  his  nose 
with  a  noise  not  unlike  the  sound  of  a  clarion,  ere  he  re- 
joined— 

"  Yes,  yes,  time  and  hardships  had  given  a  touch  of  frost 
to  the  head  of  the  poor  fellow  ;  but  it  is  a  consolation  to 
know  that  he  died  like  a  soldier,  and  not  by  the  hands  of 
that  vulgar  butcher,  Nature  ;  and  that,  being  dead,  he  was 
removed  according  to  his  deserts  !  " 

"  Indeed,  sir,"  said  Meriton,  with  a  solemnity  worthy  of 
the  occasion,  "we  gave  him  a  great  procession — a  great 
deal  can  be  made  out  of  his  majesty's  uniform,  on  such 
festivities,  and  it  had  a  wonderful  look  about  it  ! — Did  you 
speak,  sir  ?" 

"Yes  "  added  Lionel,  impatiently  ;    "  remove  the  cloth 
and  go  inquire  if  there  be  letters  for  me." 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  207 

The  valet  submissively  obeyed,  and  after  a  short  pause 
the  dialogue  was  resumed  by  the  gentlemen  on  subjects  of 
a  less  painful  nature. 

As  Pohvarth  was  exceedingly  communicative,  Lionel 
soon  obtained  a  very  general,  and,  to  do  the  captain  suit- 
able justice,  an  extremely  impartial  account  of  the  situation 
of  the  hostile  forces,  as  well  as  of  all  the  leading  events 
that  had  transpired  since  the  day  of  Breed's.  Once  or 
twice  the  invalid  ventured  an  allusion  to  the  spirit  of  the 
rebels,  and  to  the  unexpected  energy  they  had  discovered ; 
but  Polwarth  heard  them  all  in  silence,  answering  only  by 
a  melancholy  smile,  and,  in  the  last  instance,  by  a  signifi- 
cant gesture  toward  his  unnatural  supporter.  Of  course, 
after  this  touching  acknowledgment  of  his  former  error, 
his  friend  waived  the  subject  for  others  less  personal. 

He  learned  that  the  royal  general  maintained  his  hardly- 
earned  conquest  on  the  opposite  peninsula,  where  he  was 
as  effectually  beleaguered,  however,  as  in  the  town  of 
Boston  itself.  In  the  meantime,  while  the  war  was  con- 
ducted in  earnest  at  the  point  where  it  commenced,  hos- 
tilities had  broken  out  in  every  one  of  those  colonies,  south 
of  the  St.  Lawrence  and  the  Great  Lakes,  where  the  pres- 
ence of  the  royal  troops  invited  an  appeal  to  force.  At 
first,  while  the  colonists  acted  under  the  impulses  of  the 
high  enthusiasm  of  a  sudden  rising,  they  had  been  every- 
where successful.  A  general  army  had  been  organized,  as 
already  related,  and  divisions  wrere  employed  at  different 
points  to  eifect  those  conquests,  which,  in  that  early  state 
of  the  struggle,  were  thought  to  be  important  to  the  main 
result.  But  the  effects  of  their  imperfect  means  and  di- 
vided power  were  already  becoming  visible.  After  a  series 
of  minor  victories,  Montgomery  had  fallen  in  a  most  des- 
perate but  unsuccessful  attempt  to  carry  the  impregnable 
fortress  of  Quebec  ;  and  ceasing  to  be  the  assailants,  the 
Americans  were  gradually  compelled  to  collect  their  re- 
sources to  meet  that  mighty  effort  of  the  crown,  which  was 
known  to  be  not  far  distant.  As  thousands  of  their  fellow- 
subjects  in  the  mother  country  manifested  a  strong  repug- 
nance to  the  war,  the  ministry  so  far  submitted  to  the 
influence  of  that  free  spirit,  which  first  took  deep  root  in 
Britain,  as  to  turn  their  eyes  to  those  states  of  Europe, 
who  made  a  trade  in  human  life,  in  quest  of  mercenaries  to 
quell  the  temper  of  the  colonists.  In  consequence,  the 
fears  of  the  timid  among  the  Americans  were  excited  by 
rumors  of  the  vast  hordes  of  Russians  and  Germans,  who 


2o8  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

were  to  be  poured  into  their  country,  with  the  fell  intent 
to  make  them  slaves.  Perhaps  no  step  of  their  enemies 
had  a  greater  tendency  to  render  them  odious  in  the  eyes  of 
the  Americans,  than  this  measure  of  introducing  foreigners 
to  decide  a  quarrel  purely  domestic.  So  long  as  none  but 
men  who  had  been  educated  in  those  acknowledged  prin- 
ciples of  justice  and  law,  known  to  both  people,  wrere 
admitted  to  the  contest,  there  \vere  visible  points,  common 
to  each,  which  might  render  the  struggle  less  fierce,  and  in 
time  lead  to  a  permanent  reconciliation.  But  they  reasoned 
not  inaptly,  when  they  asserted,  that  in  a  contest  rendered 
triumphant  by  slaves,  nothing  but  abject  submission  could 
ensue  to  the  conquered.  It  was  like  throwing  away  the 
scabbard,  and,  by  abandoning  reason,  submitting  the  result 
to  the  sword  alone.  In  addition  to  the  estrangement  these 
measures  were  gradually  increasing  between  the  people  of 
the  mother-country  and  the  colonies,  must  be  added  the 
change  it  produced  among  the  latter  in  their  habits  of 
regarding  the  person  of  their  prince. 

During  the  whole  of  the  angry  discussion,  and  the 
recriminations,  which  preceded  the  drawing  of  blood,  the 
colonists  had  admitted,  to  the  fullest  extent,  not  only  in 
their  language,  but  in  their  feelings,  that  fiction  of  the 
British  law,  which  says  "the  king  can  do  no  wrong." 
Throughout  the  wide  extent  of  an  empire,  on  which  the 
sun  was  never  known  to  set,  the  English  monarch  could 
boast  of  no  subjects  more  devoted  to  his  family  and  person 
than  the  men  who  now  stood  in  arms  against  what  they 
honestly  believed  to  be  the  unconstitutional  encroach- 
ments of  his  power.  Hitherto  the  whole  weight  of  their 
resentment  had  justly  fallen  on  the  advisers  of  the  prince, 
who  himself  was  thought  to  be  ignorant,  as  he  was  prob- 
ably innocent,  of  the  abuses  so  generally  practised  in  his 
name.  But  as  the  contest  thickened,  the  natural  feelings 
of  the  man  were  thought  to  savor  of  the  political  acts  he 
was  required  to  sanction  with  his  name.  It  was  soon 
whispered,  among  those  who  had  the  best  means  of  in- 
telligence, that  the  feelings  of  the  sovereign  \vere  deeply 
interested  in  the  maintenance  of  what  he  deemed  his  pre- 
rogative, and  the  ascendancy  of  that  body  of  the  repre- 
sentatives of  his  empire,  which  he  met  in  person  and 
influenced  by  his  presence.  Ere  long  this  opinion  was 
rumored  abroad,  and  as  the  minds  of  men  began  to  loosen 
from  their  ancient  attachments  and  prejudices,  they  con- 
founded, by  a,  very  natural  feeling,  the  head  with  the  mem- 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  209 

bers ;  forgetting  that  "  Liberty  and  Equality"  formed  no 
part  of  the  trade  of  princes.  The  name  of  the  monarch 
was  daily  falling  into  disrepute  ;  and  as  the  colonial  writers 
ventured  to  allude  more  freely  to  his  person  and  power, 
the  glimmerings  of  that  light  were  seen,  which  was  a  pre- 
cursor of  the  rise  of  "the  stars  of  the  west"  among  the 
national  symbols  of  the  earth.  Until  then,  few  had  thought, 
and  none  had  ventured  to  speak  openly,  of  independence, 
though  events  had  been  silently  preparing  the  colonists  for 
such  a  final  measure. 

Allegiance  to  the  prince  was  the  last  and  only  tie  to  be 
severed  ;  for  the  colonies  already  governed  themselves  in 
all  matters,  whether  of  internal  or  foreign  policy,  as  effect- 
ually as  any  people  could,  whose  right  to  do  so  was  not 
generally  acknowledged.  But  as  the  honest  nature  of 
George  III.  admitted  of  no  disguise,  mutual  disgust  and 
alienation  were  the  natural  consequences  of  the  reaction 
of  sentiment  between  the  prince  and  his  western  people.* 

All  this,  and  much  more  of  minute  detail,  was  hastily 
commented  on  by  Polwarth,  who  possessed,  in  the  midst 
of  his  epicurean  propensities,  sterling  good  sense,  and 
great  integrity  of  intention.  Lionel  was  chiefly  a  listener, 
nor  did  he  cease  the  greedy  and  interesting  employment 
until  warned  by  his  weakness,  and  the  stroke  of  a  neigh- 
boring clock,  that  he  was  trespassing  too  far  on  prudence. 
His  friend  then  assisted  the  exhausted  invalid  to  his  bed, 
and  after  giving  him  a  world  of  good  advice,  together  with 
a  warm  pressure  of  the  hand,  he  stumped  his  way  out  of 
the  room,  with  a  noise  that  brought,  at  every  tread,  an 
echo  from  the  heart  of  Major  Lincoln. 


CHAPTER   XIX. 

"God  never  meant  that  man  should  scale  the  heavens 
By  strides  of  human  wisdom." — COWPER. 

A  VERY  few  days  of  gentle  exercise  in  the  bracing  air  of 
the  season,  were  sufficient  to  restore  the  strength  of  the  in- 
valid, whose  wounds  had  healed  while  he  lay  slumbering 
under  the  influence  of.  the  anodynes  prescribed  by  his 

*  NOTE. — The  prejudices  of  the  King  of  England  were  unavoidable  in 
his  insulated  situation,  but  his  virtues  and  integrity  were  exclusively  the 
property  of  the  man.  His  speech  to  our  first  minister  after  the  peace  can- 
not be  too  otten  recorded.  "I  was  the  last  man  in  my  kingdom  to 
acknowledge  your  independence,  and  I  shall  be  the  last  to  violate  it." 

I A 


210  LIONEL  LINCOLN: 

leech.  Polwarth,  in  consideration  of  the  dilapidated  state 
of  his  own  limbs,  together  with  the  debility  of  Lionel,  had 
so  far  braved  the  ridicule  of  the  army,  as  to  set  up  one  of 
th6se  comfortable  and  easy  conveyances,  which,  in  the 
good  old  times  of  colonial  humility,  were  known  by  the 
quaint  and  unpretending  title  of  tom-pungs.  To  equip 
this  establishment,  he  had  been  compelled  to  impress  one 
of  the  fine  hunters  of  his  friend.  The  animal  had  been 
taught,  by  virtue  of  much  training  from  his  groom,  aided 
a  little,  perhaps,  by  the  low  state  of  the  garners  of  the 
place,  to  amble  through  the  snow  as  quietly  as  if  he  were 
conscious  of  the  altered  condition  of  his  master's  health. 
In  this  safe  vehicle  the  two  gentlemen  might  be  seen  daily, 
gliding  along  the  upper  streets  of  the  town,  and  moving 
through  the  winding  paths  of  the  common,  receiving  the 
congratulations  of  their  friends  ;  or,  in  their  turn,  visiting 
others,  who,  like  themselves,  had  been  wounded  in  the 
murderous  battle  of  the  preceding  summer,  but  who,  less 
fortunate  than  they,  wrere  still  compelled  to  submit  to  the 
lingering  confinement  of  their  quarters. 

It  was  not  difficult  to  persuade  Cecil  and  Agnes  to  join 
in  many  of  their  short  excursions,  though  no  temptation 
could  induce  the  latter  to  still  the  frown  that  habitually  set- 
tled on  her  beautiful  brow,  whenever  chance  or  intention 
brought  them  in  contact  with  any  of  the  gentlemen  of  the 
army.  Miss  Dynevor  was,  however,  much  more  conciliat- 
ing in  her  deportment,  and  even,  at  times,  so  gracious  as 
to  incur  the  private  reproaches  of  her  friend. 

"  Surely,  Cecil,  you  forget  how  much  our  poor  country- 
men are  suffering  in  their  miserable  lodgings  without  the 
town,  or  you  would  be  less  prodigal  of  your  condescen- 
sion to  these  butterflies  of  the  army,"  cried  Agnes,  pet- 
tishly, while  they  were  uncloaking  after  one  of  these  rides, 
during  which  the  latter  thought  her  cousin  had  lost  sight 
of  that  tacit  compact,  by  which  most  of  the  women  of  the 
colonies  deemed  themselves  bound  to  exhibit  their  fem- 
inine resentments  to  their  invaders. — "Were  a  chief  from 
our  own  army  presented  to  you,  he  could  not  have  been 
received  in  a  sweeter  manner  than  you  bestowed  your 
smile  to-day  on  that  Sir  Digby  Dent !  " 

"  I  can  say  nothing  in  favor  of  its  sweetness,  my  acid 
cousin,  but  that  Sir  Digby  Dent  is  a  gentleman — 

"  A  gentleman  !  yes — so  is  every  Englishman  who  wears 
a  scarlet  coat,  and  knows  how  to  play  off  his  airs  in  the 
colonies ! " 


LIONEL  LINCOLN.  211 

"And  as  I  hope  I  have  some  claims  to  be  called  a  lady," 
continued  Cecil,  quietly,  "  I  do  not  know  why,  in  the  little 
intercourse  \ve  have,  I  should  be  rude  to  him." 

"Cecil  Dynevor !"  exclaimed  Agnes,  with  a  sparkling 
eye,  and  with  a  woman's  intuitive  perception  of  the  other's 
motives,  "all  Englishmen  are  not  Lionel  Lincolns." 

"Nor  is  Major  Lincoln  an  Englishman,"  returned  Cecil, 
laughing,  while  she  blushed  ;  "  though  I  have  reason  to 
think  that  Captain  Polwarth  may  be." 

"  Silly,  child,  silly  ;  the  poor  man  has  paid  the  penalty 
of  his  offence,  and  is  to  be  regarded  writh  pity." 

"  Have  a  care,  my  coz. — Pity  is  one  of  a  large  connec- 
tion of  gentle  feelings  ;  when  you  once  admit  the  first-born, 
you  may  leave  open  your  doors  to  the  whole  family." 

"  Now  that  is  exactly  the  point  in  question,  Cecil — be- 
cause you  esteem  Major  Lincoln,  you  are  willing  to  ad- 
mire Howe  and  all  his  myrmidons  ;  but  I  can  pity,  and 
still  be  firm." 

"  Le  bon  temps  viendra  !  " 

"  Never,"  interrupted  Agnes,  with  a  warmth  that  pre- 
vented her  perceiving  how  much  she  admitted — "  never,  at 
least  under  the  guise  of  a  scarlet  coat." 

Cecil  smiled,  but  having  completed  her  toilet,  she  with- 
drew without  making  any  reply. 

Such  little  discussions,  enlivened  more  or  less  by  the 
peculiar  spirit  of  Agnes,  were  of  frequent  occurrence, 
though  the  eye  of  her  cousin  became  daily  more  thought- 
ful, and  the  indifference  with  which  she  listened  was  more 
apparent  in  each  succeeding  dialogue. 

In  the  meantime,  the  affairs  of  the  siege,  though  con- 
ducted with  extreme  caution,  amounted  only  to  a  vigilant 
blockade. 

The  Americans  lay  by  thousands  in  the  surrounding 
villages,  or  were  hutted  in  strong  bands  nigh  the  batteries 
which  commanded  the  approaches  to  the  place.  Notwith- 
standing their  means  had  been  greatly  increased  by  the 
capture  of  several  vessels,  loaded  with  warlike  stores,  as 
well  as  by  the  reduction  of  two  important  fortresses  to- 
ward the  Canadian  frontiers,  they  were  still  too  scanty  to 
admit  of  that  wasteful  expenditure,  which  is  the  usual  ac- 
companiment of  war.  In  addition  to  their  necessities,  as 
a  reason  for  forbearance,  might  also  be  mentioned  the 
feelings  of  the  colonists,  who  were  anxious,  in  mercy  to 
themselves,  to  regain  their  town  as  little  injured  as  possible. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  impression  made  by  the  battle  of 


212  LIONEL  LINCOLN. 

Bunker  Hill  was  still  so  vivid  as  to  curb  the  enterprise  oi 
the  royal  commanders,  and  Washington  had  been  permit- 
ted to  hold  their  powerful  forces  in  check,  by  an  untrained 
and  half-armed  multitude,  that  was,  at  times,  absolutely 
destitute  of  the  means  of  maintaining  even  a  momentary 
contest. 

As,  however,  a  show  of  hostilities  was  maintained,  the 
reports  of  cannon  were  frequently  heard,  and  there  were 
days  when  skirmishes  between  the  advance  parties  of  the 
two  hosts  brought  on  more  heavy  firings,  which  continued 
for  longer  periods.  The  ears  of  the  ladies  had  long  been 
accustomed  to  these  rude  sounds,  and  as  the  trifling  loss 
which  followed  was  altogether  confined  to  the  outworks, 
they  were  listened  to  with  but  little  or  no  terror. 

In  this  mariner  a  fortnight  flew  swiftly  away,  without  an 
incident  to  be  related.  One  fine  morning,  at  the  end  of 
that  period,  Polwarth  drove  into  the  little  court-yard  of 
Mrs.  Lechmere's  residence,  with  all  those  knowing  flour- 
ishes he  could  command,  and  which,  in  the  year  1775,  were 
thought  to  indicate  the  greatest  familiarity  with  the  prop- 
erties of  atom-pung.  In  another  minute  his  wooden  mem- 
ber was  heard  in  the  passage,  timing  his  steps,  as  he  ap- 
proached the  room  where  the  rest  of  the  party  were  waiting 
his  appearance.  The  two  cousins  stood  wrapped  in  furs, 
with  their  smiling  faces  blooming  beneath  double  rows  of 
lace  to  soften  the  pictures,  while  Major  Lincoln  was  in  the 
act  of  taking  his  cloak  from  Meriton,  as  the  door  opened 
for  the  admission  of  the  captain. 

"What,  already  dished!"  exclaimed  the  good-natured 
Polwarth,  glancing  his  eyes  from  one  to  the  other — "so 
much  the  better  ;  punctuality  is  the  true  leaven  of  life — a 
good  watch  is  as  necessary  to  the  guest  as  the  host,  and  to 
the  host  as  his  cook.  Miss  Agnes,  you  are  amazingly  mur- 
derous to-day  !  If  Howe  expects  his  subalterns  to  do  their 
duty,  he  should  not  suffer  you  to  go  at  large  in  his  camp." 

The  fine  eye  of  Miss  Danforth  sparkled  as  he  proceeded, 
but  happening  to  fall  on  his  mutilated  person,  its  expres- 
sion softened,  and  she  was  content  with  answering  with  a 
smile — 

"  Let  your  general  look  to  himself  ;  I  seldom  go  abroad 
but  to  espy  his  weakness  ! " 

The  captain  gave  an  expressive  shrug  of  his  shoulder, 
and  turning  aside  to  his  friend,  said  in  an  undertone — 

"You  see  how  it  is,  Major  Lincoln  ;  ever  since  I  have 
been  compelled  to  serve  myself  up,  like  a  turkey  from 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  213 

yesterday's  dinner,  with  a  single  leg,  I  have  not  been  able 
to  get  a  sharp  reply  from  the  young  woman — she  has  grown 
an  even-tempered,  tasteless  morsel !  and  I  am  like  a  two- 
prong  fork  ;  only  fit  for  carving!  well,  I  care  not  how  soon 
they  cut  me  up  entirely,  since  she  has  lost  her  piquancy — 
but  shall  we  to  the  church  ? " 

Lionel  looked  a  little  embarrassed,  and  fingered  a  paper 
he  held  in  his  hand,  for  a  moment,  before  he  handed  it  to 
the  other  for  his  perusal. 

"What  have  we  here?"  continued  Polwarth— "  *  Two 
officers,  wounded  in  the  late  battle,  desire  to  return  thanks 
for  their  recovery  ' — hum — hum — hum — two  ? — yourself, 
and  who  is  the  other  ?  " 

"  I  had  hoped  it  would  be  my  old  companion  and  school- 
fellow ? " 

"  Ha!  what,  me!"  exclaimed  the  captain,  unconsciously 
elevating  his  wooden  leg,  and  examining  it  with  a  rueful 
eye — "  umph  !  Leo,  do  you  think  a  man  has  a  particular 
reason  to  be  grateful  for  the  loss  of  a  leg  ? " 

"  It  might  have  been  worse — 

"  I  don't  know,"  interrupted  Polwarth,  a  little  obsti- 
nately— "there  would  have  been  more  symmetry  in  it,  if  it 
had  been  both." 

"  You  forget  your  mother,"  continued  Lionel,  as  though 
the  other  had  not  spoken  ;  "  I  am  very  sure  it  will  give 
her  heart-felt  pleasure." 

Polwarth  gave  a  loud  hem,  rubbed  his  hand  over  his  face 
once  or  twice,  gave  another  furtive  glance  at  his  solitary 
limb,  and  then  answered  with  a  little  tremor  in  his  voice — 

"  Yes,  yes — I  believe  you  are  quite  right — a  mother  can 
love  her  child,  though  he  should  be  chopped  into  mince- 
meat!  The  sex  get  that  generous  feeling  after  they  are 
turned  of  forty — it's  your  young  woman  that  is  particular 
about  proportions  and  correspondents." 

"  You  consent,  then,  that  Meriton  shall  hand  in  the  re- 
quest, as  it  reads  ? " 

Polwarth  hesitated  a  single  instant  longer,  and  then,  as 
he  remembered  his  distant  mother,  (for  Lionel  had  touched 
the  right  chord,)  his  heart  melted  within  him. 

"  Certainly,  certainly — it  might  have  been  worse  as  it 
was  with  poor  Dennis — ay,  let  it  pass  for  two  ;  it  shall  go 
hard,  but  I  find  a  knee  to  bend  on  the  occasion.  Per- 
haps, Leo,  when  a  certain  young  lady  sees  I  can  have  a 
'  Te  Deum  '  for  my  adventure  she  may  cease  to  think  me 
such  an  object  of  pity  as  at  present." 


214  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

Lionel  bowed  in  silence,  and  the  captain,  turning  to 
Agnes,  conducted  her  to  the  sleigh  with  a  particularly 
lofty  air,  that  he  intended  should  indicate  his  perfect  su- 
periority to  the  casualties  of  war.  Cecil  took  the  arm  of 
Major  Lincoln,  and  the  whole  party  were  soon  seated  in 
the  vehicle  that  was  in  waiting. 

Until  this  day,  which  was  the  second  Sunday  since  his 
reappearance,  and  the  first  on  which  the  weather  permitted 
him  to  go  abroad,  Lionel  had  no  opportunity  to  observe 
the  altered  population  of  the  town.  The  inhabitants  had 
gradually  left  the  place,  some  clandestinely,  and  others 
under  favor  of  passes  from  the  royal  general,  until  those 
who  remained  were  actually  outnumbered  by  the  army 
and  its  dependents.  As  the  party  approached  the  "  King's 
Chapel,"  the  street  was  crowded  by  military  men,  col- 
lected in  groups,  who  indulged  in  thoughtless  merriment, 
reckless  of  the  wounds  their  light  conversation  inflicted  on 
the  few  townsmen,  who  might  be  seen  moving  towards 
the  church,  with  deportments  suited  to  the  solemnity  of 
their  purpose,  and  countenances  severely  chastened  by  a 
remembrance  of  the  day,  and  its  serious  duties.  Indeed, 
so  completely  had  Boston  lost  that  distinctive  appearance 
of  sobriety,  which  had  ever  been  the  care  and  pride  of  its 
people,  in  the  levity  of  a  garrison,  that  even  the  immediate 
precincts  of  the  temple  were  not  protected  from  the  passing 
jest  or  rude  mirth  of  the  gay  and  unreflecting,  at  an  hour 
when  a  quiet  was  wont  to  settle  on  the  whole  province,  as 
deep  as  if  Nature  had  ceased  her  ordinary  functions  to 
unite  in  the  worship  of  man.  Lionel  observed  the  change 
with  mortification,  nor  did  it  escape  his  uneasy  glances, 
that  his  two  female  companions  concealed  their  faces  in 
their  muffs,  as  if  to  exclude  a  view  that  brought  still  more 
painful  recollections  to  minds  early  trained  in  the  reflecting 
habits  of  the  country. 

When  the  sleigh  drew  up  before  the  edifice,  a  dozen 
hands  were  extended  to  assist  the  ladies  in  their  short  but 
difficult  passage  into  the  heavy  portico.  Agnes  coldly 
bowed  her  acknowledgments,  observing,  with  an  extremely 
equivocal  smile,  to  one  of  the  most  assiduous  of  the  young 
men — 

"  We,  who  are  accustomed  to  the  climate,  find  no  diffi- 
culty in  walking  on  ice,  though  to  you  foreigners  it  may 
seem  so  hazardous." — She  then  bowed,  and  walked  gravely 
into  the  bosom  of  the  church,  without  deigning  to  bestow 
another  glance  to  her  right  hand  or  her  left. 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  215 

The  manner  of  Cecil,  though  more  chastened  and  femi- 
nine, and  consequently  more  impressive,  was  equally  re- 
served. Like  her  cousin,  she  proceeded  directly  to  her 
pew,  repulsing  the  attempts  of  those  who  wished  to  detain 
her  a  moment  in  idle  discourse,  by  a  lady-like  propriety 
that  checked  the  advance  of  all  who  approached  her.  In 
consequence  of  the  rapid  movement  of  their  companions, 
Lionel  and  Polwarth  were  left  among  the  crowd  of  officers 
who  thronged  the  entrance  of  the  church.  The  former 
moved  up  within  the  colonnade,  and  passed  from  group  to 
group,  answering  and  making  the  customary  inquiries  of 
men  engaged  in  the  business  of  war.  Here,  three  or  four 
veterans  were  clustered  about  one  of  those  heavy  columns, 
that  were  arranged  in  formidable  show  on  three  faces  of 
the  building,  discussing,  with  becoming  gravity,  the  politi- 
cal signs  of  the  times,  or  the  military  condition  of  their 
respective  corps.  There,  three  or  four  unfledged  boys, 
tricked  in  all  the  vain  emblems  of  their  profession,  im- 
peded the  entrance  of  the  few  women  who  appeared  under 
the  pretence  of  admiration  for  the  sex,  while  they  secretly 
dwelt  on  the  glitter  of  their  own  ornaments.  Scattered 
along  the  whole  extent  of  the  entrance  were  other  little 
knots  ;  some  listening  to  the  idle  tale  of  a  professed  jester, 
some  abusing  the  land  in  which  it  was  their  fate  to  serve, 
and  others  recounting  the  marvels  they  had  witnessed  in 
distant  climes,  and  in  scenes  of  peril  which  beggared  their 
utmost  powers  of  description. 

Among  such  a  collection  it  was  not  difficult,  however,  to 
find  a  few  whose  views  were  more  elevated,  and  whose  de- 
portment might  be  termed  less  offensive,  either  to  breeding 
or  principles.  With  one  of  the  gentlemen  of  the  latter 
class  Lionel  was  held  for  some  time  in  discourse,  in  a  dis- 
tant part  of  the  portico.  At  length  the  sounds  of  the 
organ  were  heard  issuing  from  the  church,  and  the  gay 
parties  began  to  separate,  like  men  suddenly  reminded  why 
they  were  collected  in  that  unusual  place.  The  companion 
of  Major  Lincoln  had  left  him,  and  he  was  himself  follow- 
ing along  the  colonnade,  which  was  now  but  thinly  peo- 
pled, when  his  ear  was  saluted  by  a  low  voice,  singing  in 
a  sort  of  nasal  chant  at  his  very  elbow — 

"  Woe  unto  you,  Pharisees  !  for  ye  love  the  uppermost 
seats  in  the  synagogues,  and  greetings  in  the  market!" 

Though  Lionel  had  not  heard  the  voice  since  the  echoing 
cry  had  issued  out  of  the  fatal  redoubt,  he  knew  its  first 
tones  on  the  instant.  Turning  at  this  singular  denuncia- 


216  LIONEL   LINCOLN-. 

tion,  he  beheld  Job  Pray,  erect  and  immovable  as  a  statue, 
in  one  of  the  niches,  in  front  of  the  building,  whence  he 
gave  forth  his  warning  voice,  like  some  oracle  speaking  to 
its  devotees. 

"  Fellow,  will  no  peril  teach  you  wisdom  !  "  demanded 
Lionel — "  how  dare  you  brave  our  resentment  so  wan- 
tonly ?" 

But  his  questions  were  unheeded.  The  young  man, 
whose  features  looked  pale  and  emaciated,  as  if  he  had  en- 
dured recent  bodily  disease,  whose  eye  was  glazed  and 
vacant,  and  whose  whole  appearance  was  more  squalid  and 
miserable  than  usual,  appeared  perfectly  indifferent  to  all 
around  him.  Without  even  altering  the  riveted  gaze  of 
his  unmeaning  eye,  he  continued — 

"  Woe  unto  you  !  for  ye  neither  go  in  yourselves  ;  neither 
suffer  ye  them  that  are  entering  to  go  in  ! " 

"Art  deaf,  fool!"  demanded  Lionel. 

In  an  instant  the  eye  of  the  other  was  turned  on  his  in- 
terrogator, and  Major  Lincoln  felt  a  thrill  pass  through 
him,  when  he  met  the  wild  gleam  of  intelligence  that 
lighted  the  countenance  of  the  changeling,  as  he  continued, 
in  the  same  ominous  tones — 

"  Whosoever  shall  say  to  his  brother,  Raca,  shall  be  in 
danger  of  the  council ;  but  whosoever  shall  say,  Thou 
fool,  is  in  danger  of  hell-fire." 

For  a  moment  Lionel  stood  as  if  spellbound,  by  the 
manner  of  Job,  while  he  uttered  this  dreadful  anathema. 
But  the  instant  the  secret  influence  ceased,  he  tapped  the 
lad  lightly  with  his  cane,  and  bid  him  descend  from  the 
niche. 

"  Job's  a  prophet,"  returned  the  other,  dishonoring  his 
declaration  at  the  same  time,  by  losing  the  singular  air  of 
momentary  intelligence,  in  his  usual  appearance  of  mental 
imbecility — "it's  wicked  to  strike  a  prophet.  The  Jews 
stoned  the  prophets,  and  beat  them  too." 

"  Do  then  as  I  bid  you — would  you  stay  here  to  be  beaten 
by  the  soldiers  ?  Go  now,  away  ;  after  service  come  to  me, 
and  I  will  furnish  you  with  a  better  coat  than  the  garment 
your  wear." 

"  Did  you  never  read  the  good  book,"  said  Job,  "  where 
it  tells  how  you  mus'n't  take  heed  for  food  nor  raiment  ? 
Nab  says  when  Job  dies  he'll  go  to  heaven,  for  he  gets 
nothing  to  wear,  and  but  little  to  eat.  Kings  wear  their 
di'mond  crowns  and  golden  flauntiness  ;  and  kings  always 
go  to  the  dark  place." 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  217 

The  lad  suddenly  ceased,  and  crouching  into  the  very 
bottom  of  his  niche,  he  began  to  play  with  his  fingers,  like 
an  infant  amused  with  the  power  of  exercising  its  own 
members.  At  the  same  moment  Lionel  turned  from  him, 
attracted  by  the  rattling  of  side-arms,  and  the  tread  of 
many  feet  behind  him.  A  large  party  of  officers,  belong- 
ing to  the  staff  of  the  army,  had  paused  to  listen  to  what 
was  passing.  Amongst  them  Lionel  recognized,  at  the 
first  glance,  two  of  the  chieftains,  who,  a  little  in  advance 
of  their  attendants,  were  keenly  eying  the  singular  being 
that  was  squatted  in  the  niche.  Notwithstanding  his  sur- 
prise, Major  Lincoln  detected  the  scowl  that  impended 
over  the  dark  brow  of  the  commander-in-chief,  while  he 
bowed  low,  in  deference  to  his  rank. 

•'Who  is  this  fellow,  that  dare  condemn  the  mighty  of 
the  earth  to  such  sweeping  perdition?"  demanded  Howe 
• — "his  own  sovereign  amongst  the  number  ! " 

"  Tis  an  unfortunate  being,  wanting  in  intellect,  with 
whom  accident  has  made  me  acquainted,"  returned  Major 
Lincoln  ;  "who  hardly  knows  what  lie  utters,  and  least  of 
all  in  whose  presence  he  has  been  speaking." 

"  It  is  to  such  idle  opinions,  which  are  conceived  by  the 
designing,  and  circulated  by  the  ignorant,  that  we  may 
ascribe  the  wavering  allegiance  of  the  colonies,"  said  the 
British  general.  "  I  hope  you  can  answer  for  the  loyalty 
of  your  singular  acquaintance,  Major  Lincoln  ?" 

Lionel  was  about  to  reply,  with  some  little  spirit,  when 
the  companion  of  the  frowning  chief  suddenly  exclaimed — 

"  By  the  feats  of  the  feathered  Hermes,  but  this  is  the 
identical  Merry  Andrew  who  took  the  flying  leap  from 
Copp's,  of  which  I  have  already  spoken  to  you. — Am  I  in 
error,  Lincoln  ?  Is  not  this  the  shouting  philosopher, 
whose  feelings  were  so  elevated  on  the  day  of  Breed's, 
that  he  could  not  refrain  from  flying,  but  who,  less  fort- 
unate than  Icarus,  made  his  descent  on  terra  firma  ?" 

"  I  believe  your  memory  is  faithful,  sir,"  said  Lionel, 
answering  the  smile  of  the  other — "the  lad  is  often  brought 
to  trouble  by  his  simplicity." 

Burgoyne  gave  a  gentle  impulse  to  the  arm  he  held,  as 
if  he  thought  the  wretched  being  before  them  unworthy  of 
further  consideration  ;  though  secretly  with  a  view  to  pre- 
vent an  impolitic  exhibition  of  the  well-known  propensity 
of  his  senior  to  push  his  notions  of  military  ascendancy  to 
the  extreme.  Perceiving  by  the  still  darkening  look  of 
the  other,  that  he  hesitated,  his  ready  lieutenant  observed — 


2i8  LIONEL  LINCOLN. 

"  Poor  fellow !  his  treason  was  doubly  punished,  by  a  flight 
of  some  fifty  feet  down  the  declivity  of  Copp's,  and  the  mor- 
tification of  witnessing  the  glorious  triumph  of  his  majesty's 
troops. — To  such  a  wretch  we  may  well  afford  forgiveness." 

Howe  insensibly  yielded  to  the  continued  pressure  of 
the  other,  and  his  hard  features  even  relaxed  into  a  scowl- 
ing smile,  as  he  said,  while  turning  away— 

"  Look  to  your  acquaintance,  Major  Lincoln,  or,  bad  as 
his  present  condition  seems,  he  may  make  it  worse.  Such 
language  cannot  be  tolerated  in  a  place  besieged.  That  is 
the  word,  I  believe — the  rebels  call  their  mob  a  besieging 
army,  do  they  not?" 

"  They  do  gather  round  our  winter-quarters,  and  claim 
some  such  distinction " 

"  It  must  be  acknowledged  they  did  well  on  Breed's  too  ! 
The  shabby  rascals  fought  like  true  men." 

"  Desperately,  and  with  some  discretion,"  answered  Bur- 
goyne  ;  "  but  it  was  their  fortune  to  meet  those  who  fought 
better,  and  with  greater  skill — shall  we  enter  ?" 

The  frown  was  now  entirely  chased  from  the  brow  of  the 
chief,  who  said  complacently — 

"  Come,  gentlemen,  we  are  tardy  ;  unless  more  indus- 
trious, we  shall  not  be  in  season  to  pray  for  the  king,  much 
less  ourselves." 

The  whole  party  advanced  a  step,  when  a  bustle  in  the 
rear  announced  the  approach  of  another  officer  of  high 
rank,  and  the  second  in  command  entered  into  the  colon- 
nade, followed  also  by  the  gentlemen  of  his  family.  The 
instant  he  appeared,  the  self-contented  look  vanished  from 
the  features  of  Howe,  who  returned  his  salute  with  cold 
civility,  and  immediately  entered  the  church.  The  quick- 
witted Burgoyne  again  interposed,  and  as  he  made  way  in 
his  turn,  he  found  means  to  whisper  into  the  ear  of  Clin- 
ton some  well-imagined  allusion  to  the  events  of  that  very 
field  which  had  given  birtli  to  the  heart-burnings  between 
his  brother  generals,  and  had  caused  the  feelings  of  Howe 
to  be  estranged  from  the  man  to  whose  assistance  he  owed 
so  much.  Clinton  yielded  to  the  subtle  influence  of  the 
flattery,  and  followed  his  commander  into  the  house  of 
God,  with  a  bland  contentment  that  he  probably  mistook 
for  a  feeling  much  better  suited  for  the  place  and  the  oc- 
casion. As  the  whole  group  of  spectators,  consisting  of 
aids,  secretaries,  and  idlers,  without,  immediately  imitated 
the  example  of  the  generals,  Lionel  found  himself  alone 
with  the  changeling. 


LIONEL   LINCOLN-.  219 

From  the  moment  that  Job  discovered  the  vicinity  of 
the  English  leader,  to  that  of  his  disappearance,  the  lad  re- 
mained literally  immovable.  His  eye  was  fastened  on  va- 
cancy, his  jaw  had  fallen  in  a  manner  to  give  a  look  of  ut- 
ter mental  alienation  to  his  countenance  ;  and,  in  short,  he 
exhibited  the  degraded  lineaments  and  figure  of  a  man, 
without  his  animation  or  intelligence.  But  as  the  last  foot- 
steps of  the  retiring  party  became  inaudible,  the  fear, 
which  had  put  to  flight  the  feeble  intellects  of  the  simple- 
ton, slowly  left  him,  and  raising  his  face,  he  said,  in  a  low, 
growling  voice — 

"  Let  him  go  out  to  Prospect  ;  the  people  will  teach  him 
the  law  ! " 

"  Perverse  and  obstinate  simpleton ! "  cried  Lionel, 
dragging  him*  without  further  ceremony,  from  the  niche 
— "  will  you  persevere  in  that  foolish  cry  until  you  are 
whipped  from  regiment  to  regiment  for  your  pains  ! " 

"You  promised  Job  the  grannies  shouldn't  beat  him  any 
more,  and  Job  promised  to  run  your  ar'n'ds." 

"  Ay  !  but  unless  you  learn  to  keep  silence,  boy,  I  shall 
forget  my  promise,  and  give  you  up  to  the  anger  of  all  the 
grannies  in  town." 

"Well,"  said  Job,  brightening  in  his  look,  like  a  fool  in 
his  exultation,  "  they  are  half  of  them  dead,  at  any  rate  ;  Job 
heard  the  biggest  man  among  'em  roar  like  a  ravenous 
lion,  *  hurrah  for  the  Royal  Irish,'  but  he  never  spoke  ag'in  ; 
though  there  wrasn't  any  better  rest  for  Job's  gun  than  a 
dead  man's  shoulder  !  " 

"Wretch  !  "  cried  Lionel,  recoiling  from  him  in  horror, 
"  are  your  hands  then  stained  with  the  blood  of  M'Fuse  !" 

"Job  didn't  touch  him  with  his  hands,"  returned  the 
undisturbed  simpleton — "for  he  died  like  a  dog,  where  he 
fell !  " 

Lionel  stood  a  moment  in  utter  confusion  of  thought ; 
but  hearing  the  infallible  evidence  of  the  near  approach  of 
Polwarth  in  his  tread,  he  said,  in  a  hurried  manner,  and  in 
a  voice  half  choked  by  his  emotions — 

"  Go,  fellow,  go  to  Mrs.  Lech  mere's,  as  I  bid  you — tell — 
tell  Meriton  to  look  to  my  fire." 

The  lad  made  a  motion  towards  obeying,  but  checking 
himself,  he  looked  up  into  the  face  of  the  other  with  a  pit- 
eous and  suffering  look,  and  said — 

"  See,  Job's  numb  with  cold  !  Nab  and*  Job  can't  get 
wood  now  ;  the  king  keeps  men  to  fight  for  it — let  Job 
warm  his  flesh  a  little  ;  his  body  is  cold  as  the  dead  !  " 


220  LIONEL  LINCOLN. 

Touched  to  the  heart  by  the  request,  and  the  helpless 
aspect  of  the  lad,  Lionel  made  a  silent  signal  of  assent,  and 
turned  quickly  to  meet  his  friend.  It  was  not  necessary 
for  Polwarth  to  speak,  in  order  to  apprise  Major  Lincoln 
that  he  had  overheard  part  of  the  dialogue  between  him 
and  Job.  His  countenance  and  attitude  sufficiently  be- 
trayed his  knowledge,  as  well  as  the  effect  it  had  produced 
on  his  feelings.  He  kept  his  eyes  on  the  form  of  the  sim- 
pleton, as  the  lad  shuffled  his  way  along  the  icy  street,  with 
an  expression  that  could  not  easily  be  mistaken. 

"  Did  I  not  hear  the  name  of  poor  Dennis  ?  "  at  length 
he  asked. 

"  'Twas  some  of  the  idle  boastings  of  the  fool.  But  why 
are  you  not  in  the  pew  ? " 

"  The  fellow  is  a  protege  of  yours,  Major'Lincoln  ;  but 
you  may  carry  forbearance  too  far,"  returned  Polwarth, 
gravely. — "  I  come  for  you,  at  the  request  of  a  pair  of 
beautiful  eyes,  that  have  inquired  of  each  one  that  has  en^ 
tered  the  church,  this  half  hour,  where  and  why  Majoi 
Lincoln  has  tarried." 

Lionel  bowed  his  thanks,  and  affected  to  laugh  at  the 
humor  of  his  friend,  while  they  proceeded  together  to  the 
pew  of  Mrs.  Lechmere  without  further  delay. 

The  painful  reflections  excited  by  this  interview  with 
Job,  gradually  vanished  from  the  mind  of  Lionel,  as  he 
yielded  to  the  influence  of  the  solemn  service  of  the  church. 
He  heard  the  difficult  and  suppressed  breathing  of  the  fair 
being  who  kneeled  by  his  side,  while  the  minister  read 
those  thanksgivings  which  personally  concerned  himself, 
and  no  little  of  earthly  gratitude  mingled  with  the  loftier 
aspirations  of  the  youth,  as  he  listened  He  caught  the 
timid  glance  of  the  soft  eye  from  behind  the  folds  oi  Cecil's 
veil,  as  they  rose,  and  he  took  his  seat  as  happy  as  an  ar- 
dent young  man  might  well  be  fancied,  under  the  con- 
sciousness of  possessing  the  best  affections  of  a  female  so 
youthful,  so  lovely,  and  so  pure. 

Perhaps  the  service  was  not  altogether  so  consoling  to 
the  feelings  of  Polwarth.  As  he  recovered  his  solitary  foot 
again,  with  some  little  difficulty,  he  cast  a  very  equivocal 
glance  at  his  dismembered  person,  hemmed  aloud,  and  fin- 
ished with  a  rattling  of  his  wooden  leg  about  the  pew,  that 
attracted  the  eyes  of  the  whole  congregation,  as  if  he  in- 
tended the  ears  of  all  present  should  bear  testimony  in 
whose  behalf  their  owners  had  uttered  their  extraordinary 
thanksgivings. 


LIONEL  LINCOLN1.  221 

The  officiating  minister  was  far  too  discreet  to  vex  the 
attention  of  his  superiors  with  any  prolix  and  unwelcome 
exhibitions  of  the  Christian's  duty.  The  impressive  de- 
livery of  his  text  required  one  minute.  Four  were  con- 
sumed in  the  exordium.  The  argument  was  ingeniously 
condensed  into  ten  more  ;  and  the  peroration  of  his  essay 
was  happily  concluded  in  four  minutes  and  a  half  ;  leaving 
him  the  satisfaction  of  knowing,  as  he  was  assured  by  fifty 
watches,  and  twice  that  number  of  contented  faces,  that 
ne  had  accomplished  his  task  by  half  a  minute  within  the 
orthodox  period. 

For  this  exactitude  he  doubtless  had  his  reward.  Among 
other  testimonials  in  his  favor,  when  Polwarth  shook  his 
hand  to  thank  him  for  his  kind  offices  in  his  own  behalf, 
he  found  room  for  a  high  compliment  to  the  discourse, 
concluding  by  assuring  the  flattered  divine,  "that,  in  ad- 
dition to  its  other  great  merits,  it  was  done  in  beautiful 
time  !  " 


CHAPTER  XX. 

"Away  ;  let  naught  to  love  displeasing, 
My  Winifreda,  move  your  care  : 
Let  naught  delay  the  heavenly  blessing, 
Nor  squeamish  pride,  nor  gloomy  fear." — Anonymous. 

IT  was  perhaps  fortunate  for  the  tranquillity  of  all  con- 
cerned, that,  during  this  period  of  their  opening  confi- 
dence, the  person  of  Mrs.  Lechmere  came  not  between  the 
bright  image  of  purity  and  happiness  that  Cecil  presented 
in  each  lineament  and  action,  and  the  eyes  of  her  lover. 
The  singular,  and  somewhat  contradictory  interests  that 
lady  had  so  often  betrayed  in  the  movements  of  her  young 
kinsman,  were  no  longer  visible  to  awaken  his  slumbering 
suspicions.  Even  those  inexplicable  scenes,  in  which  his 
aunt  had  so  strangely  been  an  actor,  were  forgotten  in  the 
engrossing  feelings  of  the  hour  ;  or,  if  remembered  at  all, 
were  only  suffered  to  dim  the  pleasing  pictures  of  his 
imagination,  as  an  airy  cloud  throws  its  passing  shadows 
across  some  cheerful  and  lovely  landscape.  In  addition  to 
those  very  natural  auxiliaries,  love  and  hope,  the  cause  of 
Mrs.  Lechmere  had  found  a  very  powerful  assistant,  in  the 
bosom  of  Lionel,  through  an  accident  which  had  confined 
her,  for  a  long  period,  not  only  to  her  apartment,  but  to 
her  bed. 


222  LIONEL  LINCOLN-. 

On  that  day,  when  the  critical  operation  was  performed 
on  the  person  of  Major  Lincoln,  his  aunt  was  known  to 
have  awaited  the  result  in  intense  anxiety.  As  soon  as  the 
favorable  termination,  was  reported  to  her,  she  hastened 
toward  his  room  with  an  unguarded  eagerness,  \vhich, 
added  to  the  general  infirmities  of  her  years,  had  nearly 
cost  the  price  of  her  life.  Her  foot  became  entangled  in 
her  train,  in  ascending  the  stairs,  but  disregarding  the' 
warning  cry  of  Agnes  Danforth,  with  that  sort  of  reckless 
vehemence  that  sometimes  broke  through  the  formal  de- 
corum of  her  manners,  she  sustained,  in  consequence,  a  fall 
that  might  well  have  proved  fatal  to  a  much  younger  woman. 
The  injury  she  received  was  severe  and  internal  ;  and  the 
inflammation,  though  not  high,  was  sufficiently  protracted 
to  arouse  the  apprehensions  of  her  attendants.  The  symp- 
toms were,  however,  now  abating,  and  her  recovery  no 
longer  a  matter  of  question. 

As  Lionel  heard  this  from  the  lips  of  Cecil,  the  reader 
will  not  imagine  the  effect  produced  by  the  interest  his 
aunt  took  in  his  welfare  was  at  all  lessened  by  the  source 
whence  he  derived  his  knowledge.  Notwithstanding  Cecil 
dwelt  on  such  a  particular  evidence  of  Mrs.  Lechmere's 
attachment  to  her  nephew  with  much  earnestness,  it  had 
not  escaped  Major  Lincoln,  that  her  name  was  but  seldom 
introduced  in  their  frequent  conversations,  and  never,  on 
the  part  of  his  companion,  without  a  guarded  delicacy  that 
appeared  sensitive  in  the  extreme.  As  their  confidence, 
however,  increased  with  their  hourly  communications,  he 
began  gently  to  lift  the  veil  which  female  reserve  had 
drawn  before  her  inmost  feelings,  and  to  read  a  heart 
whose  purity  and  truth  wrould  have  repaid  a  more  difficult 
investigation. 

When  the  party  returned  from  the  church,  Cecil  and 
Agnes  immediately  hastened  to  the  apartment  of  the  in- 
valid, leaving  Lionel  in  possession  of  the  little  wainscoted 
parlor  by  himself  ;  Polwarth  having  proceeded  to  his  own 
quarters,  with  the  assistance  of  the  hunter.  The  young 
man  passed  a  few  minutes  in  pacing  the  room,  musing 
deeply  on  the  scene  he  had  witnessed  before  the  church  ; 
now  and  then  casting  a  vacant  look  on  the  fanciful  orna- 
ments of  the  walls,  among  which  the  armorial  bearings  of 
his  own  name  were  so  frequent,  and  in  such  honorable  sit- 
uations. At  length  he  heard  that  light  footstep  approach, 
whose  sound  had  now  become  too  well  known  to  be  mis- 
taken, and  in  another  instant  he  was  joined  by  Miss  Dynevor. 


LIOXEL  LIXCOLN:  2-3 

"  Mrs.  Lechmere  ! "  he  said,  leading  her  to  a  settee,  and 
placing  himself  by  her  side  ;  "  you  found  her  better,  I 
trust  ? " 

"  So  well,  that  she  intends  adventuring,  this  morning, 
an  interview  with  your  own  formidable  self.  Indeed, 
Lionel,  you  have  every  reason  to  be  grateful  for  the  deep 
interest  my  grandmother  takes  in  your  welfare  !  Ill  as 
she  has  been,  her  inquiries  in  your  behalf  were  ceaseless  ; 
and  I  have  known  her  refuse  to  answer  any  questions 
about  her  own  critical  condition  until  her  physician  had 
relieved  her  anxiety  concerning  yours." 

As  Cecil  spoke,  the  tears  rushed  into  her  eyes,  and  her 
bloom  deepened  with  the  strength  of  her  feelings. 

''It  is  to  you,  then,  that  much  of  my  gratitude  is  due," 
returned  Lionel  ;  "  for,  by  permitting  me  to  blend  my  lot 
with  yours,  I  find  new  value  in  her  eyes.  Have  you  ac- 
quainted Mrs.  Lechmere  with  the  full  extent  of  my  pre- 
sumption ?  She  knows  of  our  engagement  ?  " 

"  Could  I  do  otherwise  ?  while  your  life  was  in  peril,  I 
confined  the  knowledge  of  my  interest  in  your  situation 
to  my  own  breast  ;  but  when  we  were  nattered  with  the 
hopes  of  a  recovery,  I  placed  your  letter  in  the  hands  of  my 
natural  adviser,  and  have  the  consolation  of  knowing,  that 
she  approves  of  my — what  shall  I  call  it,  Lionel  ? — would 
not  folly  be  the  better  word  ?  " 

"  Call  it  what  you  will,  so  you  do  not  disavow  it.  I  have 
hitherto  forborne  inquiring  into  the  views  of  Mrs.  Lech- 
mere, in  tenderness  to  her  situation  ;  but  I  may  flatter  my- 
self, Cecil,  that  she  will  not  reject  me  ? " 

For  a  single  instant  the  blood  rushed  tumultuously  over 
the  fine  countenance  of  Miss  Dynevor,  suffusing  even  her 
temples  and  forehead  with  its  healthful  bloom  ;  but,  as  she 
cast  a  reproachful  glance  at  her  lover,  it  deserted  even  her 
cheeks,  while  she  answered  calmly,  though  with  a  slight 
exhibition  of  displeasure  in  her  air — 

"It  may  have  been  the  misfortune  of  my  grandmother 
to  view  the  head  of  her  own  family  with  too  partial  eyes  ; 
but,  if  it  be  so,  her  reward  should  not  be  distrust.  The 
weakness  is,  I  dare  say,  very  natural,  though  not  less  a 
weakness." 

For  the  first  time,  Lionel  fully  comprehended  the  cause 
of  that  variable  manner  with  which  Cecil  had  received  his 
attentions,  until  interest  in  his  person  had  stilled  her  sensi- 
tive feelings.  Without,  however,  betraying  the  least  con- 
sciousness of  his  intelligence,  he  answered — 


224 


LIONEL   LINCOLN. 


"  Gratitude  does  not  deserve  so  forbidding  a  name  as 
distrust  ;  nor  will  vanity  permit  me  to  call  partiality  in  my 
favor  a  weakness." 

"  The  word  is  a  good  and  a  safe  term,  as  applied  to  pool 
human  nature,"  said  Cecil,  smiling  once  more  with  all  her 
native  sweetness,  "  and  you  may  possibly  overlook  it, 
when  you  recollect  that  our  foibles  are  sometimes  heredi- 
tary." 

"  I  pardon  your  unkind  suspicion  for  that  gentle  ac- 
knowledgment. But  I  may  now,  without  hesitation,  apply 
to  your  grandmother  for  her  consent  to  our  immediate 
union  ?" 

"  You  would  not  have  your  epithalamium  sung,  when, 
at  the  next  moment,  you  may  be  required  to  listen  to  the 
dirge  of  some  friend  !  " 

"  The  very  reason  you  urge  against  our  marriage,  induces 
me  to  press  it,  Cecil.  As  the  season  advances,  this  play  of 
war  must  end.  Howe  will  either  break  out  of  his  bounds, 
and  drive  the  Americans  from  the  hills,  or  seek  some 
other  point  for  more  active  warfare.  In  either  case  you 
would  be  left  in  a  distracted  and  divided  country,  at  an  age 
too  tender  for  your  own  safety,  rather  the  guardian  than 
the  ward  of  your  helpless  parent.  Surely,  Cecil,  you  would 
not  hesitate  to  accept  of  my  protection  at  such  a  crisis,  I 
had  almost  dared  to  say,  in  tenderness  to  yourself,  as  well 
as  to  my  feelings !  " 

"  Say  on,"  she  answered  ;  "  I  admire  your  ingenuity,  if 
not  your  argument.  In  the  first  place,  however,  I  do  not 
believe  your  general  can  drive  the  Americans  from  their 
posts  so  easily  ;  for,  by  a  very  simple  process  in  figures, 
that  even  I  understand,  you  may  find,  if  one  hill  costs  so 
many  hundred  men,  that  the  purchase  of  the  whole  would 
be  too  dear — nay,  Lionel,  do  not  look  so  grave,  I  implore 
you  !  Surely,  surely,  you  do  not  think  I  would  speak  idly 
of  a  battle  that  had  nearly  cost  your  life,  and — and — my 
happiness." 

"  Say  on,"  said  Lionel,  instantly  dismissing  the  momen- 
tary cloud  from  his  brow,  and  smiling  fondly  in  her  anxious 
face  ;  "  I  admire  your  casuistry,  and  worship  your  feeling  ; 
but  can,  also,  deny  your  argument." 

Reassured  by  his  voice  and  manner,  after  a  moment  of 
extreme  agitation,  she  continued,  in  the  same  playful 
tones  as  before— 

"  But  we  will  suppose  all  the  hills  won,  and  the  Ameri- 
can chief,  Washington,  who,  though  nothing  but  a  rebel, 


LIOXKL    TJXCOT.V.  22$ 

is  a  very  respectable  one,  driven  into  the  country  with  his 
army  at  his  heels  ;  I  trust  it  is  to  be  done  without  the  as- 
sistance of  the  women!  Or,  should  Howe  remove  his 
force,  as  you  intimate,  will  he  not  leave  the  town  behind 
him?  In  either  case,  I  should  remain  quietly  where  I  am  ; 
safe  in  a  British  garrison,  or  safer  among  my  countrymen." 

"  Cecil,  you  are  alike  ignorant  of  the  dangers  and  of  the 
rude  lawlessness  of  war  !  Though  Howe  should  abandon 
the  place,  'twould  be  only  for  a  time  ;  believe  me,  the 
ministry  will  never  yield  the  possession  of  a  town  like 
this,  which  has  so  long  dared  their  power,  to  men  in  arms 
against  their  lawful  prince." 

"  You  have  strangely  forgotten  the  last  six  months,  Lio- 
nel, or  you  would  not  accuse  me  of  ignorance  of  the  mis- 
ery that  war  can  inflict." 

"  A  thousand  thanks  for  the  kind  admission,  dearest 
Cecil,  as  well  as  for  the  hint,"  said  the  young  man,  shift- 
ing the  ground  of  his  argument  with  the  consistency,  as 
well  as  the  readiness,  of  a  lover  ;  "  you  have  owned  your 
sentiments  to  me,  and  would  not  refuse  to  avow  them 
again  ?" 

"Not  one  whose  self-esteem  will  induce  him  to  forget 
the  weakness  ;  but,  perhaps,  I  might  hesitate  to  do  such  a 
gilly  thing  before  the  world." 

"  I  will  then  put  it  to  your  heart,"  he  continued,  with- 
out regarding  the  smiling  coquetry  she  had  affected. 
"  Believing  the  best,  you  will  admit  that  another  battle 
would  be  no  strange  occurrence  ? " 

She  raised  her  anxious  looks  to  his  face,  but  remained 
silent. 

"  We  both  kno\v,  at  least  I  know,  from  sad  experience, 
that  I  am  far  from  being  invulnerable.  Now  answer  me, 
Cecil, — not  as  a  female,  struggling  to  support  the  false 
pride  of  her  sex,  but  as  a  woman,  generous  and  full  of 
heart,  like  yourself, — were  the  events  of  the  iast  six 
months  to  recur,  whether  would  you  live  them  over  affi- 
anced in  secret,  or  as  an  acknowledged  wife,  who  might 
not  blush  to  show  her  tenderness  to  the  world  ? " 

It  was  not  until  the  large  drops,  that  glistened  at  his 
words  upon  the  dark  lashes  of  Miss  Dynevor,  were  shaken 
from  the  tremulous  fringes  that  concealed  her  eyes,  that 
she  looked  up,  blushing,  into  his  face,  and  said — 

"  Do  you  not  then  think  that  I  endured  enough,  as  one 
who  felt  herself  betrothed ;  but  that  closer  ties  were  neces- 
sary to  fill  the  measure  of  my  suffering?" 

15 


226  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

i 

"  I  cannot  even  thank  you  as  I  would  for  those  flatteiing 
tears,  until  my  question  is  plainly  answered." 

"  Is  this  altogether  generous,  Lincoln  ?" 

'  Perhaps  not  in  appearance,  but  sincerely  so  in  truth. 
By  heaven,  Cecil,  I  would  shelter  and  protect  you  from  a 
ntde  contact  with  the  world,  even  as  I  seek  my  own  hap- 
piness !" 

Miss  Dynevor  was  not  only  confused,  but  distressed; 
she  however  said,  in  a  low  voice — 

"  You  forget,  Major  Lincoln,  that  I  have  one  to  consult, 
without  whose  approbation  I  can  promise  nothing." 

"  Will  you,  then,  refer  the  question  to  her  wisdom  ? 
Should  Mrs.  Lechmere  approve  of  our  immediate  union, 
may  I  say  to  her,  that  you  authorize  me  to  ask  it  ?" 

Cecil  said  nothing  ;  but  smiling  through  her  tears,  she 
permitted  Lionel  to  take  her  hand  in  a  manner  that  a 
much  less  sanguine  man  would  have  found  no  difficulty  in 
construing  into  an  assent. 

"  Corne  then,"  he  cried,  "let  us  hasten  to  the  apartment 
of  Mrs.  Lechmere  ;  did  you  not  say  she  expected  me  ?  "  She 
suffered  him  to  draw  her  arm  through  his  own,  and  lead 
her  from  the  room.  Notwithstanding  the  buoyant  hopes 
with  which  Lionel  conducted  his  companion  through  the 
passages  of  the  house,  he  did  not  approach  the  chamber 
of  Mrs.  Lechmere  without  some  inward  repugnance.  It 
was  not  possible  to  forget  entirely  all  that  had  so  recently 
passed,  or  to  still,  effectually,  those  dark  suspicions  which 
had  been  once  awakened  within  his  bosom.  His  purpose, 
however,  bore  him  onward,  and  a  glance  at  the  trembling 
being,  who  now  absolutely  leaned  on  him  for  support, 
drove  every  consideration,  in  which  she  did  not  form  a 
most  prominent  part,  from  his  mind. 

The  enfeebled  appearance  of  the  invalid,  with  a  sudden 
recollection  that  she  had  sustained  so  much,  in  conse- 
quence of  her  anxiety  in  his  own  behalf,  so  far  aided  the 
cause  of  his  aunt,  that  the  young  man  not  only  met  her 
with  cordiality,  but  with  a  feeling  akin  to  gratitude. 

The  indisposition  of  Mrs.  Lechmere  had  now  continued 
for  several  weeks,  and  her  features,  aged  and  sunken  as 
they  were  by  the  general  decay  of  nature,  afforded  strong 
additional  testimony  of  the  seventy  of  her  recent  illness. 
Her  face,  besides  being  paler  and  more  emaciated  than 
usual,  had  caught  that  anxious  expression,  which  great 
and  protracted  bodily  ailing  is  apt  to  leave  on  the  human 
countenance.  Her  brow  was,  however,  smooth  and  satis« 


LIONEL   LINCOLN'.  227 

fied,  unless  at  moments,  when  a  slight  and  involuntary  play 
of  the  muscles  betrayed  that  fleeting  pains  continued,  at 
short  intervals,  to  remind  her  of  her  illness.  She  received 
her  visitors  with  a  smile  that  was  softer  and  more  concili- 
ating than  usual,  and  which  the  pallid  and  careworn  ap- 
pearance of  her  features  rendered  deeply  impressive. 

"  It  is  kind,  cousin  Lionel,"  she  said,  extending  her 
withered  hand  to  her  young  kinsman,  "in  the  sick  to  come 
thus  to  visit  the  well.  For  after  so  long  apprehending  the 
worst  on  your  account,  I  cannot  consent  that  my  trifling 
injury  should  be  mentioned  before  your  more  serious 
wounds." 

"Would,  madam,  that  you  had  as  happily  recovered 
from  their  effects  as  myself,"  returned  Lionel,  taking  her 
hand,  and  pressing  it  with  great  sincerity.  "  I  shall  never 
forget  that  you  owe  your  illness  to  anxiety  for  me." 

"  Let  it  pass,  sir  ;  it  is  natural  that  we  should  feel  strong- 
ly in  behalf  of  those  we  love.  I  have  lived  to  see  you  well 
again,  and,  God  willing,  I  shall  live  to  see  this  wicked  re- 
bellion crushed."  She  paused  ;  and  smiling,  for  a  mo- 
ment, on  the  young  pair  who  had  approached  her  couch, 
she  continued,  "Cecil  has  told  me  all,  Major  Lincoln." 

"  No,  not  all,  dear  madam,"  interrupted  Lionel ;  "  I 
have  something  yet  to  add  ;  and  in  the  commencement,  I 
will  own  that  I  depend  altogether  on  your  pity  and  judg- 
ment to  support  my  pretensions." 

"Pretensions  is  an  injudicious  word,  cousin  Lionel; 
where  there  is  an  equality  of  birth,  education,  and  virtues, 
and,  I  may  say,  considering  the  difference  in  the  sexes,  of 
fortune  too,  it  may  amount  to  claims ;  but  pretensions  is 
an  expression  too  ambiguous.  Cecil,  my  child,  go  to  my 
library  ;  in  the  small,  secret  drawer  of  my  escritoire,  you 
will  find  a  paper  bearing  your  name  ;  read  it,  my  love,  and 
then  bring  it  hither." 

She  motioned  to  Lionel  to  be  seated,  and  when  the  door 
had  closed  on  the  retiring  form  of  Cecil,  she  resumed  the 
conversation. 

"  As  we  are  about  to  speak  of  business,  the  confused 
girl  may  as  well  be  relieved,  Major  Lincoln.  What  is  this 
particular  favor  that  I  shall  be  required  to  yield  ? " 

"  Like  any  other  sturdy  mendicant,  who  may  have 
already  partaken  largely  of  your  bounty,  I  come  to  beg 
the  immediate  gift  of  the  last  and  greatest  boon  you  can 
bestow." 

"My  grandchild.     There  is  no  necessity  for  useless  re- 


228  LIOXEL  S./.VCOLA: 

serves  between  us,  cousin  Lionel,  for  you  will  remembei 
that  I  too  am  a  Lincoln.  Let  us  then  speak  freely,  like 
two  friends,  who  have  met  to  determine  on  a  matter  equal- 
ly near  to  the  heart  of  each." 

"  Such  is  my  earnest  wish,  madam. — I  have  been  urging 
on  Miss  Dynevor  the  peril  of  the  times,  and  the  critical 
situation  of  the  country,  in  both  of  which  I  have  found 
the  strongest  reasons  for  our  immediate  union." 

"And  Cecil " 

"  Has  been  like  herself;  kind,  but  dutiful.  She  refers 
me  entirely  to  your  decision,  by  which  alone  she  consents 
to  be  guided." 

Mrs.  Lechmere  made  no  immediate  reply,  but  her  features 
powerfully  betrayed  the  inward  workings  of  her  mind.  It 
certainly  was  not  displeasure  that  caused  her  to  hesitate, 
her  hollow  eye  lighting  with  a  gleam  of  satisfaction  that 
could  not  be  mistaken  ;  neither  was  it  uncertainty,  for  her 
whole  countenance  seemed  to  express  rather  the  uncon- 
trollable agitation,  which  might  accompany  the  sudden  ac- 
complishment of  long-desired  ends,  than  any  doubt  as  to 
their  prudence.  Gradually  her  agitation  subsided  ;  and  as 
her  feelings  became  more  natural,  her  hard  eyes  filled  with 
tears,  and  when  she  spoke,  there  was  a  softness  mingled 
with  the  tremor  of  her  voice,  that  Lionel  had  never  before 
witnessed. 

"She  is  a  good  and  a  dutiful  child,  my  own,  my  obedi- 
ent Cecil  !  She  will  bring  you  no  wealth,  Major  Lincoln, 
that  will  be  esteemed  among  your  hoards,  nor  any  proud 
title  to  add  to  the  lustre  of  your  honorable  name  ;  but  she 
will  bring  you  what  is  good,  if  not  better — nay,  I  am  sure 
it  must  be  better — a  pure  and  virtuous  heart,  that  knows 
no  guile  !  " 

"  A  thousand  and  a  thousand  times  more  estimable  in 
my  eyes,  my  worthy  aunt !  "  cried  Lionel,  melting  before 
the  touch  of  nature,  which  had  so  effectually  softened  the 
harsh  feelings  of  Mrs.  Lechmere  ;  "let  her  come  to  my 
arms  penniless,  and  without  a  name  ;  she  will  be  no  less 
my  wife,  no  less  her  own  invaluable  self." 

"  I  spoke  only  by  comparison,  Major  Lincoln,  the  child 
of  Colonel  Dynevor,  and  the  granddaughter  of  the  Lord 
Viscount  Cardonnell,  can  have  no  cause  to  blush  for  her 
lineage  ;  neither  will  the  descendant  of  John  Lechmere  be 
a  dowerless  bride  !  When  Cecil  shall  become  Lady  Lin- 
coln, she  need  never  wish  to  conceal  the  escutcheon  of  her 
own  ancestors  under  the  bloody  hand  of  her  husband's." 


229 

"  May  heaven  long  avert  the  hour  when  either  of  us  may 
be  required  to  use  the  symbol  !"  exclaimed  Lionel. 

"  Did  I  not  understand  aright !  was  not  your  request  for 
an -instant  marriage  ?  " 

"Never  less  in  error,  my  dear  madam  ;  but  you  surely 
do  not  forget  that  one  lives  so  mutually  dear  to  us,  who 
has  every  reason  to  hope  for  many  years  of  life  ;  and  I 
trust,  too,  of  happiness  and  reason  !  " 

Mrs.  Lechmere  looked  wildly  at  her  nephew,  and  then 
passed  her  hand  slowly  before  her  eyes,  from  whence  she 
did  not  withdraw  them  until  an  universal  shudder  had 
shaken  the  whole  of  her  enfeebled  frame. 

"  You  are  right,  my  young  cousin,"  she  said,  smiling 
faintly — "  I  believe  my  bodily  weakness  has  impaired  my 
memory. — I  was  indeed  dreaming  of  days  long  since  past ! 
You  stood  before  me  in  the  image  of  your  desolate  father, 
while  Cecil  bore  that  of  her  mother  ;  my  own  long-lost,  but 
wilful  Agnes!  Oh!  she  was  my  child!  my  child!  and 
God  has  forgotten  her  faults  in  mercy  to  a  mother's 
prayers  ! " 

Lionel  recoiled  a  step  before  the  wild  energy  of  the  in- 
valid's manner,  in  speechless  amazement.  A  flush  had 
passed  into  her  pallid  cheeks,  and  as  she  concluded,  she 
clasped  her  hands  before  her,  and  sunk  on  the  pillows 
which  supported  her  back.  Large  insulated  tears  fell  from 
her  eyes,  and,  slowly  moving  over  her  wasted  cheeks, 
dropped  singly  upon  the  counterpane.  Lionel  laid  his 
hand  upon  the  night-bell,  but  an  expressive  gesture  from 
his  aunt  prevented  his  ringing. 

"  I  am  well  again,"  she  said — "hand  me  the  restorative 
by  your  side." 

Mrs.  Lechmere  drank  freely  from  the  glass,  and  in  an- 
other minute  her  agitation  subsided,  her  features  settling 
into  their  rigid  composure  and  her  eye  resuming  its  hard 
expression,  as  though  nothing  had  occurred  to  disturb  her 
usual  cold  and  worldly  look. 

"You  see  how  much  better  youth  can  endure  the  ravages 
of  disease  than  age,  by  my  present  weakness,  Major  Lin- 
coln," she  continued  ;  "  let  us  return  to  other  and  more 
agreeable  subjects — you  have  not  only  my  consent,  but  my 
wish,  that  you  should  wed  my  grandchild.  It  is  a  happi- 
ness that  I  have  rather  hoped  for,  than  dared  to  expect, 
and  I  will  freely  add,  'tis  a  consummation  of  my  wishes 
that  will  render  the  evening  of  my  days  not  only  happy, 
but  blessed  !  " 


230  LIOXKL   LIXCOLX. 

"Then,  clearest  madam,  why  should  it  be  delayed? — no 
one  can  say  what  a  day  may  bring  forth,  at  such  a  time  as 
this,  and  the  moment  of  bustle  and  action  is  not  the  hour 
to  register  the  marriage  vows." 

After  musing  a  moment,  Mrs.  Lechmere  replied — 

"  We  have  a  good  and  holy  custom  in  this  religious  prov- 
ince, of  choosing  the  day  which  the  Lord  has  set  apart 
for  his  own  exclusive  worship,  as  that  on  which  to  enter 
into  the  honorable  state  of  matrimony.  Choose,  then,  be- 
tween this  or  the  next  Sabbath  for  your  nuptials." 

Whatever  might  be  the  ardor  of  the  young  man,  he  was 
a  little  surprised  at  the  shortness  of  the  former  period  ;  but 
the  pride  of  his  sex  would  not  admit  of  any  hesitation. 

"Let  it  be  this  day,  if  Miss  Dynevor  can  be  brought 
freely  to  consent." 

"  Here  then  she  comes,  to  tell  you  that,  at  my  request, 
she  does.  Cecil,  my  owrn  s\veet  child,  I  have  promised 
Major  Lincoln  that  you  will  become  his  wife  this  day." 

Miss  Dynevor,  who  had  advanced  into  the  centre  of  the 
room,  before  she  heard  the  purport  of  this  speech,  stopped 
short,  and  stood  like  a  beautiful  statue,  expressing  aston- 
ishment and  dismay.  Her  color  went  and  came  with  alarm- 
ing quickness,  and  the  paper  fell  from  her  trembling  hands 
to  her  feet,  which  appeared  riveted  to  the  floor. 

"  To-day  !  "  she  repeated,  in  a  voice  barely  audible — "  did 
you  say  to-day,  my  grandmother  ?  " 

"  Even  to-day,  my  child." 

"Why  this  reluctance,  this  alarm,  Cecil?"  said  Lionel, 
approaching,  and  leading  her  gently  to  a  seat.  "  You 
know  the  peril  of  the  times — you  have  condescended  to 
own  your  sentiments — consider  ;  the  winter  is  breaking, 
and  the  first  thaw  can  lead  to  events  which  may  entirely 
alter  our  situation." 

"  All  these  may  have  weight  in  your  eyes,  Major  Lin- 
coln," interrupted  Mrs.  Lechmere,  in  a  voice  whose  marked 
solemnity  drew  the  attention  of  her  hearers  ;  "  but  I  have 
other  and  deeper  motives.  Have  I  not  already  proved  the 
dangers  and  the  evils  of  delay  ?  Ye  are  young,  and  ye  are 
virtuous  ;  why  should  ye  not  be  happy  ?  Cecil,  if  you  love 
and  revere  me,  as  I  think  you  do,  you  will  become  his  wife 
this  day." 

"  Let  me  have  time  to  think,  dearest  grandmother.  The 
tie  is  so  new  and  so  solemn  !  Major  Lincoln, — dear  Lionel, 
— you  are  not  wont  to  be  ungenerous  ;  I  throw  myself  on 
your  kindness !  " 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  231 

Lionel  did  not  speak,  and  Mrs.  Lechmere  calmly  an- 
swered— 

"-'Tis  not  at  his,  but  my  request,  that  you  will  comply." 

Miss  Dynevor  rose  from  her  seat  by  the  side  of  Lionel, 
with  an  air  of  offended  delicacy,  and  said,  with  a  mournful 
smile,  to  her  lover — 

"  Illness  has  rendered  my  good  mother  timid  and  weak 
— will  you  excuse  my  desire  to  be  alone  with  her  ?  " 

"  I  leave  you,  Cecil,"  he  said,  "but  if  you  ascribe  my  si- 
lence to  any  other  motive  than  tenderness  to  your  feelings, 
you  are  unjust  both  to  yourself  and  me." 

She  expressed  her  gratitude  only  in  her  looks,  and  he 
immediately  withdrew,  to  await  the  result  of  their  conver- 
sation in  his  own  apartment.  The  half  hour  that  Lionel 
passed  in  his  chamber  seemed  half  a  year  :  but  at  the 
expiration  of  that  short  period  of  time,  Meriton  came  to 
announce  that  Mrs.  Lechmere  desired  his  presence  again 
in  her  room. 

The  first  glance  of  her  eye  assured  Major  Lincoln  that 
his  cause  had  triumphed.  His  aunt  had  sunk  back  on  her 
pillows,  with  her  countenance  set  in  a  calculating  and  rigid 
expression,  which  indicated  a  satisfaction  so  selfish  that  it 
almost  induced  the  young  man  to  regret  she  had  not  failed. 
But  when  his  eyes  met  the  tearful  and  timid  glances  of  the 
blushing  Cecil,  he  felt  that,  provided  she  could  be  his  with- 
out violence  to  her  feelings,  he  cared  but  little  at  whose 
instigation  she  had  consented. 

"  If  I  am  to  read  my  fate  by  your  goodness,  I  know  I 
may  hope,"  he  said,  advancing  to  her  side — "  if  in  my  own 
deserts,  I  am  left  to  despair." 

"Perhaps  'twas  foolish,  Lincoln,"  she  said,  smiling 
through  her  tears,  and  frankly  placing  her  hand  in  his, 
"  to  hesitate  about  a  few  days,  when  I  feel  ready  to  devote 
rny  life  to  your  happiness.  It  is  the  wish  of  my  grand- 
mother that  I  place  myself  under  your  protection." 

"  Then  this  evening  unites  us  forever?" 

"  There  is  no  obligation  on  your  gallantry,  that  it  should 
positively  take  place  this  very  evening,  if  any,  or  the  least 
difficulties  present." 

"  But  none  do,  nor  can,"  interrupted  Lionel.  "  Happily 
the  marriage  forms  of  the  colony  are  simple,  and  we  enjoy 
the  consent  of  all  who  have  any  right  to  interfere." 

"  Go,  then,  my  children,  and  complete  your  brief  ar- 
rangements," said  Mrs.  Lechmere;  "'tis  a  solemn  knot 
that  ye  tie  !  it  must,  it  will  be  happy  !  " 


232  LIONEL   LIXCOLN. 

Lionel  pressed  the  hand  of  his  intended  bride,  and  with, 
drew  ;  and  Cecil,  throwing  herself  into  the  arms  of  her 
grandmother,  gave  vent  to  her  feelings  in  a  burst  of  tears. 
Mrs.  Lechmere  did  not  repulse  her  child  ;  on  the  contrary, 
she  pressed  her  once  or  twice  to  her  heart  ;  but  still  an  ob- 
servant spectator  might  have  seen  that  her  looks  betrayed 
more  of  worldly  pride  than  of  those  natural  emotions  which 
such  a  scene  ought  to  have  excited. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

"  Come,  friar  Francis,  be  brief  ;   only  to  the  plain  form  of  marriage." 

— MucJi  Ado  about  Nothing. 

MAJOR  LINCOLN  had  justly  said,  the  laws  regulating  man 
riages  in  the  Massachusetts,  which  were  adapted  teethe  in- 
fant state  of  the  country,  threw  but  few  impediments  in  the 
way  of  the  indissoluble  connection.  Cecil  had,  however, 
been  educated  in  the  bosom  of  the  English  Church,  and 
she  clung  to  its  forms  and  ceremonies  with  an  affection 
that  may  easily  be  accounted  for  in  their  solemnity  and 
beauty.  Notwithstanding  the  colonists  often  chose  the 
weekly  festival  for  their  bridals,  the  rage  of  reform  had  ex- 
cluded the  altar  from  most  of  their  temples,  and  it  was  not 
usual  with  them  to  celebrate  their  nuptials  in  the  places  of 
public  worship.  But  there  appeared  so  much  of  unreason- 
able haste,  and  so  little  of  due  preparation,  in  her  own 
case,  that  Miss  Dynevor,  anxious  to  give  all  solemnity  to 
an  act,  to  whose  importance  she  was  sensibly  alive,  ex- 
pressed her  desire  to  pronounce  her  vows  at  that  altar 
where  she  had  so  long  been  used  to  worship,  and  under 
that  roof  where  she  had  already,  since  the  rising  of  the 
sun,  poured  out  the  thanksgivings  of  her  pure  spirit  in 
behalf  of  the  man  who  was  so  soon  to  become  her  husband. 

As  Mrs.  Lechmere  had  declared,  that  the  agitation  of 
the  day,  and  her  feeble  condition,  must  unavoidably  pre- 
vent her  witnessing  the  ceremony,  there  existed  no  suffi- 
cient reason  for  not  indulging  the  request  of  her  grand- 
child, notwithstanding  it  was  not  in  strict  accordance 
with  the  customs  of  the  place.  But  being  married  at 
the  altar,  and  being  married  in  public,  were  not  similar 
duties  ;  and  in  order  to  effect  the  one,  and  avoid  the 
other,  it  was  necessary  to  postpone  the  ceremony  until  a 
late  hour,  arid  to  clothe  the  whole  in  a  cloak  of  mystery, 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  233 

that  the  otherwise  unembarrassed  state  of  the  parties  would 
not  have  required. 

Miss  Dynevor  made  no  other  confidant  than  her  cousin. 
Her  feelings  being  altogether  elevated  above  the  ordinarily 
idle  considerations,  which  are  induced  by  time  and  prepa- 
rations on  such  an  occasion,  her  brief  arrangements  were 
soon  ended,  and  she  awaited  the  appointed  moment  without 
alarm,  if  not  without  emotion. 

Lionel  had  much  more  to  perform.  He  knew  that  the 
least  intimation  of  such  a  scene  would  collect  a  curious 
and  a  disagreeable  crowd  around  and  in  the  church,  and  he 
therefore  determined  that  his  plans  should  be  arranged  in 
silence,  and  managed  secretly.  In  order  to  prevent  a 
surprise,  Meriton  was  sent  to  the  clergyman,  requesting 
him  to  appoint  an  hour  in  the  evening  when  he  could 
give  an  interview  to  Major  Lincoln.  He  was  answered, 
that  at  any  moment  after  nine  o'clock  Dr.  Liturgy  would 
be  released  from  the  duties  of  the  day,  and  in  readiness 
to  receive  him.  There  was  no  alternative  ;  and  ten  was 
the  time  mentioned  to  Cecil  when  she  was  requested  to 
meet  him  before  the  altar.  Major  Lincoln  distrusted  a 
little  the  discretion  of  Polwarth,  and  he  contented  himself 
with  merely  telling  his  friend  that  he  was  to  be  married 
that  evening,  and  that  he  must  be  careful  to  repair  to 
Tremont  Street  in  order  to  give  away  the  bride  ;  appoint- 
ing an  hour  sufficiently  early  for  all  the  subsequent  move- 
ments. His  groom  and  his  valet  had  their  respective  and 
separate  orders,  and,  long  before  the  important  moment,  he 
had  everything  arranged,  as  he  believed,  beyond  the  possi- 
bility of  a  disappointment. 

Perhaps  there  was  something  a  little  romantic,  if  not 
diseased,  in  the  mind  of  Lionel,  that  caused  him  to  derive 
a  secret  pleasure  from  the  hidden  movements  he  contem- 
plated. He  was  certainly  not  entirely  free  from  a  touch 
of  that  melancholy  and  morbid  humor,  which  has  been 
mentioned  as  the  characteristic  of  his  race,  nor  did  he  al- 
ways feel  the"  less  happy  because  he  was  a  little  miserable. 
However,  either  by  his  activity  of  intellect,  or  that  excel- 
lent training  in  life  he  had  undergone,  by  being  required 
to  act  early  for  himself,  he  had  so  far  succeeded  in  quell- 
ing the  evil  spirit  within  him,  as  to  render  its  influence 
quite  imperceptible  to  others,  and  nearly  so  to  himself. 
It  had,  in  fine,  left  him  what  we  have  endeavored  to  rep- 
resent him  in  these  pages,  not  a  man  without  faults,  but 
certainly  one  of  many  high  and  generous  virtues. 


234  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

As  the  day  drew  to  a  close,  the  small  family  party  in 
Tremont  Street  collected  in  their  usual  manner  to  partake 
of  the  evening  repast,  which  was  common  throughout  the 
colonies  at  that  period.  Cecil  was  pale,  and  at  times  a 
slight  tremor  was  perceptible  in  the  little  hand  which  did 
the  offices  of  the  table  ;  but  there  was  a  forced  calmness 
seated  in  her  humid  eyes,  that  betokened  the  resolution 
she  had  summoned  to  her  assistance,  in  order  to  comply 
with  the  wishes  of  her  grandmother.  Agnes  Danforth  was 
silent  and  observant,  though  an  occasional  look,  of  more 
than  usual  meaning,  betrayed  what  she  thought  of  the 
mystery  and  suddenness  of  the  approaching  nuptials.  It 
would  seem,  however,  that  the  importance  of  the  step  she 
was  about  to  take,  had  served  to  raise  the  bride  above  the 
little  affectations  of  her  sex  ;  for  she  spoke  of  the  prepara- 
tions like  one  who  owned  her  interest  in  their  completion, 
and  who  even  dreaded  that  something  might  yet  occur  to 
mar  them. 

"  If  I  were  superstitious,  and  had  faith  in  omens,  Lin- 
coln," she  said,  u  the  hour,  and  the  weather  might  well  in- 
timidate me  from  taking  this  step.  See,  the  wind  already 
blows  across  the  endless  wastes  of  the  ocean,  and  the  snow 
is  driving  through  the  streets  in  whirlwinds !  " 

"  It  is  not  yet  too  late  to  countermand  my  orders,  Cecil," 
he  said,  regarding  her  anxiously  ;  "  I  have  made  all  my 
movements  so  like  a  great  commander,  that  it  is  as  easy  to 
retrograde,  as  to  advance." 

"Would  you  then  retreat  before  one  so  little  formidable 
as  I  ? "  she  returned,  smiling. 

"  You  surely  understand  me  as  wishing  only  to  change 
the  place  of  our  marriage.  I  dread  exposing  you  and  our 
kind  cousin  to  the  tempest,  which,  as  you  say,  after  sweep- 
ing over  the  ocean  so  long,  appears  rejoiced  to  find  land 
on  which  to  expend  its  fury." 

"  I  have  not  misconstrued  your  meaning,  Lionel,  nor 
must  you  be  mistaken  in  mine.  I  will  become  your  wife 
to-night,  and  cheerfully  too  ;  for  what  reason  can  I  have  to 
doubt  you  now,  more  than  formerly  !  But  my  vows  must 
be  offered  at  the  altar." 

Agnes,  perceiving  that  her  cousin  spoke  with  a  sup- 
pressed emotion  that  made  utterance  difficult,  gayly  inter- 
rupted her — 

"  And  as  for  the  snow,  you  know  little  of  Boston  girls, 
if  you  think  an  icicle  has  any  terrors  for  them.  I  vow, 
Cecil,  I  do  think  you  and  I  have  been  guilty,  when  chil- 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  235 

dren,  of  coasting  in  a  hand-sled,  down  the  side  of  Beacon, 
in  a  worse  flurry  than  this." 

''We  were  guilty  of  many  mad  and  silly  things  at  ten, 
that  might  not  grace  twenty,  Agnes." 

"  Lord,  how  like  a  matron  she  speaks  already  !"  inter- 
rupted the  other,  throwing  up  her  eyes  and  clasping  her 
hands  in  affected  admiration  ;  "  nothing  short  of  the  church 
will  satisfy  so  discreet  a  dame,  Major  Lincoln  !  so  dismiss 
your  cares  on  her  account,  and  begin  to  enumerate  the 
cloaks  and  overcoats  necessary  to  your  own  preservation." 

Lionel  made  a  lively  reply,  when  a  dialogue  of  some' 
spirit  ensued  between  him  and  Agnes,  to  which  even  Cecil 
listened  with  a  beguiled  ear.  When  the  evening  had  ad- 
vanced, Polwarth  made  his  appearance,  suitably  attired, 
and  with  a  face  that  was  sufficiently  knowing  and  impor- 
tant for  the  occasion.  The  presence  of  the  captain  re- 
minded Lionel  of  the  lateness  of  the  hour,  and,  without 
delay,  he  hastened  to  communicate  his  plans  to  his  friend. 

At  a  few  minutes  before  ten,  Polwarth  was  to  accompany 
the  ladies  in  a  covered  sleigh  to  the  chapel,  which  was  not 
a  stone's  throw  from  their  residence,  where  the  bridegroom 
was  to  be  in  readiness  to  receive  them,  with  the  divine. 
Referring  the  captain  to  Meriton  for  further  instructions, 
and  without  waiting  to  hear  the  other  express  his  amaze- 
ment at  the  singularity  of  the  plan,  Major  Lincoln  said  a 
few  words  of  tender  encouragement  to  Cecil,  looked  at  his 
watch,  and  throwing  his  cloak  around  him,  took  his  hat, 
and  departed. 

We  shall  leave  Polwarth  endeavoring  to  extract  the 
meaning  of  all  these  mysterious  movements  from  the  wil- 
ful and  amused  Agnes,  (Cecil  having  retired  also,)  and  ac- 
company the  bridegroom  in  his  progress  towards  the  resi- 
dence of  the  divine. 

Major  Lincoln  found  the  streets  entirely  deserted.  The 
night  was  not  dark,  for  a  full  moon  was  wading  among  the 
volumes  of  clouds,  which  drove  before  the  tempest  in  dark 
and  threatening  masses,  that  contrasted  singularly  and 
wildly  to  the  light  covering  of  the  hills  and  buildings  of 
the  town.  Occasionally  the  gusts  of  the  wind  would  lift 
eddying  wreaths  of  fine  snow  from  some  roof,  and  whole 
squares  were  wrapped  in  mist  as  the  frozen  vapor  whistled 
by.  At  times,  the  gale  howled  among  the  chimneys  and 
turrets,  in  a  steady,  sullen  roaring ;  and  there  were  again 
moments  when  the  element  appeared  hushed,  as  if  its  fury 
were  expended,  and  winter,  having  worked  its  might,  was 


236  JJOXEL   LIXCOLX. 

yielding  to  the  steady,  but  insensible  advances  of  spring. 
There  was  something  in  the  season  and  the  hour  peculiarly 
in  consonance  with  the  excited  temperament  of  the  young 
bridegroom.  Even  the  solitude  of  the  streets,  and  the 
hollow  rushing  of  the  winds,  the  fleeting  and  dim  light  of 
the  moon,  which  afforded  passing  glimpses  of  surrounding 
objects,  and  then  was  hid  behind  a  dark  veil  of  shifting 
vapor,  contributed  to  his  pleasure.  He  made  his  way 
through  the  snow,  with  that  species  of  stern  joy,  to  which 
all  are  indebted,  at  times,  for  moments  of  wild  and  pleas- 
ing self-abandonment.  His  thoughts  vacillated  between 
the  purpose  of  the  hour,  and  the  unlooked-for  coincidence 
of  circumstances  that  had  clothed  it  in  a  dress  of  such  ro- 
mantic mystery.  Once  or  twice  a  painful  and  dark  thought, 
connected  with  the  secret  of  Mrs.  Lechmere's  life,  found 
its  way  among  his  more  pleasing  visions,  but  it  was  quickly 
chased  from  his  mind  by  the  image  of  her  who  awaited  his 
movements  in  such  confiding  faith,  and  with  such  secure 
and  dependent  affection. 

As  the  residence  of  Dr.  Liturgy  was  on  the  North -End, 
\vhich  was  then  one  of  the  fashionable  quarters  of  the  town, 
the  distance  required  that  Lionel  should  be  diligent,  in 
order  to  be  punctual  to  his  appointment.  Young,  active, 
and  full  of  hope,  he  passed  along  the  unequal  pavements 
with  great  rapidity,  and  had  the  satisfaction  of  perceiving 
by  his  watch,  when  admitted  to  the  presence  of  the  clergy- 
man, that  his  speed  had  even  outstripped  the  proverbial 
fleetness  of  time  itself. 

The  reverend  gentleman  was  in  his  study,  consoling 
himself  for  the  arduous  duties  of  the  day,  with  the  com- 
forts of  a  large  easy-chair,  a  warm  fire,  and  a  pitcher  filled 
with  a  mixture  of  cider  and  ginger,  together  with  other 
articles  that  wrould  have  done  credit  to  the  knowledge  of 
Polwarth  in  spices.  His  full  and  decorous  wig  was  re- 
placed by  a  velvet  cap,  his  shoes  were  unbuckled,  and  his 
heels  released  from  confinement.  In  short,  all  his  arrange- 
ments were  those  of  a  man  who  having  endured  a  day  of 
labor,  was  resolved  to  prove  the  enjoyments  of  an  evening 
of  rest.  His  pipe,  though  filled,  and  on  the  4ittle  table  by 
his  side,  was  not  lighted,  in  compliment  to  the  guest  he 
expected  at  that  hour.  As  he  was  slightly  acquainted  with 
Major  Lincoln,  no  introduction  was  necessary,  and  the  two 
gentlemen  were  soon  seated,  the  one  endeavoring  to  over- 
come the  embarrassment  he  felt  on  revealing  his  singular 
errand,  and  the  other  waiting,  in  no  little  curiosity,  to 


LIONEL   LIXCOLX.  237 

learn  the  reason  why  a  member  of  Parliament,  and  the 
heir  of  ten  thousand  a  year,  should  come  abroad  on  such 
an  unpropitious  night. 

At  length  Lionel  succeeded  in  making  the  astonished 
priest  understand  his  wishes,  and  paused  to  hear  the  ex- 
pected approbation  of  his  proposal. 

Dr.  Liturgy  had  listened  with  the  most  profound  atten- 
tion, as  if  to  catch  some  clew  to  explain  the  mystery  of  the 
extraordinary  proceeding,  and  when  the  young  man  con- 
cluded, he  unconsciously  lighted  his  pipe,  and  began  to 
throw  out  large  clouds  of  smoke,  like  a  man  who  felt  there 
was  a  design  to  abridge  his  pleasures,  and  who  was  conse- 
quently determined  to  make  the  most  of  his  time. 

"  Married  !  To  be  married  in  church  !  and  after  the  night 
lecture!  "he  muttered  in  a  low  voice  between  his  long- 
drawn  puffs — "'tis  my  duty — certainly — Major  Lincoln — 
to  marry  my  parishioners — 

"  In  the  present  instance,  as  I  know  my  request  to  be  ir- 
regular, sir,"  interrupted  the  impatient  Lionel,"  I  will  make 
it  your  interest  also."  While  speaking,  he  took  a  well- 
filled  purse  from  his  pocket,  and,  with  an  air  of  much  deli- 
cacy, laid  a  small  pile  of  gold  by  the  side  of  the  silver 
spectacle-case  of  the  divine,  as  if  to  show  him  the  difference 
in  the  value  of  the  two  metals. 

Dr.  Liturgy  bowed  his  acknowledgments,  and  insensi- 
bly changed  the  stream  of  smoke  to  the  opposite  corner 
of  his  mouth,  so  as  to  leave  the  view  of  the  glittering  boon 
unobstructed.  At  the  same-time  he  raised  the  heel  of  one 
shoe,  and  threw  an  anxious  glance  at  the  curtained  win- 
dow, to  inquire  into  the  state  of  the  weather. 

"  Could  not  the  ceremony  be  performed  at  the  house  of 
Mrs.  Lechmere?"he  asked  ;  "  Miss  Dynevor  is  a  tender 
child,  and  I  fear  the  cold  air  of  the  chapel  might  do  her  no 
service  ! " 

"  It  is  her  wish  to  go  to  the  altar,  and  you  are  sensible 
it  is  not  my  part  to  question  her  decision  in  such  a  matter." 

"  Tis  a  pious  inclination  ;  though  I  trust  she  knows  the 
distinction  between  the  spiritual  and  the  temporal  church. 
The  laws  of  the  colonies  are  too  loose  on  the  subject  of 
marriages,  Major  Lincoln  ;  culpably  and  dangerously 
loose ! " 

"  But  as  it  is  not  in  our  power  to  alter,  my  good  sir. 
will  you  permit  me  to  profit  by  them,  imperfect  as  they 
are  ? " 

"  Undeniably — it  is  part  of  my  office  to  christen,  to  marry, 


238  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

and  to  bury  ;  a  duty  which,  I  often  say,  covers  the  begin- 
ning, the  middle,  and  the  end  of  existence. — But  permit 
me  to  help  you  to  a  little  of  my  beverage,  Major  Lincoln 
— we  call  it  '  Samson,'  in  Boston  ;  you  will  find  the  '  Dan- 
ite '  a  warm  companion  for  a  February  night  in  this  cli- 
mate." 

"  The  mixture  is  not  inaptly  named,  sir,"  said  Lionel, 
after  wetting  his  lips,"  if  strength  be  the  quality  most  con- 
sidered ! " 

"  Ah  !  you  have  him  from  the  lap  of  a  Delilah,  but  it  is 
unbecoming  in  one  of  my  cloth  to  meddle  with  aught  of 
the  harlot." 

He  laughed  at  his  own  wit,  and  made  a  more  spirituous 
than  spiritual  addition  to  his  own  glass,  while  he  con' 
tinned — 

"  We  divide  it  into  '  Samson  with  his  hair  off,'  and  '  Sam- 
son \vith  his  hair  on  ;'  and  I  believe  myself  the  most  ortho- 
dox in  preferring  the  man  of  strength,  in  his  native  come- 
liness. I  pledge  you,  Major  Lincoln  ;  may  the  middle  of 
your  days  be  as  happy  as  the  charming  young  lady  you 
are  about  to  espouse  may  well  render  them  ;  and  your  end, 
sir,  that  of  a  good  churchman,  and  a  faithful  subject." 

Lionel,  who  considered  this  compliment  as  an  indication 
of  his  success,  now  rose,  and  said  a  few  words  on  the  sub- 
ject of  their  meeting  in  the  chapel.  The  divine,  who  mani- 
festly possessed  no  great  relish  for  the  duty,  made  sundry 
slight  objections  to  the  whole  proceeding,  wThich  were,  how- 
ever, soon  overcome  by  the  arguments  of  the  bridegroom. 
At  length,  every  difficulty  wras  happily  adjusted,  save  one, 
and  that  the  epicurean  doctor  stoutly  declared  to  be  a 
serious  objection  to  acting  in  the  matter.  The  church  fires 
were  suffered  to  go  down,  and  his  sexton  had  been  taken 
from  the  chapel,  that  very  evening,  with  every  symptom  on 
him  of  the  terrible  pestilence  which  then  raged  in  the 
place,  adding,  by  its  danger,  to  the  horrors  and  privations 
of  the  siege. 

"A  clear  case  of  the  small-pox,  I  do  assure  you,  Major 
Lincoln,"  he  continued,  "  and  contracted,  without  doubt, 
from  some  emissaries  sent  into  the  town  for  that  purpose, 
by  the  wicked  devices  of  the  rebels." 

"  I  have  heard  that  each  party  accuses  the  other  of  re- 
sorting to  these  unjustifiable  means  of  annoyance,"  returned 
Lionel ;  "  but,  as  I  know  our  own  leader  to  be  above  such 
baseness,  I  will  not  suspect  any  other  man  of  it  without 
proof." 


LIONEL    LINCOLN.  239 

'*  Too  charitable  by  half,  sir — much  too  charitable  !  But 
let  the  disease  come  whence  it  will,  I  fear  my  sexton  will 
prove  its  victim." 

"  I  will  take  the  charge  on  myself  of  having  the  fires  re- 
newed," said  Lionel ;  "  the  embers  must  yet  be  in  the 
stoves,  and  we  have  still  an  hour  of  time  before  us." 

As  the  clergyman  was  much  too  conscientious  to  retain 
possession  of  the  gold  without  fully  entitling  himself  to 
the  ownership,  he  had  long  before  determined  to  comply, 
notwithstanding  the  secret  yearnings  of  his  flesh.  Their 
plans  were  now  soon  arranged,  and  Lionel,  after  receiving 
the  key  of  the  chapel,  took  his  leave  for  a  time. 

When  Major  Lincoln  found  himself  in  the  street  again, 
he  walked  for  some  distance  in  the  direction  of  the  chapel, 
anxiously  looking  along  the  deserted  way,  in  order  to  dis- 
cover an  unemployed  soldier  who  might  serve  to  perform 
the  menial  offices  of  the  absent  sexton.  He  proceeded  for 
some  distance  without  success  ;  for  every  thing  human 
seemed  housed,  even  the  number  of  lights  in  the  windows 
beginning  to  decrease  in  a  manner  which  denoted  that  the 
usual  hour  of  rest  had  arrived.  He  had  paused  in  the  en- 
trance of  the  Dock  Square,  uncertain  where  to  apply  for  an 
assistant,  when  he  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  figure  of  a  man, 
crouching  under  the  walls  of  the  old  turreted  warehouse, 
so  often  mentioned.  Without  hesitating  an  instant,  he 
approached  the  spot,  from  which  the  figure  neither  moved, 
nor  did  it  indeed  betray  any  other  evidence  of  a  conscious- 
ness of  his  proximity.  Notwithstanding  the  dimness  of 
the  moon,  there  was  light  enough  to  detect  the  extreme 
misery  of  the  object  before  him.  His  tattered  and  thin 
attire  sufficiently  bespoke  the  motive  of  the  stranger  for 
seeking  a  shelter  from  the  cutting  winds  behind  an  angle 
of  the  wall,  while  his  physical  wants  were  betrayed  by  the 
eager  manner  in  which  he  gnawed  at  a  bone  that  might 
well  have  been  rejected  from  the  mess  of  the  meanest  pri- 
vate, notwithstanding  the  extreme  scarcity  that  prevailed 
in  the  garrison.  Lionel  forgot  for  a  moment  his  present 
object,  at  this  exhibition  of"  human  suffering,  and  with  a 
kind  voice  he  addressed  the  wretched  being. 

"  You  have  a  cold  spot  to  eat  your  supper  in,  my  friend," 
he  said  ;  "and  it  would  seem,  too,  but  a  scanty  meal." 

Without  ceasing  to  masticate  his  miserable  nutriment, 
or  even  raising  his  eyes,  the  other  said,  in  a  growling 
voice — 

"  The  kine  could  shut  up  the  harbor,  and   keep  out  the 


240  LIONEL   LINCOLN'. 

ships  ;  but  he  hasn't  the  might  to  drive  cold  weather  from 
Boston,  in  the  month  of  March  !  " 

"  As  I  live,  Job  Pray  !  Come  with  me,  boy,  and  I  will 
give  you  a  better  meal,  and  a  warmer  place  to  enjoy  it  in 
— but  first  tell  me  ;  can  you  procure  a  lantern  and  a  light 
from  your  mother  ?  " 

"  You  can't  go  in  the  ware'us'  to-night,"  returned  the 
lad  positively. 

"  Is  there  no  place  at  hand,  then,  where  such  things 
might  be  purchased  ?  " 

"  They  keep  them  there,"  said  Job,  pointing  sullenly  to 
a  low  building  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  square,  through 
one  of  the  windows  of  which  a  faint  light  was  glimmering. 

"Then  take  this  money,  and  go  buy  them  for  me,  with- 
out delay." 

Job  hesitated  with  ill-concealed  reluctance. 

"  Go,  fellow,  I  have  instant  need  of  them,  and  you  can 
keep  the  change  for  your  reward." 

The  young  man  no  longer  betrayed  any  indisposition  to 
go,  but  answered  with  great  promptitude,  for  one  of  his 
imbecile  mind — 

"  Job  will  go,  if  you  will  let  him  buy  Nab  some  meat 
with  the  change  ?  " 

"Certainly,  buy  what  you  will  with  it  ;  and  further- 
more, I  promise  you,  that  neither  your  mother  nor  your- 
self shall  want  again  for  food  or  clothing." 

"Job's  a-hungry,"  said  the  simpleton;  "but  they  say 
hunger  don't  come  as  craving  upon  a  young  stomach  as 
upon  an  old  one.  Do  you  think  the  king  knows  what  it  is 
to  be  a-cold  and  hungry  ? " 

"I  know  not,  boy — but  I  know  full  well  that  if  one  suf- 
fering like  you  were  before  him,  his  heart  would  yearn  to  re- 
lieve him.  Go,  go,  and  buy  yourself  food  too,  if  they  have  it." 

In  a  very  few  minutes  Lionel  saw  the  simpleton  issuing 
from  the  house  to  which  he  had  run  at  his  bidding,  with 
the  desired  lantern. 

"  Did  you  get  any  food  ? "  said  Lionel,  motioning  to  Job 
to  precede  him  with  the  light — "  I  trust  you  did  not  en- 
tirely forget  yourself  in  your  haste  to  serve  me." 

"Job  hopes  he  didn't  catch  the  pestilence,"  returned  the 
lad,  eating  at  the  same  time  voraciously  of  a  small  roll  of 
Bread. 

"  Catch  what  ?  what  is  it  you  hope  you  did  not  catch  ?" 

-'The  pestilence— they  are  full  of  the  foul  disorder  in 
>}puse:" 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  241 

•'  Do  you  mean  the  small-pox,  boy  ? " 

"  Yes  ;  some  call  it  small-pox,  and  some  call  it  the  foul 
disorder,  and  some  other  the  pestilence.  The  king  can 
keep  out  the  trade,  but  he  can't  keep  out  the  cold  and  the 
pestilence  from  Boston — but  when  the  people  get  the  town 
back,  they'll  know  what  to  do  with  it — they'll  send  it  all  to 
tiie  pest-housen  !" 

"  I  hope  I  have  not  exposed  you  unwittingly  to  danger, 
Job— it  would  have  been  better  had  I  gone  myself  ;  for  I 
was  inoculated  for  the  terrible  disease  in  my  infancy." 

Job,  who,  in  expressing  his  sense  of  the  danger,  had  ex- 
hausted the  stores  of  his  feeble  mind  on  the  subject,  made 
no  reply,  but  continued  walking  through  the  square,  until 
they  reached  its  termination,  when  he  turned,  and  inquired 
which  way  he  was  to  go. 

"To  the  church,"  said  Lionel,   "and  swiftly,  lad." 

As  they  entered  Cornhill,  they  encountered  the  fury  of 
the  wind,  when  Major  Lincoln,  bowing  his  head,  and  gath- 
ering his  cloak  about  him,  followed  the  light  which  flitted 
along  the  pavement  in  his  front.  Shut  out  in  a  manner 
from  the  world  by  this  covering,  his  thoughts  returned  to 
their  former  channel,  and  in  a  few  moments  he  forgot 
where  he  was,  or  whom  lie  was  following.  He  was  soon 
awakened  from  his  abstraction  by  perceiving  that  it  was 
necessary  for  him  to  ascend  a  few  steps,  when,  supposing 
he  had  reached  the  place  of  destination,  he  raised  his 
head,  and  unthinkingly  followed  his  conductor  into  the 
tower  of  a  large  edifice.  Immediately  perceiving  his  mis- 
take, by  the  difference  of  the  architecture  from  that  of  the 
King's  Chapel,  he  reproved  the  lad  for  his  folly,  and  de- 
manded why  he  had  brought  him  thither. 

"This  is  what  you  call  a  church,"  said  Job,  "though  I 
call  it  a  meetin'us'. — It's  no  wonder  you  don't  know  it — 
for  what  the  people  built  for  a  temple,  the  king  has  turned 
into  a  stable  !  " 

"A  stable!"  exclaimed  Lionel. — Perceiving  a  strong 
smell  of  horses  in  the  place,  he  advanced  and  threw  open 
the  inner  door,  when,  to  his  amazement,  he  perceived  that 
He 'stood  in  an  area  fitted  for  the  exercises  of  the  cavalry. 
There  was  no  mistaking  the  place,  nor  its  uses.  The  naked 
galleries,  and  many  of  the  original  ornaments,  were  stand- 
ing ;  but  the  accommodations  below  were  destroyed,  and 
in  their  places  the  floor  had  been  covered  with  earth,  for 
horses  and  their  riders  to  practise  in  the  cavesson.  The 
abominations  of  the  place  even*  now  offended  his  senses,  as 


242  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

he  stood  on  that  spot  where  he  remembered  so  often  ta 
have  seen  the  grave  and  pious  colonists  assemble  in  crowds 
to  worship.  Seizing  the  lantern  from  Job,  he  hurried  out 
of  the  building,  with  a  disgust  that  even  the  unobservant 
simpleton  had  no  difficulty  in  discovering.  On  reaching 
the  street,  his  eyes  fell  upon  the  lights,  and  on  the  silent 
dignity  of  the  Province  House,  and  he  was  compelled  to 
recollect,  that  this  wanton  violation  of  the  feelings  of  the 
colonists  had  been  practised  directly  under  the  windows  of 
the  royal  governor. 

"  Fools,  fools  !"  he  muttered,  bitterly  ;  "  when  ye  should 
have  struck  like  men,  ye  have  trifled  as  children  ;  and  ye 
have  forgotten  your  manhood,  and  even  your  God,  to  in- 
dulge your  besotted  spleen  !  " 

"And  now  these  very  horses  are  starving  for  want  of 
hay,  as  a  judgment  upon  them!"  said  Job,  who  shuffled 
his  way  industriously  at  the  other's  side. — "  They  had  bet- 
ter have  gone  to  meetin'  themselves,  and  heard  the  ex- 
pounding, than  to  set  dumb  beasts  a  rioting  in  a  place  that 
the  Lord  used  to  visit  so  often  !  " 

"  Tell  me,  boy,  of  what  other  act  of  folly. and  madness 
has  the  army  been  guilty  ? " 

"What!  hav'n't  you  heard  of  the  Old  North  ?  They've 
made  oven-wood  of  the  grandest  temple  in  the  Bay  !  If 
they  dared,  they'd  lay  their  ungodly  hands  on  old  Funnel 
itself  ! " 

Lionel  made  no  reply.  He  had  heard  that  the  distresses 
of  the  garrison,  heightened  as  they  were  by  the  ceaseless 
activity  of  the  Americans,  had  compelled  them  to  convert 
many  houses,  as  well  as  the  church  in  question,  into  fuel. 
But  he  saw  in  the  act  nothing  more  than  the  usual  recourse 
of  a  common  military  exigency.  It  was  free  from  that 
reckless  contempt  of  a  people's  feelings,  which  was  exhib- 
ited in  the  prostitution  of  the  ancient  walls  of  the  sister 
edifice,  which  was  known  throughout  New  England  with 
a  species  of  veneration,  as  the  "Old  South."  He  con- 
tinued his  way  gloomily  along  the  silent  streets,  until  he 
reached  the  more  favored  temple,  in  which  the  ritual  oi 
the  English  Church  was  observed,  and  whose  roof  was  ren- 
dered doubly  sacred,  in  the  eyes  of  the  garrison,  by  the 
accidental  circumstance  of  bearing  the  title  of  their  earthly 
monarch. 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  243 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

"Thou  art  too  like  the  spirit  of  Banquo  ;  down  ! " — Macbeth. 

MAJOR  LINCOLN  found  the  King's  Chapel  differing  in 
every  particular  from  the  venerable,  but  prostituted  build- 
ing he  had  just  quitted.  As  he  entered,  the  light  of 
his  lantern  played  over  the  rich  scarlet  covering  of  man) 
a  pew,  and  glanced  upon  the  glittering  ornaments  of  the~ 
polished  organ,  which  now  slumbered  in  as  chilled  a 
silence  as  the  dead,  which  lay  in  such  multitudes  within 
and  without  the  massive  walls.  The  labored  columns, 
with  their  slender  shafts  and  fretted  capitals,  threw  shape- 
less shadows  across  the  dim  background,  peopling  the 
galleries  and  ceiling  with  imaginary  phantoms  of  thin  air. 
As  this  slight  delusion  passed  away,  he  became  sensible  of 
the  change  in  the  temperature.  The  warmth  was  not  yet 
dissipated  which  had  been  maintained  during  the  different 
services  of  the  day  ;  for,  notwithstanding  the  wants  of  the 
town  and  garrison,  the  favored  temple,  where  the  repre- 
sentative of  the  sovereign  was  wont  to  worship,  knew  not 
the  ordinary  privations  of  the  place.  Job  was  directed  to 
supply  the  dying  embers  of  the  stoves  with  fresh  fuel,  and 
as  the  simpleton  well  knew  where  to  find  the  stores  of  the 
church,  his  office  was  performed  with  an  alacrity  that  was 
not  a  little  increased  by  his  own  sufferings. 

When  the  bustle  of  preparation  had  subsided,  Lionel 
drew  a  chair  from  the  chancel,  while  Job  crouched  by  the 
side  of  the  quivering  iron  he  had  heated,  in  that  attitude 
he  was  wont  to  assume,  and  which  so  touchingly  expressed 
the  secret  consciousness  he  felt  of  his  own  inferiority.  As 
the  grateful  warmth  diffused  itself  over  the  half-naked  frame 
of  the  simpleton,  his  head  sunk  upon  his  bosom,  and  he 
was  fast  falling  into  a  slumber,  like  a  worried  hound  that 
had  at  length  found  ease  and  shelter.  A  more  active 
mind  would  have  wished  to  learn  the  reasons  that  could 
induce  his  companion  to  seek  such  an  asylum  at  that  un- 
seasonable hour.  But  Job  was  a  stranger  to  curiosity; 
nor  did  the  occasional  glimmerings  of  his  mind  often  ex- 
tend beyond  those  holy  precepts  which  had  been  taught 
him  with  such  care,  before  disease  had  sapped  his  facul- 
ties, or  those  popular  principles  of  the  time,  that  formed 


244  LIONEL   LINCOLN 

so  essential  a  portion  of  the  thoughts  of  every  New  England 
man. 

Not  so  with  Major  Lincoln.  His  watch  told  him  that 
many  weary  minutes  must  elapse  before  he  could  expect 
to  receive  his  bride  ;  and  he  disposed  himself  to  wait,  with 
as  much  patience  as  comported  with  five-and-twenty  and 
the  circumstances.  In  a  short  time  the  stillness  of  the 
chapel  was  restored,  interrupted  only  by  the  passing  gusts 
of  the  wind  without,  and  the  dull  roaring  of  the  furnace,, 
by  whose  side  Job  slumbered  in  a  state  of  happy  oblivion. 

Lionel  endeavored  to  still  his  truant  thoughts,  and  bring 
them  in  training  for  the  solemn  ceremony  in  which  he 
was  soon  to  be  an  actor.  Finding  the  task  too  difficult, 
he  arose,  and  approaching  a  window,  looked  out  upon  the 
solitude,  and  the  whirlwinds  of  snow  that  drifted  through 
the  streets,  eagerly  listening  for  those  sounds  of  approach 
which  his  reason  told  him  he  ought  not  yet  to  expect. 
Again  he  seated  himself,  and  turned  his  eyes  inquir- 
ingly about  him,  with  a  sort  of  inward  apprehension  that 
some  one  lay  concealed  in  the  surrounding  gloom,  with  a 
secret  design  to  mar  his  approaching  happiness.  There 
was  so  much  of  wild  and  feverish  romance  in  the  inci- 
dents of  the  day,  that  he  found  it  difficult,  at  moments,  to 
credit  their  reality,  and  had  recourse  to  hasty  glances  at 
the  altar,  his  attire,  and  even  his  insensible  companion,  to 
remove  the  delusion  from  his  mind.  Again  he  looked  up- 
ward at  the  unsteady  and  huge  shadows  which  wavered 
along  the  ceiling  of  the  walls,  and  his  former  apprehen- 
sions of  some  hidden  evil  \vere  revived  with  a  vividness 
that  amounted  nearly  to  a  presentiment.  So  uneasy  did 
he  become  at  length,  under  this  impression,  that  he  walked 
along  the  distant  aisles,  scrupulously  looking  into  the  dark 
pews,  and  throwing  a  scrutinizing  glance  behind  each 
column,  and  was  rewarded  for  his  trouble  by  hearing  the 
hollow  echo  of  his  own  footsteps. 

'  In  returning  from  this  round,  he  approached  the  stove, 
and  yielded  to  a  strong  desire  of  listening  to  the  voice  of 
even  Job,  in  a  moment  of  such  morbid  excitement.  Touch- 
ing the  simpleton  lightly  with  his  foot,  the  other  awoke 
with  that  readiness  \vhich  denoted  the  sudden  and  dis- 
turbed nature  of  his  ordinary  rest. 

"You  are  unusually  dull  to-night,  Job,"  said  Lionel,  en* 
deavoring  to  hush  his  uneasiness  in  affected  pleasantry 
"or  you  would  inquire  the  reason  why  I  pay  my  visit  to 
the  church  at  this  extraordinary  hour." 


LIONEL   L1XCOLN".  245 

"  Boston  folks  love  their  meetin'us's,"  returned  the  ob- 
tuse simpleton. 

'"Ay!  but  they  love  their  beds,  too,  fellow;  and  one 
half  of  them  are  now  enjoying  what  you  seem  to  covet  so 
much." 

"  Job  loves  to  eat,  and  to  be  warm  ! " 

"And  to  sleep  too,  if  one  may  judge  by  your  drowsi- 
ness." 

"  Yes,  sleep  is  sweet ;  Job  don't  feel  a-hungered  when 
he's  sleeping." 

Lionel  remained  silent,  for  several  moments,  under  a 
keen  perception  of  the  suffering  exhibited  in  the  touching 
helplessness,  which  marked  the  manner  of  the  other,  be- 
fore he  continued — 

"  But  I  expect  to  be  joined  soon  by  the  clergyman,  and 
some  ladies,  and  Captain  Polwarth." 

"Job  likes  Captain  Polwarth — he  keeps  a  grand  sight  of 
provisions  ! " 

"  Enough  of  this  !  can  you  think  of  nothing  but  your 
stomach,  boy  ? " 

"God  made  hunger,"  said  Job  gloomily,  "and  he  made 
food  too  ;  but  the  king  keeps  it  all  for  his  rake-hellies  ! " 

"  Well,  listen,  and  be  attentive  to  what  I  tell  you. — One 
of  the  ladies  who  will  come  here  is  Miss  Dynevor  ;  you 
know  Miss  Dynevor,  Job?  the  beautiful  Miss  Dynevor!" 

The  charms  of  Cecil  had  not,  however,  made  their  wonted 
impression  on  the  dull  eye  of  the  idiot,  who  still  regarded 
the  speaker  with  his  customary  air  of  apathy. 

"  Surely,  Job,  you  know  Miss  Dynevor  !"  repeated  Li- 
onel, with  an  irritability  that,  at  any  other  time,  he  would 
have  been  the  first  to  smile  at — "  she  has  often  given  you 
money  and  clothes." 

"  Yes  ;  Ma'am  Lechmere  is  her  grandam  !  " 

This  was  certainly  one  of  the  least  recommendations  his 
mistress  possessed,  in  the  eyes  of  Lionel,  who  paused  a 
moment,  with  inward  vexation,  before  he  added — 

"  Let  who  will  be  her  relatives,  she  is  this  night  to  be- 
come my  wife.  You  will  remain  and  witness  the  ceremony, 
and  then  you  will  extinguish  the  lights,  and  return  the  key 
of  the  church  to  Dr.  Liturgy.  In  the  morning  come  to  me 
for  your  reward." 

The  changeling  arose,  with  an  air  of  singular  importance, 
and  answered — 

"  To  be  sure.  Major  Lincoln  is  to  be  married,  and  he 
asks  Job  to  the  wedding!  Now  Nab  may  preach  her 


246  LIONEL   LINCOLN 

sarmons  about  pride  and  flaunty  feelings  as  much  as  sh<! 
will  ;  but  blood  is  blood,  and  flesh  is  flesh,  for  all  her  say- 
ings  !  " 

Struck  by  the  expression  of  wild  meaning  that  gleamed 
in  the  eyes  of  the  simpleton,  Major  Lincoln  demanded  an 
explanation  of  his  ambiguous  language.  But  ere  Job  had 
leisure  to  reply,  though  his  vacant  look  again  denoted  that 
his  thoughts  were  already  contracting  themselves  within 
their  usually  narrow  limits,  a  sudden  noise  drew  the  atten- 
tion of  both  to  the  entrance  of  the  chapel.  The  door 
opened  the  next  instant,  and  the  figure  of  the  divine,  pow- 
dered with  drifted  snow,  and  encased  in  various  defences 
against  the  cold,  was  seen,  moving  with  a  becoming  gravi- 
ty, through  the  principal  aisle.  Lionel  hastened  to  receive 
him,  and  to  conduct  him  to  the  seat  he  had  just  occupied 
himself. 

When  Dr.  Liturgy  had  uncloaked,  and  appeared  in  his 
robes  of  office,  the  benevolence  of  his  smile,  and  the  whole 
expression  of  his  countenance,  denoted  that  he  was  satis- 
fied with  the  condition  in  which  he  found  the  preparations. 

''There  is  no  reason  why  a  church  should  not  be  as 
comfortable  as  a  man's  library,  Major  Lincoln,"  he  said, 
hitching  his  seat  a  little  nearer  to  the  stove.  "  It  is  a  puri- 
tanical and  a  dissenting  idea,  that  religion  has  anything 
forbidding  or  gloomy  in  its  nature  ;  and  wherefore  should 
we  assemble  amid  pains  and  inconvenience  to  discharge 
its  sacred  offices." 

"  Quite  true,  sir,"  returned  Lionel,  looking  anxiously 
through  one  of  the  windows — "I  have  not  yet  heard  the 
hour  of  ten  strike,  though  my  watch  tells  me  it  is  time  ! " 

"  The  weather  renders  the  public  clocks  very  irregular. 
There  are  so  many  unavoidable  evils  to  which  flesh  is  heir, 
that  we  should  endeavor  to  be  happy  on  all  occasions — 
indeed  it  is  a  duty " 

*'  It's  not  in  the  natur  of  sin  to  make  fallen  man  happy," 
said  a  low,  growling  voice  from  behind  the  stove. 

"  Ha !  what  !  did  you  speak,  Major  Lincoln — a  very 
singular  sentiment  for  a  bridegroom  !  "  muttered  the  divine. 

"  'Tis  that  weak  young  man,  whom  I  have  brought  hither 
to  assist  me  with  the  fires,  repeating  some  of  the  lore  of 
his  mother  ;  nothing  else,  sir." 

By  this  time  Dr.  Liturgy  had  caught  a  glimpse  of  the 
crouching  Job,  and  comprehending  the  interruption,  he 
fell  back  in  his  chair,  smiling  superciliously,  as  he  con« 
tinned — 


TJOXKL   IJXCOLK.  247 

"  I  know  the  lad,  sir  ;  I  should  know  him.  He  is  learned 
in  the  texts,  and  somewhat  given  to  disputation  in  matters 
of  religion.  Tis  a  pity  the  little  intellect  he  has  had  not 
been  better  managed  in  his  infancy  ;  but  they  have  helped 
to  crush  his  feeble  mind  with  their  subtilties.  We — I 
mean  we  of  the  established  church — often  style  him  the 
Boston  Calvin — ha,  ha,  ha  ! — Old  Cotton  was  not  his  equal 
in  subtilty  ! — But  speaking  of  the  establishment,  do  you 
not  fancy  that  one  of  the  consequences  of  this  rebellion 
will  be  to  extend  its  benefits  to  the  colonies,  and  that  we 
may  look  forward  to  the  period  when  the  true  Church  shall 
possess  its  inheritance  in  these  religious  provinces  ?" 

"Oh,  most  certainly!  "  said  Lionel,  again  walking  anx- 
iously to  the  window  ;  "would  to  God  they  had  come  !  " 

The  divine,  with  whom  weddings  were  matters  of  too 
frequent  occurrence  to  awaken  his  sympathies,  understood 
the  impatient  bridegroom  literally,  and  replied,  accord- 
ingly— 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  you  say  it,  Major  Lincoln,  and  I 
hope,  when  the  act  of  amnesty  shall  be  passed,  to  find  your 
vote  on  the  side  of  such  a  condition." 

At  this  instant  Lionel  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  well-known 
sleigh,  moving  slowly  along  the  deserted  street,  and,  utter- 
ing a  cry  of  pleasure,  he  rushed  to  the  door  to  receive  his 
bride.  Dr.  Liturgy  finished  his  sentence  to  himself,  and, 
rising  from  his  comfortable  position,  he  took  the  light, 
and  entered  the  chancel.  The  disposition  of  the  candles 
having  been  previously  made,  when  they  were  lighted,  his 
book  opened,  his  robes  adjusted,  and  his  features  settled 
into  a  suitable  degree  of  solemnity,  he  stood,  waiting  with 
becoming  dignity  the  approach  of  those  over  whom  he 
was  to  pronounce  the  nuptial  benediction.  Job  placed 
himself  within  the  shadows  of  the  building,  and  stood  re- 
garding the  attitude  and  imposing  aspect  of  the  priest, 
with  a  species  of  childish  awe. 

Then  came  a  group,  emerging  from  the  obscurity  of  the 
distant  part  of  the  church,  and  moving  slowly  toward  the 
altar.  Cecil  was  in  front,  leaning  on  that  arm  which 
Lionel  had  given  her,  as  much  for  support,  as  through 
courtesy.  She  had  removed  her  outer  and  warmer  gar- 
ments in  the  vestibule  of  the  sacred  edifice,  and  now  ap- 
peared, attired  in  a  manner  as  well  suited  to  the  sudden- 
ness and  privacy,  as  to  the  importance,  of  the- ceremony. 
A  mantle  of  satin,  trimmed  with  delicate  furs,  fell  carelessly 
from  her  shoulders,  partly  concealing  by  its  folds  the  ex- 


248  LI  OX  EL   LIXCOLX. 

quisite  proportions  of  her  slender  form.  Beneath  was  a 
vestment  of  the  same  rich  material,  cut,  after  the  fashions 
of  that  period,  in  a  manner  to  give  the  exact  outlines  of 
the  bust.  Across  the  stomacher  were  deep  rows  of  fine 
lace,  and  wide  borders  of  the  same  valuable  texture  fol- 
lowed the  retiring  edges  of  her  robe,  leaving  the  costly 
dress  within  partly  exposed  to  the  eye.  But  the  beauty 
and  simplicity  of  her  attire  (it  was  simple  for  that  day) 
was  lost,  or,  rather,  it  served  to  adorn,  unnoticed,  the 
melancholy  beauty  of  her  countenance. 

As  they  approached  the  expecting  priest,  Cecil  threw, 
by  a  gentle  movement,  her  mantle  on  the  rails  of  the 
chancel,  and  accompanied  Lionel,  with  a  firmer  tread  than 
before,  to  the  foot  of  the  altar.  Her  cheeks  were  pale  ; 
but  it  was  rather  with  a  compelled  resolution  than  dread, 
while  her  eyes  were  full  of  tenderness  and  thought.  Of 
the  two  devotees  of  Hymen,  she  exhibited,  if  not  the  most 
composure,  certainly  the  most  singleness  of  purpose,  and 
intentness  on  the  duty  before  them  ;  for  while  the  looks 
of  Lionel  were  stealing  uneasily  about  the  building,  as  if 
he  expected  some  hidden  object  to  start  up  out  of  the 
darkness,  hers  were  riveted  on  the  priest  in  sweet  and 
earnest  attention. 

They  paused  in  their  allotted  places  ;  and  after  a  mo- 
ment was  allowed  for  Agnes  and  Polwarth,  who  alone  fol- 
lowed, to  enter  the  chancel,  the  low  but  deep  tones  of  the 
minister  were  heard  in  the  solemn  stillness  of  the  place. 

Dr.  Liturgy  had  borrowed  a  suitable  degree  of  inspira- 
tion from  the  dreariness  of  the  hour,  and  the  solitude  of 
the  building  where  he  was  required  to  discharge  his  sacred 
functions.  As  he  delivered  the  opening  exhortation  of 
the  service,  he  made  long  and  frequent  pauses  between 
the  members  of  the  sentences,  giving  to  each  injunction  a 
distinct  and  impressive  emphasis.  But  when  he  came  to 
those  closing  words — 

"  If  any  man  can  show  just  cause  why  they  may  not  be. 
/awfully  joined  together,  let  him  now  speak,  or  else,  hereafter^ 
forever  hold  his  peace" 

He  lifted  his  voice,  and  raised  his  eyes  to  the  more  dis- 
tant parts  of  the  chapel,  as  though  he  addressed  a  multi- 
tude in  the  gloom.  The  faces  of  all  present  involuntarily 
followed  the  direction  of  his  gaze,  and  a  moment  of  deep 
expectation,  which  can  only  be  explained  by  the  singu- 
larly wild  character  of  the  scene,  succeeded  the  reverbera- 
tion of  his  tones.  At  that  moment,  when  each  had"  taken 


LIONEL    LINCOLN.  249 

breath,  and  all  were  again  turning  to  the  altar,  a  huge 
shadow  rose  upon  the  gallery,  and  extended  itself  along 
the  ceiling,  until  its  gigantic  proportions  were  seen  hover- 
ing, like  an  evil  spectre,  nearly  above  them. 

The  clergyman  suspended  the  half-uttered  sentence. 
Cecil  grasped  the  arm  of  Lionel  convulsively,  while  a 
shudder  passed  through  her  frame  that  seemed  about  to 
shake  it  to  dissolution. 

The  shadowy  image  then  slowly  withdrew,  not  without, 
however,  throwing  out  a  fantastic  gesture,  with  an  arm 
which  stretched  itself  across  the  vaulted  roof,  and  down 
the  walls,  as  if  about  to  clutch  its  victims  beneath. 

' '  If  any  man  can  show  just  cause  why  they  may  not  b& 
lawfully  joined  together,  let  him  now  speak,  or  else,  hereafter, 
forever  hold  his  peace"  repeated  the  priest  aloud,  as  if  he 
would  summon  the  universe  at  the  challenge. 

Again  the  shadow  rose,  presenting  this  time  the  strong 
and  huge  lineaments  of  a  human  face,  which  it  was  not 
difficult,  at  such  a  moment,  to  fancy  possessed  even  ex- 
pression and  life.  Its  strongly-marked  features  seemed  to 
work  with  powerful  emotion,  and  the  lips  moved  as  if  the 
airy  being  was  speaking  to  unearthly  ears.  Next  came 
two  arms,  raised  above  the  gazing  group,  with  clasped 
hands,  as  in  the  act  of  benediction,  after  which  the  whole 
vanished,  leaving  the  ceiling  in  its  own  dull  white,  and  the 
building  still  as  the  graves  which  surrounded  it. 

Once  more  the  excited  minister  uttered  the  summons  ; 
and  again  every  eye  was  drawn,  by  a  secret  impulse,  to  a 
spot  which  seemed  to  possess  the  form,  without  the  sub- 
stance, of  a  human  being.  But  the  shadow  was  seen  no 
more.  After  waiting  several  moments  in  vain,  Dr.  Liturgy 
proceeded,  with  a  voice  in  which  a  growing  tremor  was 
very  perceptible  ;  but  no  further  interruption  was  experi- 
enced to  the  end  of  the  service. 

Cecil  pronounced  her  vows,  and  plighted  her  troth,  in 
tones  of  holy  emotion  ;  while  Lionel,  who  was  prepared 
for  some  strange  calamity,  wrent  through  the  service  to 
the  end,  with  a  forced  calmness.  They  were  married;  and 
when  the  blessing  was  uttered,  not  a  sound  nor  a  whisper 
was  heard  in  the  party.  Silently  they  all  turned  away 
from  the  spot,  and  prepared  to  leave  the  place.  Cecil 
stood  passively,  and  permitted  Lionel  to  wrap  her  form  in 
the  folds  of  her  mantle  with  tender  care  ;  and  when  she 
would  have  smiled  her  thanks  for  the  attention,  she  merely 
raised  her  anxious  eyes  to  the  ceiling,  with  an  expression 


250  LIONEL  LINCOLN. 

that  could  not  be  mistaken.  Even  Polwarth  was  mute; 
and  Agnes  forgot  to  offer  those  congratulations  and  good 
wishes,  with  which  her  heart  had  so  recently  been  swelling. 
The  clergyman  muttered  a  few  words  of  caution  to  Job 
concerning  the  candles  and  the  fire,  and  hurried  after  the 
retiring  party  with  a  quickness  of  step  that  he  was  willing 
to  ascribe  to  the  lateness  of  the  hour,  and  with  a  total  dis- 
regard to  the  safety  of  the  edifice  ;  leaving  the  chapel  to 
the  possession  of  the  ill-gifted,  but  undisturbed  son  of 
Abigail  Pray. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

"  Forbear  to  judge,  for  we  are  sinners  all ; 
Close  up  his  eyes,  and  draw  the  curtain  close  ; 
And  let  us  all  to  meditation." — King  Henry  VI, 

THE  bridal  party  entered  their  little  vehicle  silent  and 
thoughtful  ;  the  voice  of  Polwarth  being  alone  audible,  as 
he  gave  a  few  low  and  hurried  orders  to  the  groom  who 
was  in  waiting.  Dr.  Liturgy  approached  for  a  moment, 
and  made  his  compliments,  when  the  sleigh  darted  away 
from  the  door  of  the  building,  as  swiftly  as  if  the  horse 
that  drew  it  partook  of  the  secret  uneasiness  of  those  it 
held.  The  movements  of  the  divine,  though  less  rapid, 
were  equally  diligent,  and  in  less  than  a  minute  the  winds 
whistled,  and  clouds  of  snow  were  driven  through  a  street, 
which  everything  possessing  life  appeared  once  more  to 
have  abandoned. 

The  instant  Polwarth  had  discharged  his  load  at  the 
door  of  Mrs.  Lechmere,  he  muttered  something  of  "  hap- 
piness and  to-morrow,"  which  his  friend  did  not  under- 
stand, and  dashed  through  the  gate  of  the  court-yard,  at 
the  same  mad  rate  that  he  had  driven  from  the  church.  On 
entering  the  house,  Agnes  repaired  to  the  room  of  her 
aunt,  to  report  that  the  marriage  knot  was  tied,  while  Lio- 
nel led  his  silent  bride  into  the  empty  parlor. 

Cecil  stood,  fixed  and  motionless  as  a  statue,  while  her 
husband  removed  her  cloak  and  mantle  ;  her  cheeks  pale, 
her  eyes  riveted  on  the  floor,  and  her  whole  attitude  and 
manner  exhibiting  the  intensity  of  thought,  which  had 
been  created  by  the  scene  in  which  she  had  just  been  an 
actor.  When  he  had  relieved  her  light  form  from  the  load 
of  garments  in  which  it  had  been  enveloped  by  his  care, 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  ,.251 

he  impelled  her  gently  to  a  seat  by  his  side,  on  the  settee, 
and,  for  the  first  time  since  she  had  uttered  the  final  vow 
at  the  altar,  she  spoke — 

"Was  it  a  fearful  omen  ?"  she  whispered,  as  he  folded 
her  to  his  heart,  "  or  was  it  no  more  than  a  horrid  fancy  ? " 

"  'Twas  nothing,  love — 'twas  a  shadow — that  of  Job  Pray, 
who  was  with  me  to  light  the  fires." 

"  No — no — no,"  said  Cecil,  speaking  with  the  rapidity 
of  high  excitement,  and  in  tones  that  gathered  strength  as 
she  proceeded — "  Those  were  never  the  unmeaning  feat- 
ures of  the  miserable  simpleton!  Know  you,  Lincoln,  that 
in  the  haughty,  the  terrific  outlines  of  those  dreadful  line- 
aments on  the  wall,  I  fancied  a  resemblance  to  the  profile 
of  our  great  uncle,  your  father's  predecessor  in  the  title — 
Dark  Sir  Lionel,  as  he  was  called." 

"  It  was  easy  to  fancy  anything,  at  such  a  time,  and  un- 
der such  circumstances.  Do  not  cloud  the  happiness  of 
our  bridal  by  these  gloomy  fancies." 

"  Am  I  gloomy  or  superstitious  by  habit,  Lionel  ? "  she 
asked,  \vith  a  deprecating  tenderness  in  her  voice,  that 
touched  his  inmost  heart — "  But  it  came  at  such  a  mo- 
ment, and  in  such  a  shape,  that  I  should  be  more  than 
woman  not  to  tremble  at  its  terrible  import !  " 

"What  is  it  you  dread,  Cecil?  Are  we  not  married; 
lawfully,  solemnly  united?" — The  bride  shuddered;  but 
perceiving  her  unwilling,  or  unable  to  answer,  he  con- 
tinued— "  beyond  the  power  of  man  to  sever  ;  and  with 
the  consent,  nay,  by  the  earnest  wish,  the  command,  of 
the  only  being  who  can  have  a  right  to  express  a  wish,  or 
have  an  opinion  on  the  subject  ?" 

"  I  believe — that  is,  I  think,  it  is  all  as  you  say,  Lionel," 
returned  Cecil,  still  looking  about  her  with  a  vacant  and 
distressed  air,  that  curdled  his  blood  ;  "  yes — yes,  we  are 
certainly  married  ;  and  oh  !  how  ardently  do  I  implore 
Him  who  sees  and  governs  all  things,  that  our  union  may 
be  blessed  !  but — 

"  But  what,  Cecil  ?  will  you  let  a  thing  of  naught — a 
shadow — affect  you  in  this  manner?" 

"  Twas  a  shadow,  as  you  say,  Lincoln  ;  but  where  was 
the  substance  ?" 

"  Cecil,  my  sensible,  my  good,  my  pious  Cecil,  why  do 
your  faculties  slumber  in  this  unaccountable  apathy  ?  Ask 
your  own  excellent  reason  :  can  there  be  a  shade  where 
nothing  obstructs  the  light  ?  " 

"  I  know  not.     I  cannot  reason — I  have  not  reason.    All 


252  LIONEL   LINCOLN'. 

tilings  are  possible  to  Him,  whose  will  is  law,  and  whose 
slightest  wisli  shakes  the  universe.  There  was  a  shadow 
— a  dark,  a  speaking,  and  a  terrible  shadow  ;  but  who  can 
say,  where  was  the  reality  ?" 

"  I  had  almost  answered,  with  the  phantom,  only  in 
your  own  sensitive  imagination,  love.  But  arouse  your 
slumbering  powers,  Cecil,  and  reflect  how  possible  it  was 
for  some  curious  idler  of  the  garrison  to  have  watched  my 
movements,  and  to  have  secreted  himself  in  the  chapel  ; 
perhaps  from  wanton  mischief — perhaps  without  motive  of 
any  kind." 

"  He  then  chose  an  awful  moment  in  \vhich  to  act  his 
gambols!  " 

"  It  may  have  been  one  whose  knowledge  was  just  equal 
to  giving  a  theatrical  effect  to  his  silly  deception.  But  are 
\ve  to  be  cheated  of  our  happiness  by  such  weak  devices  ; 
or  to  be  miserable  because  Boston  contains  a  fool  ? " 

"  I  may  be  weak,  and  silly,  and  even  impious  in  this 
terror,  Lincoln,"  she  said,  turning  her  softened  looks  upon 
his  anxious  face,  and  attempting  to  smile  ;  "  but  it  is  assail- 
ing a  woman  in  a  point  where  she  is  most  sensitive. — You 
know  that  I  have  no  reserve  with  you,  now.  Marriage 
with  us  is  the  tie  that  '  that  binds  all  charities  in  one,'  and 
at  the  moment  when  the  heart  is  full  of  its  own  security, 
is  it  not  dreadful  to  have  such  mysterious  presages,  be 
they  true,  or  be  they  false,  answering  to  the  awful  appeal 
of  the  church  !  " 

"  Nor  is  the  tie  less  binding,  less  important,  or  less  dear, 
my  own  Cecil,  to  us.  Believe  me,  whatever  the  pride  of 
manhood  may  say  of  high  destinies,  and  glorious  deeds, 
the  same  affections  are  deeply  seated  in  our  nature,  and 
must  be  soothed  by  those  we  love,  and  not  by  those  who 
contribute  to  our  vanity.  Why  then  permit  this  chill  to 
blight  your  best  affections  in  their  budding?" 

There  was  so  much  that  was  soothing  to  the  anxiety  of 
a  bride,  in  his  sentiments,  and  so  much  of  tender  interest 
in  his  manner,  that  he  at  length  succeeded,  in  a  great  de- 
gree, in  luring  Cecil  from  her  feverish  apprehensions.  As 
he  spoke,  a  mantling  bloom  diffused  itself  over  her  cold 
and  pallid  cheeks,  and  when  he  had  done,  her  eyes  lighted 
with  the  glow  of  a  woman's  confidence,  and  were  turned 
on  his  own  in  bright,  but  blushing  pleasure.  She  repeated 
his  word  "chill,"  with  an  emphasis  and  a  smile  that  could 
not  be  misconstrued,  and  in  a  few  minutes  he  entirely 
succeeded  in  quelling  the  uneasy  presentiments  that  had 


LIONEL   LINCOLX.  253 

gained  a  momentary  ascendency  over  her  clear  and  excel- 
lent faculties. 

But  notwithstanding  Major  Lincoln  reasoned  so  well, 
and  with  so  much  success,  against  the  infirmity  of  his  bride, 
he  was  by  no  means  equal  to  maintain  as  just  an  argument 
with  himself.  The  morbid  sensibility  of  his  mind  had  been 
awakened  in  a  most  alarming  manner  by  the  occurrences 
of  the  evening,  though  his  warm  interest  in  the  happiness 
of  Cecil  had  enabled  him  to  smother  them,  so  long  as  he 
witnessed  the  extent  and  nature  of  her  apprehensions. 
But,  exactly  in  the  proportion  as  he  persuaded  her  into 
forgetfulness  of  the  past,  his  recollections  became  more 
vivid  and  keen  ;  and  notwithstanding  his  art,  he  might  not 
have  been  able  to  conceal  the  workings  of  his  troubled 
thoughts  from  his  companion,  had  not  Agnes  appeared, 
and  announced  the  desire  of  Mrs.  Lechmere  to  receive  the 
bride  and  bridegroom  in  her  sick  chamber. 

"  Corne,  Lincoln,"  said  his  lovely  companion,  rising  at 
the  summons,  "we  have  been  selfish  in  forgetting  how 
strongly  my  grandmother  sympathizes  in  our  good  or  evil 
fortunes.  We  should  have  discharged  this  duty  without 
waiting  to  be  reminded  of  it." 

Without  making  any  other  reply  than  a  fond  pressure  of 
the  hand  he  held,  Lionel  drew  her  arm  through  his  own, 
and  followed  Agnes  into  the  little  hall  which  conducted  to 
the  upper  part  of  the  dwelling. 

"You  know  the  way,  Major  Lincoln,"  said  Miss  Dan- 
fortli  ;  "  and  should  you  not,  my  lady  bride  can  show  you. 
I  must  go  and  cast  a  worldly  eye  on  the  little  banquet  I 
have  ordered,  but  which  I  fear  will  be  labor  thrown  away, 
since  Captain  Polwarth  has  disdained  to  exhibit  his  prow- 
ess at  the  board.  Truly,  Major  Lincoln,  I  marvel  that  a 
man  of  so  much  substance  as  your  friend,  should  be 
frightened  from  his  stomach  by  a  shadow!" 

Cecil  even  laughed,  and  in  those  sweet  feminine  tones 
that  are  infectious,  at  the  humor  of  her  cousin  ;  but  the 
dark  and  anxious  expression  that  gathered  round  the  brow 
of  her  husband  as  suddenly  checked  her  mirth. 

"  Let  us  ascend,  Lincoln,"  she  said,  instantly,  "and  leave 
mad  Agnes  to  her  household  cares,  and  her  folly." 

"Ay,  go,"  cried  the  other,  turning  away  toward  the 
supper-room—"  eating  and  drinking  is  not  ethereal  enough 
for  your  elevated  happiness  ;  would  I  had  a  repast  worthy 
of  such  sentimental  enjoyment !  Let  me  see — dew  drops 
and  lovers'  tears,  in  equal  quantities,  sweetened  by  Cupid's 


254  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

smiles,  with  a  dish  of  sighs,  drawn  by  moonlight,  for  pi. 
quancy,  as  Polwarth  would  say,  would  flavor  a  bowl  ta 
tlicir  tastes.  The  dew  drops  might  be  difficult  to  procure, 
at  tliis  inclement  season,  and  in  such  a  night ;  but  if 
sighs  and  tears  would  serve  alone,  poor  Boston  is  just  now 
rich  enough  in  materials  !  " 

Lionel,  and  his  half-blushing,  half-smiling  companion, 
heard  the  dying  sounds  of  her  voice,  as  she  entered  the 
distant  apartment,  expressing,  by  its  tones,  the  mingled 
pleasantry  and  spleen  of  its  mistress,  and  in  the  next 
instant  they  forgot  both  Agnes  and  her  humor,  as  they 
found  themselves  in  the  presence  of  Mrs.  Lechmere. 

The  first  glance  of  his  eye  at  their  expecting  relative, 
brought  a  painful  throb  to  the  heart  of  Major  Lincoln. 
Mrs.  Lechmere  had  caused  herself  to  be  raised  in  her  bed, 
in  which  she  was  seated  nearly  upright,  supported  by  pil- 
lows. Her  wrinkled  and  emaciated  cheeks  were  flushed 
with  an  unnatural  color,  that  contrasted  too  violently  with 
the  marks  which  age  and  strong  passions  had  impressed, 
with  their  indelible  fingers,  on  the  surrounding  wreck  of 
those  haughty  features,  which  had  once  been  distinguished 
for  great,  if  not  attractive  beauty.  Her  hard  eyes  had  lost 
their  ordinary  expression  of  worldly  care,  in  a  brightness 
which  caused  them  rather  to  glare,  than  beam,  with  flashes 
of  unbridled  satisfaction  that  could  no  longer  be  repressed. 
In  short,  her  whole  appearance  brought  a  startling  con- 
viction to  the  mind  of  the  young  man,  that  whatever  might 
have  been  the  ardor  of  his  own  feelings  in  espousing  her 
grand-child,  he  had  at  length  realized  the  fondest  desires 
of  a  being  so  worldly,  so  designing,  and,  as  he  was  now 
made  keenly  to  remember,  of  one  also,  who,  he  had  much 
reason  to  apprehend,  was  so  guilty.  The  invalid  did  not 
seem  to  think  a  concealment  of  her  exultation  any  longer 
necessary;  for,  stretching  out  her  arms,  she  called  to  her 
child,  in  a  voice  raised  above  its  natural  tones,  and  which 
was  dissonant  and  harsh  from  a  sort  of  unholy  triumph — 

"Come  to  my  arms,  my  pride,  my  hope,  my  dutiful,  my 
deserving  daughter  !  Come  and  receive  a  parent's  bless- 
ing ;  that  blessing  which  you  so  much  deserve  !" 

Even  Cecil,  warm  and  consoling  as  was  the  language  of 
her  grandmother,  hesitated  an  instant  at  the  unnatural 
voice  in  which  the  summons  was  uttered,  and  advanced  to 
meet  her  embrace  with  a  manner  less  warm  than  was  usual 
to  her  own  ardent  and  unsuspecting  nature.  This  secret 
restraint  existed,  however,  but  for  a  moment ;  for  when 


LIONEL  LINCOLN.  255 

she  felt  the  encircling  arms  of  Mrs.  Lechmere  pressing 
her  warmly  to  her  aged  bosom,  she  looked  up  into  the  face 
of  her  grandmother,  as  if  to  thank  her  for  so  much  affec- 
tion, by  her  own  guileless  smiles  and  tears. 

"  Here,  then,  Major  Lincoln,  you  possess  my  greatest, 
I  had  almost  said  my  only  treasure  ! "  added  Mrs.  Lech- 
mere — "  she  is  a  good,  a  gentle,  and  dutiful  child  ;  and 
heaven  will  bless  her  for  it,  as  I  do."  Leaning  forward, 
she  continued  in  a  less  excited  voice — "  Kiss  me,  my  Cecil, 
my  bride,  my  Lady  Lincoln  !  for  by  that  loved  title  I  may 
now  call  you,  as  yours,  in  the  course  of  nature,  it  soon  will 
be." 

Cecil,  greatly  shocked  at  the  unguarded  exultation  of 
her  grandmother,  gently  withdrew  herself  from  her  arms, 
and  with  eyes  bent  to  the  floor  in  shame,  and  burning 
cheeks,  she  willingly  moved  aside  to  allow  Lionel  to  ap- 
proach, and  receive  his  share  of  the  congratulations.  He 
stooped  to  bestow  the  cold  and  reluctant  kiss,  which  the 
offered  cheek  of  Mrs.  Lechmere  invited,  and  muttered  a 
few  incoherent  words  concerning  his  present  happiness, 
and  the  obligation  she  had  conferred.  Notwithstanding 
the  high  and  disgusting  triumph  which  had  broken  through 
the  usually  cold  and  cautious  manner  of  the  invalid,  a 
powerful  and  unbidden  touch  of  nature  mingled  in  her  ad- 
dress to  the  bridegroom.  The  fiery  and  unnatural  glow  of 
her  eyes  even  softened  with  a  tear,  as  she  spoke — 

"Lionel,  my  nephew,  my  son,"  she  said — "I  have  en- 
deavored to  receive  you  in  a  manner  worthy  of  the  head  of 
an  ancient  and  honorable  name  ;  but  were  you  a  sovereign 
prince,  I  have  now  done  my  last  and  best  in  your  favor. 
Cherish  her — love  her — be  more  than  husband — be  all  ot 
kin  to  the  precious  child,  for  she  merits  all !  Now  is  my 
latest  wish  fulfilled  ! — Now  may  I  prepare  myself  for  the 
last  great  change,  in  the  quiet  of  a  long  and  tranquil 
evening  to  the  weary  and  troublesome  day  of  life  ! " 

"  Woman  !  "  said  a  tremulous  voice  in  the  background-- 
"  thou  deceivest  thyself  !  " 

"Who,"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Lechmere,  raising  her  body 
with  a  convulsive  start,  as  if  about  to  leap  from  the  bed — 
"  who  is  it  speaks  ?  " 

"'Tis  I,"  returned  the  well-remembered  tones  of  Ralph, 
as  he  advanced  from  the  door  to  the  foot  of  her  couch — 
"  'tis  I,  Priscilla  Lechmere  ;  one  who  knows  thy  merits  and 
thy  doom  !  " 

The  appalled  woman  fell  back  on  her  pillows,  gasping 


256  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

for  breath,  the  flush  of  her  cheeks  giving  place  to  theii 
former  signs  of  age  and  disease,  and  her  eye  losing  its  high 
exultation  in  the  glazed  look  of  sudden  terror.  It  would 
seem,  however,  that  a  single  moment  of  reflection  was  suf- 
ficient to  restore  her  spirit,  and  with  it  all  her  deep  resent- 
ments. She  motioned  the  intruder  away,  by  a  violent 
gesture  of  the  hand,  and  after  an  effort  to  command  her 
utterance,  she  said,  in  a  voice  rendered  doubly  strong  by 
overwhelming  passion — 

"Why  am  I  braved,  at  such  a  moment,  in  the  privacy 
of  my  sick  chamber?  Have  that  madman,  or  impostor, 
whichever  he  may  be,  removed  from  my  presence  ! " 

She  uttered  her  request  to  deadened  ears.  Lionel  neither 
moved  nor  answered.  His  whole  attention  was  given  to 
Ralph,  across  whose  hollow  features  a  smile  of  calm  in- 
difference passed,  which  denoted  how  little  he  regarded 
the  threatened  violence.  Even  Cecil,  who  clung  to  the 
arm  of  Lionel,  with  all  a  woman's  dependence  on  him  she 
loved,  was  unnoticed  by  the  latter,  in  the  absorbing  inter- 
est he  took  in  the  sudden  re-appearance  of  one  whose  sin- 
gular and  mysterious  character  had  long  since  raised  such 
hopes  and  fears  in  his  own  bosom. 

"  Your  doors  will  shortly  be  opened  to  all  who  may 
choose  to  visit  here,"  the  old  man  coldly  answered;  "why 
should  I  be  driven  from  a  dwelling  where  heartless  crowds 
shall  so  soon  enter  and  depart  at  will !  Am  I  not  old 
enough  ;  or  do  I  not  bear  enough  of  the  aspect  of  the 
grave,  to  become  your  companion  ?  Priscilla  Lechmere, 
you  have  lived  till  the  bloom  of  your  cheeks  has  given 
place  to  the  color  of  the  dead  ;  your  dimples  have  become 
furrowed  and  wrinkled  lines  ;  and  the  beams  of  your  once 
bright  eye  have  altered  to  the  dull  look  of  care — but  you 
have  not  yet  lived  for  repentance." 

"  What  manner  of  language  is  this  ?  "  cried  his  wonder- 
ing listener,  inwardly  shrinking  before  his  steady,  but 
glowing  look.  "  Why  am  I  singled  from  the  world  for  this 
persecution  ? — are  my  sins  past  bearing  ;  or  am  I  alone  to 
be  reminded  that  sooner  or  later  age  and  death  will  come  ? 
— I  have  long  known  the  infirmities  of  life,  and  may  truly 
say,  that  I  am  prepared  for  their  final  consequences." 

"  Tis  well,"  returned  the  unmoved  and  apparently  im- 
movable intruder — "  take,  then,  and  read  the  solemn  decree 
of  thy  God  ;  and  may  He  grant  thee  firmness  to  justify  so 
much  confidence." 

As  he  spoke,  he  extended,  in  his  withered  hand,  an  open 


LIONEL   LINCOLN1.  257 

letter  toward  Mrs.  Lechmere,  which  the  quick  glance  of 
Lionel  told  him  bore  his  own  name  in  the  superscription. 
Notwithstanding  the  gross  invasion  of  his  rights,  the  young 
man  was  passive  under  the  detection  of  this  second  and 
gross  interference  of  the  other  in  his  most  secret  matters, 
watching  with  eager  interest  the  effect  the  strange  com- 
munication would  produce  on  his  aunt. 

Mrs.  Lechmere  took  the  letter  from  the  stranger  with  a 
sort  of  charmed  submission,  which  denoted  how  completely 
his  solemn  manner  had  bent  her  to  his  will.  The  instant 
her  look  fell  on  the  contents,  it  became  fixed  and  wild. 
The  note  was,  however,  short,  and  the  scrutiny  was  soon 
ended.  Still  she  grasped  it  with  an  extended  arm,  though 
the  vacant  expression  of  her  countenance  betrayed  that  it 
was  held  before  an  insensible  eye.  A  moment  of  silent 
and  breathless  wonder  followed.  It  was  succeeded  by  a 
shudder  which  passed  through  the  whole  frame  .of  the  in- 
valid, her  limbs  shaking  violently,  until  the  rattling  of  the 
folds  of  the  paper  was  audible  in  the  most  distant  corner 
of  the  apartment. 

"This  bears  my  name,"  cried  Lionel,  shocked  at  her 
emotions,  and  taking  the  paper  from  her  unresisting  hand, 
"  and  should  first  have  met  my  eye." 

"  Aloud — aloud,  dear  Lionel,"  said  a  faint  but  earnest 
whisper  at  his  elbow  ;  "aloud,  I  implore  you,  aloud  !  " 

It  was  not,  perhaps,  so  much  in  compliance  with  this 
affecting  appeal,  in  which  the  whole  soul  of  Cecil  seemed 
wrapped,  as  by  yielding  to  the  overwhelming  flow  of  that 
excitement  to  which  he  had  been  aroused,  that  Major  Lin- 
coln was  led  to  conform  to  her  request.  In  a  voice  ren- 
dered desperately  calm  by  his  emotions,  he  uttered  the  fatal 
contents  of  the  note,  in  tones  so  distinct,  that  they  sounded 
to  his  wife,  in  the  stillness  of  the  place,  like  the  prophetic 
warnings  of  one  from  the  dead. 

"  The  state  of  the  town  has  prevented  that  close  atten- 
tion to  the  case  of  Mrs.  Lechmere,  which  her  injuries  ren- 
dered necessary.  An  inward  mortification  has  taken  place, 
and  her  present  ease  is  only  the  forerunner  of  her  death.  I 
feel  it  my  duty  to  say,  that  though  she  may  live  many 
hours,  it  is  not  improbable  that  she  will  die  to-night." 

To  this  short,  but  terrible  annunciation,  was  placed  the 
well-known  signature  of  the  attending  physician.  Here 
was  a  sudden  change,  indeed  !  All  had  thought  that  the 
disease  had  given  way,  when  it  seemed  it  had  been  prey- 
ing insidiously  on  the  vitals  of  the  sick.  Dropping  the 

17 


258  LIONEL  LINCOLN: 

note,  Lionel  exclaimed  aloud,  in  the  suddenness  of  his  sur- 
prise— 

"Die  to-night!  This  is  an  unexpected  summons,  in- 
deed ! " 

The  miserable  woman,  after  the  first  nerveless  moment 
of  her  dismay,  turned  her  looks  anxiously  from  face  to  face, 
and  listened  intently  to  the  words  of  the  note,  as  they  fell 
from  the  lips  of  Lionel,  like  one  eager  to  detect  the  glim- 
merings of  hope  in  the  alarmed  expression  of  their  coun- 
tenances. But  the  language  of  her  physician  was  too 
plain,  direct,  and  positive,  to  be  misunderstood  or  per- 
verted. Its  very  coldness  gave  it  a  terrific  character  of 
truth. 

"  Do  you  then  credit  it  ? "  she  asked  in  a  voice  whose 
husky  tones  betrayed  but  too  plainly  her  abject  unwilling- 
ness to  be  assured.  "  You  !  Lionel  Lincoln,  whom  I  had 
thought  my  friend." 

Lionel  turned  away  silently  from  the  sad  spectacle  of  hel 
misery ;  but  Cecil  dropped  on  her  knees  at  the  bed-side, 
and  clasping  her  hands,  she  elevated  them,  looking  like  a 
beautiful  picture  of  pious  hope,  as  she  murmured — 

"  He  is  no  friend,  dearest  grandmother,  who  would  lay 
flattery  to  a  parting  soul !  But  there  is  a  better  and  a  safer 
dependence  than  all  this  world  can  offer  ! " 

"And  you,  too!"  cried  the  devoted  woman,  rousing 
herself  with  a  strength  and  energy  that  would  seem  to  put 
the  professional  knowledge  of  her  medical  attendant  at 
defiance — "  do  you  also  abandon  me  ?  you,  whom  I  have 
watched  in  infancy,  nursed  in  suifering,  fondled  in  hap- 
piness, ay !  and  reared  in  virtue — yes,  that  I  can  say 
boldly  in  the  face  of  the  universe  ! — you,  whom  I  have 
brought  to  this  honorable  marriage  ;  would  you  repay  me 
for  all,  by  black  ingratitude  ?  " 

"  My  grandmother !  my  grandmother !  talk  not  thus 
cruelly  to  your  child  !  But  lean  on  the  Rock  of  Ages  for 
support,  even  as  I  have  leaned  on  thee  ! " 

"  Away — away — weak,  foolish  child  !  Excess  of  happi- 
ness has  maddened  thee  !  Come  hither,  my  son  ;  let  us 
speak  of  Ravenscliffe,  the  proud  seat  of  our  ancestors  ;  and 
of  those  days  we  are  yet  to  pass  under  its  hospitable  roofs. 
The  silly  girl  thou  hast  wived  would  wish  to  frighten  me  !  " 

Lionel  shuddered  with  inward  horror  while  he  listened 
to  the  forced  and  broken  intonations  of  her  voice,  as  she 
thus  uttered  the  lingering  wishes  of  her  nature.  He  turned 
again  from  the  view,  and,  for  a  moment,  buried  his  face  in 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  25* 

his  hands,  as  if  to  exclude  the  world  and  its  wickedness,  to- 
gether, from  his  sight. 

"  My  grandmother,  look  not  so  wildly  at  us  !  "  continued 
the  gasping  Cecil — "  you  may  have  yet  hours,  nay,  days, 
before  you."  She  paused  an  instant  to  follow  the  unsettled 
and  hopeless  gaze  of  an  eye  that  gleamed  despairingly  on 
the  objects  of  the  room,  and  then,  with  a  meek  depend- 
ence on  her  own  purity,  dropping  her  face  between  her 
hands,  she  cried  aloud  in  her  agony — 

"  My  mother's  mother  !  would  that  I  could  die  for  thee  !" 

"  Die  !  "  echoed  the  same  dissonant  voice  as  before,  from 
a  throat  that  already  began  to  rattle  with  the  hastened  ap- 
proaches of  death — "  who  would  die  amid  the  festivities  of 
a  bridal  ! — Away — leave  me. — To  thy  closet,  and  thy  knees, 
if  thou  wilt — but  leave  rne." 

She  watched,  with  bitter  resentment,  the  retiring  form 
of  Cecil,  who  obeyed  with  the  charitable  and  pious  inten- 
tion of  complying  literally  with  her  grandmother's  order, 
before  she  added — 

"  The  girl  is  not  equal  to  the  task  I  had  set  her  !  All  of 
my  race  have  been  weak,  but  I — my  daughter — my  hus- 
band's niece " 

"  What  of  that  niece  ? "  said  the  startling  voice  of  Ralph, 
interrupting  the  diseased  wanderings  of  her  mind — "  that 
wife  of  thy  nephew — the  mother  of  this  youth  ?  Speak, 
woman,  while  time  and  reason  are  granted  thee." 

Lionel  now  advanced  to  her  bed-side,  under  an  impulse 
that  he  could  no  longer  subdue,  and  addressed  her  sol- 
emnly— 

"  If  thou  knowest  aught  of  the  dreadful  calamity  that 
has  befallen  my  family,"  he  said,  "  or  in  any  manner  hast 
been  accessory  to  its  cause,  disburden  thy  soul,  and  die  in 
peace.  Sister  of  my  grandfather  !  nay,  more,  mother  of 
my  wife  !  I  conjure  thee,  speak — what  of  my  injured 
mother? " 

'  "Sister  of  thy  grandfather — mother  of  thy  wife,"  re- 
peated Mrs.  Lechmere,  slowly,  and  in  a  manner  that  suf- 
ficiently indicated  the  unsettled  state  of  her  thoughts — 
41  Yes,  both  are  true  !" 

"  Speak  to  me,  then,  of  my  mother,  if  you  acknowledge 
the  ties  of  blood — tell  me  of  her  dark  fate  ! " 

"  She  is  in  her  grave — dead — rotten — yes — yes — her 
boasted  beauty  has  been  fed  upon  by  beastly  worms ! 
What  more  would  ye  have,  mad  boy  ?  Would'st  wish  to  see 
her  bones  in  their  winding-sheet?" 


260  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

"  The  truth !  "  cried  Ralph  ;  "  declare  the  truth,  and  thy 
own  wicked  agency  in  the  deed  !  " 

."Who  speaks  ?"  repeated  Mrs.  Lechmere,  dropping  her 
voice  from  its  notes  of  high  excitement  again,  to  the 
tremulous  cadency  of  debility  and  age,  and  looking  about 
her  at  the  same  time,  as  if  a  sudden  remembrance  had 
crossed  her  brain  ;  "  surely  I  heard  sounds  I  should 
know ! " 

"  Here  ;  look  on  me — fix  thy  wandering  eye,  if  it  yet 
has  power  to  see,  on  me,"  cried  Ralph,  aloud,  as  though 
he  would  command  her  attention  at  every  hazard — "'tis 
I  that  speak  to  thee,  Priscilla  Lechmere.  " 

"What  wouldst  thou  have  ?  My  daughter?  She  is  in 
her  grave  !  Her  child  ?  She  is  wedded  to  another. — Thou 
art  too  late  !  Thou  art  too  late  !  Would  to  God  thou  hadst 
asked  her  of  me  in  season " 

"  The  truth — the  truth — the  truth  !  "  continued  the  old 
man,  in  a  voice  that  rung  through  the  apartment  in  wild 
and  startling  echoes — "the  holy  andundefiled  truth  !  Give 
us  that,  and  naught  else." 

This  singular  and  solemn  appeal  awakened  the  latest 
energies  of  the  despairing  woman,  whose  inmost  soul  ap- 
peared to  recoil  before  his  cries.  She  made  an  effort  to 
raise  herself  once  more,  and  exclaimed — 

"Who  says  that  I  am  dying?  I  am  but  seventy!  and 
'tis  only  yesterday  I  was  a  child — a  pure,  an  uncontaminat- 
ed  child  !  He  lies — he  lies  !  I  have  no  mortification — I 
am  strong,  and  have  years  to  live  and  repent  in." 

In  the  pauses  of  her  utterance,  the  voice  of  the  old  man 
was  still  heard  shouting — 

"The  truth— the  truth— the  holy,  undefiled  truth!" 

"  Let  me  rise  and  look  upon  the  sun,"  continued  the 
dying  woman.  "  Where  are  ye  all  ?  Cecil,  Lionel — my 
children,  do  ye  desert  me  now  ?  Why  do  ye  darken  the 
room  ?  Give  me  light — more  light  ! — -more  light !  for  the 
sake  of  all  in  heaven  and  earth,  abandon  me  not  Jto  this* 
black  and  terrific  darkness  !  " 

Her  aspect  had  become  so  hideously  despairing,  that  the 
voice  of  even  Ralph  was  stilled,  and  she  continued  unin- 
terruptedly to  shriek  out  the  ravings  of  her  soul. 

"Why  talk  to  such  as  I  of  death  ! — My  time  has  been 
too  short ! — give  me  days — give  me  hours — give  me  mo- 
ments !  Cecil,  Agnes — Abigail ;  where  are  ye  ? — help  me, 
or  I  fall !  " 

She  raised  herself,  by  a  desperate  effort,  from  the  pil- 


LIONEL   LLVCOLY.  261 

lows,  and  clutched  wildly  at  the  empty  air.  Meeting  the 
extended  hand  of  Lionel,  she  caught  it  with  a  dying 
grasp,  gave  a  ghastly  smile,  under  the  false  security  it  im- 
parted, and  falling  backward  again,  her  mortal  part  settled, 
with  a  universal  shudder,  into  a  state  of  eternal  rest. 

As  the  horrid  exclamations  of  the  deceased  ended,  so 
deep  a  stillness  succeeded  in  the  apartment,  that  the  pass- 
ing gusts  of  the  gale  were  heard  sighing  among  the  roofs 
of  the  town,  and  might  easily  be  mistaken,  at  such  a  mo- 
ment, for  the  moanings  of  unembodied  spirits  over  so  ac- 
cursed an  end. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

"I  wonder,  sir,  since  wives  are  monstrous  to  you, 
And  that  you  fly  them,  as  you  swear  them,  lordship, 
Yet,  you  desire  to  marry."—  All's  Well  That  Ends  Well. 

CECIL  had  left  the  room  of  her  grandmother,  with  the 
consciousness  of  sustaining  a  load  of  anguish,  to  which  her 
young  experience  had  hitherto  left  her  a  stranger.  On 
her  knees,  and  in  the  privacy  of  her  closet,  she  poured  out 
the  aspirations  of  her  pure  spirit,  in  fervent  petitions  to 
that  power,  which  she,  who  most  needed  its  support,  had 
so  long  braved  by  the  mockery  of  respect,  and  the  seemli- 
ness  of  devotion.  With  her  soul  elevated  by  its  recent 
communion  with  her  God,  and  her  feelings  soothed  even  to 
calmness  by  the  sacred  glow  that  was  shed  around  them, 
the  youthful  bride  at  length  prepared  to  resume  her  post 
at  the  bedside  of  her  aged  relative. 

In  passing  from  her  own  room  to  that  of  Mrs.  Lechmere, 
she  heard  the  busy  voice  of  Agnes  below,  together  with 
the  sounds  of  the  preparations  that  were  making  to  grace 
her  own  hasty  bridal,  and  for  a  moment  she  paused  to 
assure  herself  that  all  which  had  so  recently  passed,  was 
more  than  the  workings  of  a  disturbed  fancy.  She  gazed 
at  the  unusual,  though  modest  ornaments  of  her  attire  ; 
shuddered  as  she  remembered  the  awful  omen  of  the 
shadow  ;  and  then  came  to  the  dreadful  reality  with  an 
overwhelming  conviction  of  its  truth.  After  laying  her 
hand  on  the  door,  she  paused,  with  secret  terror,  to  catch 
the  sounds  that  might  issue  from  the  chamber  of  the  sick. 
After  listening  a  moment,  the  bustle  below  was  hushed, 
and  she,  too,  heard  the  whistling  of  the  wind,  as  its  echoes 


262  LIONEL  LINCOLN. 

died  away  among  the  chimneys  and  angles  of  the  building. 
Encouraged  by  the  death-like  stillness  of  those  within  her 
grandmother's  room,  Cecil  now  opened  the  door,  under 
the  pleasing  impression  that  she  should  find  the  resignation 
of  a  Christian,  where  she  had  so  lately  witnessed  the  in- 
cipient ravings  of  despair.  Her  entrance  was  timid  ;  for 
she  dreaded  to  meet  the  hollow,  but  glaring  eye  of  the 
nameless  being  who  had  borne  the  message  of  the  physi- 
cian, and  of  whose  mien  and  language  she  retained  a  con- 
fused but  fearful  recollection.  Her  hesitation  and  her 
fears  were,  however,  alike  vain  ;  for  the  room  was  silent 
and  tenantless.  Casting  one  wondering  look  around,  in 
quest  of  the  form  most  dear  to  her,  Cecil  advanced  with  a 
light  step  to  the  bed,  and  raising  the  coverlet,  discovered 
the  fatal  truth  at  a  glance. 

The  lineaments  of  Mrs.  Lechmere  had  already  stiffened, 
and  assumed  that  cadaverous  and  ghastly  expression, 
which  marks  the  touch  of  death.  The  parting  soul  had 
left  the  impression  of  its  agony  on  her  features,  exhibiting 
the  wreck  of  those  passions  which  caused  her,  even  in 
death,  to  look  backward  on  that  world  she  was  leaving  for- 
ever, instead  of  forward  to  the  unknown  existence,  toward 
which  she  was  hurried.  Perhaps  the  suddenness,  and  the 
very  weight  of  the  shock,  sustained  the  cheerless  bride  in 
that  moment  of  trial.  She  neither  spoke  nor  moved  for 
more  than  a  minute  ;  but  remained  with  her  eyes  riveted 
on  the  desolation  of  that  countenance  she  had  revered  from 
her  infancy,  with  a  species  of  holy  awe  that  was  not  en- 
tirely free  from  horror.  Then  came  the  recollection  of 
the  portentous  omens  of  her  wedding,  and  with  it  a  dread 
that  the  heaviest  of  her  misfortunes  were  yet  in  reserve. 
She  dropped  the  covering  on  the  pallid  features  of  the 
dead,  and  quitted  the  apartment  with  a  hurried  step.  The 
room  of  Lionel  was  on  the  same  floor  with  that  which  she 
had  just  left,  and  before  she  had  time  for  reflection,  her 
hand  was  on  its  lock.  Her  brain  was  bewildered  with  the 
rush  of  circumstances.  For  a  single  instant  she  paused 
with  maiden  bashfulness,  even  recoiling  in  sensitive  shame 
from  the  act  she  was  about  to  commit,  when  all  her  fears, 
mingled  with  glimmerings  of  the  truth,  flashed  again 
across  her  mind,  and  she  burst  into  the  room,  uttering  the 
name  of  him  she  sought,  aloud. 

The  brands  of  a  fallen  fire  had  been  carefully  raked 
together,  and  were  burning  with  a  feeble  and  wavering 
flame.  The  room  seemed  filled  with  a  cold  air,  which,  as 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  263 

she  encountered  it,  chilled  the  delicate  person  of  Cecil  ; 
and  flickering  shadows  were  playing  on  the  walls,  with 
the  uncertain  movements  imparted  by  the  unsteady  light. 
But,  like  the  apartment  of  the  dead,  the  room  was  still 
and  empty.  Perceiving  that  the  door  of  the  little  dressing- 
room  was  open,  she  rushed  to  its  threshold,  and  the 
mystery  of  the  cold  air,  and  the  wavering  fire,  was  ex- 
plained, when  she  felt  the  gusts  of  wind  rush  by  her  from 
the  open  door  at  the  foot  of  the  narrow  stairs.  If  Cecil 
had  ever  been  required  to  explain  the  feelings  which  in- 
duced her  to  descend,  or  the  manner  in  which  it  was  ef- 
fected, she  would  have  been  unable  to  comply  ;  for,  quick 
as  thought,  she  stood  on  the  threshold  of  the  outer  door, 
nearly  unconscious  of  her  situation. 

The  moon  was  still  wading  among  the  driving  clouds, 
shedding  just  light  enough  to  make  the  spectator  sensible 
of  the  stillness  of  the  camp  and  town.  The  easterly  wind 
yet  howled  along  the  streets,  occasionally  lifting  whirlwinds 
of  snow,  and  wrapping  whole  squares  in  its  dim  wreaths. 
But  neither  man  nor  beast  was  visible  amid  the  dreariness. 

The  bewildered  bride  shrunk  from  the  dismal  view, 
with  a  keen  perception  of  its  wild  consonance  with  the 
death  of  her  grandmother.  In  another  moment  she  was 
again  in  the  room  above,  each  part  of  which  was  examined 
with  maddening  anxiety  for  the  person  of  her  husband. 
But  her  powers,  excited  and  unnatural  as  they  had  become, 
could  support  her  no  longer.  She  was  forced'  to  yield  to 
the  impression  that  Lionel  had  deserted  her  in  the  most 
trying  moment,  and  it  was  not  strange  that  she  coupled 
the  sinister  omens  of  the  night  with  his  mysterious  ab- 
sence. The  heart-stricken  girl  clasped  her  hands  in 
anguish,  and  shrieking  the  name  of  her  cousin,  sunk  on 
the  floor  in  total  insensibility. 

Agnes  was  busily  and  happily  employed  with  her  do* 
mestics,  in  preparing  such  a  display  of  the  wealth  of  the 
Lechmeres  as  should  not  disgrace  her  cousin  in  the  eyes 
of  her  more  wealthy  lord  and  master.  The  piercing  cry, 
however,  notwithstanding  the  bustle  of  hurrying  servants, 
and  the  clatter  of  knives  and  plates,  penetrated  to  the 
supper-room,  stilling  each  movement,  and  blanching 
every  cheek. 

"  'Tis  my  name  !  "  said  Agnes  ;  "  who  is  it  calls  ?" 

"If  it  was  possible''  returned  Meriton,  with  a  suitable 
emphasis,  "  that  Master  Lionel's  bride  could  scream  so,  I 
should  say  it  was  my  lady's  voice  ! " 


264  LIONEL  LINCOLN. 

"  'Tis  Cecil — 'tis  Cecil !  "  cried  Agnes,  darting  from  the 
room  ;  "  O,  I  feared — I  feared  these  hasty  nuptials !  " 

There  was  a  general  rush  of  the  menials  into  the  cham- 
bers, when  the  fatal  truth  became  immediately  known  to 
the  whole  family.  The  lifeless  clay  of  Mrs.  Lechmere  was 
discovered  in  its  ghastly  deformity,  and,  to  all  but  Agnes, 
it  aiforded  a  sufficient  solution  of  the  situation  of  the 
bride. 

More  than  an  hour  passed  before  the  utmost  care  of  her 
attendants  succeeded  in  restoring  Cecil  to  a  state  in  which 
questions  might  avail  anything.  Then  her  cousin  took  ad- 
vantage of  the  temporary  absence  of  her  women,  to  men- 
tion the  name  of  her  husband.  Cecil  heard  her  with  sudden 
joy  ;  but  looking  about  the  room  wildly,  as  if  seeking  him 
with  her  eyes,  she  pressed  her  hands  upon  her  heart,  and 
fell  backward  in  that  state  of  insensibility,  from  which  she 
had  just  been  roused.  No  part  of  this  expressive  evidence 
of  her  grief  was  lost  on  the  other,  who  left  the  room  the 
instant  her  care  had  succeeded  in  bringing  the  sufferer 
once  more  to  her  recollection. 

Agnes  Dan  forth  had  never  regarded  her  aunt  with  that 
confiding  veneration  and  love  which  purified  the  affections 
of  the  granddaughter  of  the  deceased.  She  had  alwrays 
possessed  her  more  immediate  relatives,  from  whom  she 
derived  her  feelings  and  opinions,  nor  was  she  wanting  in 
sufficient  discernment  to  distinguish  the  cold  and  selfish 
traits  that  had  so  particularly  marked  the  character  of  Mrs. 
Lechmere.  She  had,  therefore,  consented  to  mortify  her 
own  spirit,  and  submit  to  the  privations  and  dangers  of  the 
siege,  entirely  from  a  disinterested  attachment  to  her 
cousin,  who,  without  her  presence,  would  have  found  her 
solitude  and  situation  irksome. 

In  consequence  of  this  disposition  of  her  mind,  Agnes 
was  more  shocked  than  distressed  by  the  unexpected  death 
that  had  occurred.  Perhaps,  if  her  anxiety  had  been  less 
roused  in  behalf  of  Cecil,  she  might  have  retired  to  weep 
over  the  departure  of  one  she  had  known  so  long,  and  of 
one,  also,  that,  in  the  sincerity  of  her  heart,  she  believed 
so  little  prepared  for  the  mighty  change.  As  it  was,  how- 
ever, she  took  her  way  calmly  to  the  parlor,  where  she 
summoned  Meriton  to  her  presence. 

When  the  valet  made  his  entrance,  she  assumed  the  ap* 
pearance  of  a  composure  that  was  far  from  her  feelings, 
and  desired  him  to  seek  his  master,  with  a  request  that  he 
would  give  Miss  Danforth  a  short  interview,  without  de- 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  26$ 

lay.  During  the  time  Meriton  was  absent  on  this  errand, 
Agnes  endeavored  to  collect  her  thoughts  for  any  emer- 
gency. 

Minute  passed  after  minute,  however,  and  the  valet  did 
not  return.  She  arose,  and  stepping  lightly  to  the  door, 
listened,  and  thought  she  heard  his  footsteps  moving 
about  in  the  more  distant  parts  of  the  building,  with  a 
quickness  that  proved  he  conducted  the  search  in  good 
faith.  At  length  she  heard  them  nigher,  and  it  was  soon 
certain  he  was  on  his  return.  Agnes  seated  herself,  as  be- 
fore, and  with  an  air  that  seemed  as  if  she  expected  to  re- 
ceive the  master  instead  of  the  man.  Meriton,  however, 
returned  alone. 

"  Major  Lincoln,"  she  said,  "  you  desired  him  to  meet  me 
here  ? " 

The  whole  countenance  of  Meriton  expressed  his  amaze- 
ment, as  he  answered — 

"Lord  !  Miss  Agnus,  Master  Lionel  has  gone  out!  gone 
out  on  such  a  night !  and  what  is  more  remarkable,  he 
has  gone  out  without  his  mourning ;  though  the  dead  of  his 
own  blood  and  connections  lies  unburied  in  the  house  !  " 

Agnes  preserved  her  composure,  and  gladly  led  the 
valet  on  in  the  path  his  thoughts  had  taken,  in  order  to 
come  at  the  truth,  without  betraying  her  own  apprehen- 
sions. 

"  How  know  you,  Mr.  Meriton,  that  your  master  has 
been  so  far  forgetful  of  appearances  ? " 

"  As  certain,  ma'am,  as  I  know  that  he  wore  his  parade 
uniform  this  evening  when  he  left  the  house  the  first  time  ; 
though  little  did  I  dream  his  honor  was  going  to  get  mar- 
ried !  If  he  hasn't  gone  out  in  the  same  dress,  where  is 
it  ? — Besides,  ma'am,  his  last  mourning  is  under  lock,  and 
here  is  the  key  in  my  pocket." 

"  "Pis  singular  he  should  choose  such  an  hour,  as  well  as 
the  time  of  his  marriage,  to  absent  himself! " 

Meriton  had  long  learned  to  identify  all  his  interests 
with  those  of  his  master,  and  he  colored  highly  under  the 
oblique  imputation  that  he  thought  was  no  less  cast  on 
Lionel's  gallantry,  than  on  his  sense  of  propriety  in  general. 

"Why,  Miss  Agnus,  you  will  please  remember,  ma'am, '' 
he  answered,  "  as  this  wedding  hasn't  been  at  all  like  an 
English  wedding — nor  can  I  say  that  it  is  altogether  usual 
to  die  in  England  as  suddenly  as  Ma'am  Lechmere  has 
been  pleased " 

"  Perhaps,"   interrupted  Agnes,    "  some   accident   may 


266  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

have  happened  to  him.  Surely  no  man  of  common  hu« 
inanity  would  willingly  be  away  at  such  a  moment ! " 

The  feelings  of  Meriton  now  took  another  direction,  and 
he  unhesitatingly  adopted  the  worst  apprehensions  of  the 
young  lady. 

Agnes  leaned  her  forehead  on  her  hand,  for  a  minute,  in 
deep  reflection,  before  she  spoke  again,  then,  raising  her 
eyes  to  the  valet,  she  said— 

"Mr.  Meriton,  know  you  where  Captain  Pohvarth 
sleeps  ? " 

"  Certainly,  ma'am  ! — He's  a  gentleman  as  always  sleeps 
in  his  own  bed,  unless  the  king's  service  calls  him  else- 
where. A  considerate  gentleman  is  Captain  Polwarth, 
ma'am,  in  respect  of  himself  !  " 

Miss  Danforth  bit  her  lip,  and  her  playful  eye  lighted 
for  an  instant,  with  a  ray  that  banished  its  look  of  sadness  ; 
but  in  another  moment  her  features  became  demure,  if  not 
melancholy,  and  she  continued — 

"  I  believe,  then — 'tis  awkward  and  distressing,  too,  but 
nothing  better  can  be  done." 

"  Did  you  please  to  give  me  any  orders, 'Miss  Agnus  ?" 

"Yes,  Meriton  ;  you  will  go  to  the  lodgings  of  Captain 
Polwarth,  and  tell  him  Mrs.  Lincoln  desires  his  immediate 
presence  here,  in  Tremont  Street." 

"  My  lady  !  "  repeated  the  amazed  valet — "  why,  Miss 
Agnus,  the  women  says  as  my  lady  is  unconscionable,  and 
does  not  know  what  is  doing,  or  who  speaks  to  her!  A 
mournful  wedding,  ma'am,  for  the  heir  of  our  house  ! " 

"Then  tell  him,"  said  Agnes,  as  she  arose  to  leave  the 
room,  "  that  Miss  Danforth  would  be  glad  to  see  him." 

Meriton  waited  no  longer  than  was  necessary  to  mutter 
his  approbation  of  this  alteration  in  the  message,  when  he 
left  the  house,  with  a  pace  that  was  a  good  deal  quickened 
by  his  growing  fears  on  the  subject  of  his  master's  safety. 
Notwithstanding  his  apprehensions,  the  valet  was  by  no 
means  insensible  to  the  severity  of  the  climate  he  was  in, 
nor  to  the  peculiar  qualities  of  that  night,  in  which  he  was 
so  unexpectedly  thrust  abroad  to  encounter  its  fury.  He 
soon  succeeded,  however,  in  making  his  way  to  the  quar- 
ters of  Polwarth,  in  the  midst  of  the  driving  snow,  and  in 
defiance  of  the  cold  that  chilled  his  very  bones.  Happily 
for  the  patience  of  the  worthy  valet,  Shearflint,  the  semi- 
military  attendant  of  the  captain,  was  yet  up,  having  just 
discharged  his  nightly  duties  about  the  person  of  his 
master,  who  had  not  deemed  it  prudent  to  seek  his  pillow 


LIONEL   LSVCOL.Y.  267 

without  proving  the  consolations  of  the  trencher.  The 
door  was  opened  at  the  first  tap  of  Meriton,  and  when  the 
other  had  expressed  his  surprise,  by  the  usual  exclamations, 
the  two  attendants  adjourned  to  the  sitting-room,  where 
the  embers  of  a  good  wood  fire  were  yet  shedding  a  grate- 
ful heat  in  the  apartment. 

"  What  a  shocking  country  is  this  America  for  cold,  Mr. 
Shearflint !  "  said  Meriton,  kicking  the  brands  together 
with  his  boot,  and  rubbing  his  hands  over  the  coals — "  I 
doesn't  think  as  our  English  cold  is  at  all  like  it.  It's  a 
stronger  and  a  better  cold  is  ours,  but  it  doesn't  cut  one 
like  dull  razors,  as  this  here  of  America." 

Shearflint,  who  fancied  himself  particularly  liberal,  and 
ever  made  it  a  point  to  show  his  magnanimity  to  his  ene- 
mies, never  speaking  of  the  colonists  without  a  sort  of 
protecting  air,  that  he  intended  should  reflect  largely  on 
his  own  candor,  briskly  replied — 

"  This  is  a  new  country,  Mr.  Meriton,  and  one  shouldn't 
be  over-nice.  When  one  goes  abroad,  one  must  learn  to 
put  up  with  difficulties  ;  especially  in  the  colonies,  where 
it  can't  be  expected  all  things  should  be  as  comfortable  as 
we  has  'em  at  'ome." 

"  Well,  now,  I  call  myself  a  little  particular  in  respect  of 
weather,"  returned  Meriton,  "  as  and  going.  But  give  me 
England  for  climate,  if  for  nothing  else.  The  water  comes 
down  in  that  blessed  country  in  good,  honest  drops,  and  not 
in  little  frozen  bits,  which  prick  one's  face  like  so  many 
fine  needles  ! " 

"  You  do  look,  Mr.  Meriton,  a  little  as  if  you  had  been 
shaking  your  master's  powder-puff  about  your  own  ears. 
But  I  was  just  finishing  the  heel-tap  of  the  captain's  hot 
toddy  ;  perhaps  if  you  was  to  taste  it,  'twould  help  to  thaw 
out  the  idears." 

"  God  bless  me  !  Shearflint,"  said  Meriton,  relinquishing 
his  grasp  of  the  tankard,  to  take  breath  after  a  most  vigor- 
ous draught — "  do  you  always  stuff  his  night-cap  so  thick  ?" 

"  No — no — the  captain  can  tell  a  mixture  by  his  nose, 
and  it  doesn't  do  to  make  partial  alterations  in  his  glass," 
returned  Shearflint,  giving  the  tankard  a  circular  motion 
to  stir  its  contents,  while  he  spoke,  and  swallowing  the 
trifle  that  remained,  apparently  at  a  gulp  ;  "  then  as  I 
thinks  it  a  pity  that  anything  should  be  wasted  in  these 
distressing  times,  I  generally  drinks  what's  left,  after  add- 
ing sum'at  to  the  water,  just  to  mellow  it  down.  But  what 
brings  you  abroad  such  a  foul  night,  Mr.  Meriton  ?  ' 


268  LIONEL  LINCOLN. 

"  Sure  enough,  my  idears  wanted  thawing,  as  you  insti. 
gated,  Shearflint !  Here  have  I  been  sent  on  a  message  oi 
life  and  death,  and  I  was  forgetting  my  errand  like  a  raw 
boy  just  hired  from  the  country  !  " 

"  Something  is  stirring,  then  !  "  said  the  other,  offering  a 
chair,  which  his  companion  received  without  any  words, 
while  Polwarth's  man  took  another,  with  equal  composure. 
"  I  thought  as  much,  from  the  captain's  hungry  appear- 
ance, when  he  came  home  to-night,  after  dressing  himself 
with  so  much  care,  to  take  his  supper  in  Tremont  Street." 

"  Something  has  been  stirring  indeed  !  For  one  thing, 
it  is  certain,  Master  Lionel  was  married  to-night,  in  the 
King's  Chapel ! " 

"  Married  ! "  echoed  the  other — "  well,  thank  heaven,  no 
such  unavoidables  has  befallen  us,  though  we  have  been 
amputrated.  I  couldn't  live  with  a  married  gentleman,  no- 
how, Mr.  Meriton.  A  master  in  breeches  is  enough  for 
me,  without  one  in  petticoats  to  set  him  on !  " 

"  That  depends  altogether  on  people's  conditions,  Shear- 
flint,"  returned  Meriton,  with  a  sort  of  condescending  air 
of  condolence,  as  though  he  pitied  the  other's  poverty. — 
"It  would  be  great  folly  for  a  captain  of  foot,  that  is  noth- 
ing but  a  captain  of  foot,  to  unite  in  Hymen.  But,  as  we 
say  at  Ravenscliffe  and  Soho,  Cupid  will  listen  to  the  siyths 
of  the  heir  of  a  Devonshire  baronet,  with  fifteen  thousand 
a  year." 

"  I  never  heard  any  one  say  it  was  more  than  ten,"  in- 
terrupted the  other,  with  a  strong  taint  of  ill-humor  in  his 
manner. 

"  Not  more  than  ten  !  I  can  count  ten  myself,  and  I  am 
sure  there  must  be  some  that  I  doesn't  know  of." 

"Well,  if  it  be  twenty,"  cried  Shearflint,  rising  and  kick- 
ing the  brands  among  the  ashes,  in  a  manner  to  destroy 
all  the  cheerfulness  of  the  little  fire  that  remained,  "  it 
won't  help  you  to  do  your  errand.  You  should  remember 
that  us  servants  of  poor  captains  have  nobody  to  help  us 
with  our  work,  and  want  our  natural  rest.  What's  your 
pleasure,  Mr.  Meriton?" 

"  To  see  your  master,  Mister  Shearflint." 

"  That's  impossibility !  he's  under  five  blankets,  and  f 
wouldn't  lift  the  thinnest  of  them  for  a  month's  wages." 

"  Then  I  shall  do  it  for  you,  because  speak  to  him  I  must. 
Is  he  in  this  room  ?  " 

"  Ay,  you'll  find  him  somewhere  there,  among  the  bed* 
clothes  "  returned  Shearflint,  throwing  open  the  door  of  ar» 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  269 

adjoining  apartment,  secretly  hoping  Meriton  would  get 
his  head  broken  for  his  trouble,  as  he  removed  himself  out 
of  harm's  way,  by  returning  to  the  fire-place. 

Meriton  was  compelled  to  give  the  captain  several  rough 
shakes  before  he  succeeded  in  rousing  him,  in  the  least, 
from  his  deep  slumbers.  Then,  indeed,  he  overheard  the 
sleeper  muttering — 

"A  damn'd  foolish  business,  that — had  we  made  proper 
use  of  our  limbs,  we  might  have  kept  them.  You  take 
this  man  to  be  your  husband — better  for  worse — richer 
or  poorer — ha  !  who  are  you  rolling,  dog  ?  have  you  no 
regard  to  digestion,  to  shake  a  man  in  this  manner,  just 
after  eating !  " 

"  It's  I,  sir — Meriton." 

"  And  what  the  devil  do  you  mean  by  this  liberty,  Mr. 
I,  or  Meriton,  or  whatever  you  call  yourself  ?  " 

"  I  am  sent  for  you  in  a  great  hurry,  sir — awful  things 
have  happened  to-night  up  in  Tremont — 

"  Happened ! "  repeated  Polwarth,  who  by  this  time 
was  thoroughly  awake — "  I  know,  fellow,  that  your  master 
is  married — I  gave  the  bride  away  myself.  I  suppose 
nothing  else,  that  is  particularly  extraordinary,  has  hap- 
pened." 

"  Oh  !  Lord,  yes,  sir — my  lady  is  in  fainting  fits,  and 
Master  Lionel  has  gone,  God  knows  whither,  and  Madam 
Lechmere  is  dead  !  " 

Meriton  had  not  concluded,  before  Polwarth  sprang 
from  his  bed  in  the  best  manner  he  was  able,  and  began  to 
dress  himself,  by  a  sort  of  instinct,  though  without  any 
definite  object.  By  the  unfortunate  arrangement  of  Meri- 
ton's  intelligence,  he  supposed  the  death  of  Mrs.  Lechmere 
to  be  in  consequence  of  some  strange  and  mysterious  sep- 
aration of  the  bride  from  her  husband,  and  his  busy 
thoughts  did  not  fail  to  recall  the  singular  interruption  of 
the  nuptials,  so  often  mentioned. 

"And  Miss  Danforth  !  "  he  asked — "how  does  she  bear 
it?" 

"  Like  a  woman,  as  she  is,  and  a  true  lady.  It  is  no 
small  thing  as  puts  Miss  Agnus  beside  herself,  sir!" 

"  No,  that  it  is  not !  she  is  much  more  apt  to  drive  others 
mad." 

"  'Twas  she,  sir,  as  sent  me  to  desire  you  to  come  up  to 
Tremont  Street,  without  any  delay." 

"  The  devil  it  was  !  Hand  me  that  boot,  my  good  fel- 
low. One  boot,  thank  God,  is  sooner  put  on  than  two  ! 


270  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

The  vest  and  stock  next.  You,  Shearflint  !  where  have  you 
got  to,  sirrah  !  Bring  me  my  leg,  this  instant" 

As  soon  as  his  own  man  heard  this  order,  he  made  his 
appearance ;  and  as  he  was  much  more  conversant  with 
the  mystery  of  his  master's  toilet  than  Meriton,  the  cap- 
tain was  soon  equipped  for  his  sudden  expedition. 

During  the  time  he  was  dressing,  he  continued  to  put 
hasty  questions  to  Meriton,  concerning  the  cause  of  the 
disturbance  in  Tremont  Street,  the  answers  to  which  only 
served  to  throw  him  more  upon  the  ocean  of  uncertainty 
than  ever.  The  instant  he  was  clad,  he  wrapped  himself 
in  his  cloak,  and,  taking  the  arm  of  the  valet,  he  essayed 
to  find  his  way  through  the  tempest  to  the  spot  wrhere  he 
was  told  Agnes  Danforth  awaited  his  appearance,  with  a 
chivalry  that,  in  another  age,  and  under  different  circum- 
stances, would  have  made  him  a  hero. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

"  Proud  lineage  !  now  how  little  thou  appearest !  " — BLAIR. 

NOTWITHSTANDING  the  unusual  alacrity  with  which  Pol* 
warth  obeyed  the  unexpected  summons  of  the  capricious 
being  whose  favor  he  had  so  long  courted,  with  so  little 
apparent  success,  he  lingered  in  his  steps  as  he  approached 
near  enough  to  the  house  in  Tremont  Street,  to  witness  the 
glancing  lights  which  flitted  before  the  windows.  On  the 
threshold  he  stopped,  and  listened  to  the  opening  and 
shutting  of  doors,  and  all  those  marked,  and  yet  stifled 
sounds,  which  are  wront  to  succeed  a  visit  of  the  grim 
monarch  to  the  dwellings  of  the  sick.  His  rap  was  un- 
answered, and  he  was  compelled  to  order  Meriton  to  show 
him  into  the  little  parlor  where  he  had  so  often  been  a 
guest,  under  more  propitious  circumstances.  Here  he 
found  Agnes,  awaiting  his  appearance  with  a  gravity,  if 
not  sadness  of  demeanor,  that  instantly  put  to  flight  cer- 
tain complimentary  effusions,  with  which  the  captain  had 
determined  to  open  the  interview,  in  order  to  follow  up,  in 
the  true  temper  of  a  soldier,  the  small  advantage  he  con- 
ceived he  had  obtained  in  the  good  opinion  of  his  mistress. 
Altering  the  exulting  expression  of  his  features  with  his 
first  glance  at  the  countenance  of  Miss  Danforth,  Pohvartr- 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  271 

paid  his  compliments  in  a  manner  better  suited  to  the  state 
of  the  family,  and  desired  to  know,  if  in  any  manner  he 
could  contribute  to  their  comfort  or  relief. 

"  Death  has  been  among  us,  Captain  Polwarth,"  said 
Agnes,  "  and  his  visit  has,  indeed,  been  sudden  and  unex- 
pected. To  add  to  our  embarrassment,  Major  Lincoln  is 
missing  ! " 

As  she  concluded,  Agnes  fastened  her  eyes  on  the  face 
of  the  other,  as  though  she  would  require  an  explanation 
of  the  unaccountable  absence  of  the  bridegroom. 

"  Lionel  Lincoln  is  not  a  man  to  fly  because  death  ap- 
proaches," returned  the  captain,  musing  ;  "  and  less  should 
I  suspect  him  of  deserting,  in  her  distress,  one  like  the 
lovely  creature  he  has  married.  Perhaps  he  has  gone  in 
quest  of  medical  aid  ?" 

"  It  cannot  be.  I  have  gathered  from  the  broken  sen- 
tences of  Cecil,  that  he,  and  some  third  person  to  me  un- 
known, were  last  with  my  aunt,  and  must  have  been  present 
at  her  death  ;  for  the  face  was  covered.  I  found  the  bride 
in  the  room  which  Lionel  has  lately  occupied — the  doors 
open,  and  with  indications  that  he  and  his  unknown  com- 
panion had  left  the  house  by  the  private  stairs,  which  com- 
municate with  the  western  door.  As  my  cousin  speaks 
but  little,  all  other  clew  to  the  movements  of  her  husband 
is  lost,  unless  this  ornament,  which  I  found  glittering 
among  the  embers  of  the  fire,  may  serve  for  such  a  pur- 
pose. It  is,  I  believe,  a  soldier's  gorget." 

"  It  is,  indeed  ;  and  it  would  seem  the  wearer  has  been 
in  some  jeopardy,  by  this  bullet-hole  through  its  centre. 
By  heavens  ! — 'tis  that  of  M'Fuse  ! — Here  is  the  i8th  en- 
graved ;  and  I  know  these  little  marks  which  the  poor  fel- 
low was  accustomed  to  make  on  it  at  every  battle  ;  for  he 
never  failed  to  wear  the  bawrble.  The  last  was  the  saddest 
record  of  them  all !  " 

"In  what  manner,  then,  could  it  be  conveyed  into  the 
apartment  of  Major  Lincoln  ?  Is  it  possible  that " 

"  In  what  manner,  truly  !  "  interrupted  Polwarth,  rising 
in  his  agitation,  and  beginning  to  pace  the  room,  in  the 
b^st  manner  his  mutilated  condition  would  allow — "  Poor 
Djnnis  !  that  I  should  find  such  a  relic  of  thy  end  at  last ! 
You  did  not  know  Dennis,  I  believe.  He  was  a  man,  fair 
Agnes,  every  way  adapted  by  nature  for  a  soldier.  His 
was  the  form  of  Hercules  !  the  heart  of  a  lion,  and  the  di- 
gestion of  an  ostrich  !  But  he  could  not  master  this  cruel 
lead  !  He  is  dead,  poor  fellow,  he  is  dead ! " 


272  LIONEL   LINCOLN 

"  Still  you  find  no  clew  in  the  gorget  by  which  to  trace 
the  living  ?  "  demanded  Agnes. 

"  Ha  !  "  exclaimed  Polwarth,  starting — "  I  think  I  begin 
to  see  into  the  mystery  !  The  fellow  who  could  slay  the 
man  with  whom  he  had  eaten  and  drunk,  might  easily  rob 
the  dead  !  You  found  the  gorget  near  the  fire  of  Major 
Lincoln's  room,  say  you,  fair  Agnes  ?  " 

"  In  the  embers,  as  if  cast  there  for  concealment,  or 
dropped  in  some  sudden  strait." 

u  I  have  it — I  have  it !  "  returned  Polwarth,  striking  his 
hands  together,  and  speaking  through  his  teeth — "  'twas 
that  dog  who  murdered  him,  and  justice  shall  now  take  its 
swing — fool  or  no  fool,  he  shall  be  hung  up  like  jerked 
beef,  to  dry  in  the  winds  of  heaven  ! " 

"  Of  whom  speak  you,  Polwarth,  with  that  threatening 
air?"  inquired  Agnes,  in  a  soothing  voice,  of  which,  like 
the  rest  of  her  sex,  she  well  knew  not  only  the  power,  but 
when  to  exercise  it. 

"  Of  a  canting,  hypocritical  miscreant,  who  is  called  Job 
Pray — a  fellow  with  no  more  conscience  than  brains,  nor 
any  more  brains  than  honesty.  An  ungainly  villain,  who 
will  eat  of  your  table  to-day,  and  put  the  same  knife  that 
administered  to  his  hunger  to  your  throat  to-morrow  !  It 
was  such  a  dog  that  butchered  the  glory  of  Erin  ! " 

"  It  must  have  been  in  open  battle,  then,"  said  Agnes, 
•'  for  though  wanting  in  reason,  Job  has  been  reared  in  the 
knowledge  of  good  and  evil.  The  child  must  be  strongly 
stamped  with  the  wrath  of  God,  indeed,  for  whom  some 
effort  is  not  made  by  a  Boston  mother,  to  recover  his  part 
in  the  great  atonement !  " 

"  He,  then,  is  an  exception  ;  for  surely  no  Christian  will 
join  you  in  the  great  natural  pursuit  of  eating  at  one  mo- 
ment, and  turn  his  fangs  on  a  comrade  at  the  next." 

"  But  what  has  all  this  to  do  with  the  absent  bride- 
groom ? " 

"  It  proves  that  Job  Pray  has  been  in  his  room  since  the 
fire  was  replenished,  or  some  other  than  you  would  have 
found  the  gorget." 

"  It  proves  a  singular  association,  truly,  between  Major 
Lincoln  and  the  simpleton,"  said  Agnes,  musing  ;  "  but 
still  it  throws  no  light  on  his  disappearance.  Twas  an 
old  man  that  my  cousin  mentioned  in  her  unconnected 
sentences ! " 

"  My  life  on  it,  fair  Agnes,  that  if  Major  Lincoln  has  left 
the  house  mysteriously  to-night,  it  is  under  the  guidance 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  273 

of  that  wretch  ! — I  have  known  them  together  in  council 
more  than  once,  before  this." 

"  Then,  if  he  be  weak  enough  to  forsake  such  a  woman 
as  my  cousin,  at  the  instigation  of  a  fool,  he  is  unworthy  of 
another  thought ! " 

Agnes  colored  as  she  spoke,  and  turned  the  conversa- 
tion with  a  manner  that  denoted  how  deeply  she  resented 
the  slight  to  Cecil. 

The  peculiar  situation  of  the  town,  and  the  absence  of 
all  her  own  male  relatives,  soon  induced  Miss  Danforth  to 
listen  to  the  reiterated  offers  of  service  from  the  captain, 
and  finally  to  accept  them.  Their  conference  was  long 
and  confidential ;  nor  did  Polwarth  retire  until  his  foot- 
steps were  assisted  by  the  dull  light  of  the  approaching 
day.  When  he  left  the  house  to  return  to  his  own  quar- 
ters, no  tidings  had  been  heard  of  Lionel,  whose  inten- 
tional absence  was  now  so  certain,  that  the  captain  pro- 
ceeded to  give  his  orders  for  the  funeral  of  the  deceased, 
without  any  further  delay.  He  had  canvassed  with  Agnes 
the  propriety  of  every  arrangement  so  fully,  that  he  was  at 
no  loss  how  to  conduct  himself.  It  had  been  determined 
between  them  that  the  state  of  the  siege,  as  well  as  certain 
indications  of  movements  which  were  already  making  in 
the  garrison,  rendered  it  inexpedient  to  delay  the  obse- 
quies a  moment  longer  than  was  required  by  the  unavoid- 
able preparations. 

Accordingly,  the  Lechmere  vault,  in  the  church-yard  of 
the  "  King's  Chapel,"  was  directed  to  be  opened,  and  the 
vain  trappings,  in  which  the  dead  are  usually  enshrouded, 
were  provided.  The  same  clergyman,  who  had  so4ately 
pronounced  the  nuptial  benediction  over  the  child,  was 
now  required  to  perform  the  last  melancholy  offices  of  the 
Church  over  the  parent,  and  the  invitations  to  the  few 
friends  of  the  family  who  remained  in  the  place  were  duly 
issued  in  suitable  form. 

By  the  time  the  sun  had  fallen  near  the  amphitheatre  of 
hills,  along  whose  crests  were,  here  and  there,  to  be  seen 
the  works  of  the  indefatigable  men  who  held  the  place  in 
leaguer,  the  brief  preparations  for  the  interment  of  the  de- 
ceased were  completed.  The  prophetical  words  of  Ralph 
were  now  fulfilled,  and,  according  to  the  custom  of  the 
province,  the  doors  of  one  of  its  proudest  dwellings  were 
thrown  open  for  all  those  who  chose  to  enter  and  depart 
at  will.  The  funeral  train,  though  respectable,  was  far 
from  extending  to  that  display  of  solemn  countenances 
18 


2  74  LI  ONEL  LINC  OLAr. 

which  Boston,  in  its  peace  and  pride,  would  not  have 
failed  to  exhibit  on  any  similar  occasion.  A  few  of  the 
oldest  and  most  respected  of  the  inhabitants,  who  were 
distantly  connected  by  blood  or  alliances  with  the  deceased, 
attended  ;  but  there  had  been  nothing  in  the  cold  and 
selfish  character  of  Mrs.  Lechmere  to  gather  the  poor  and 
dependent  in  sorrowing  groups  around  her  funeral  rites. 
The  passage  of  the  body,  from  its  late  dwelling  to  the 
tomb,  was  quiet,  decent,  and  impressive,  but  entirely  with- 
out any  demonstrations  of  grief.  Cecil  had  burie'd  her- 
self and  her  sorrows,  together,  in  the  privacy  of  her  own 
room,  and  none  of  the  more  distant  relatives  who  had  col- 
lected, male  or  female,  appeared  to  find  it  at  all  difficult  to 
restrain  their  feelings  within  the  bounds  of  the  most  rigid 
decorum. 

Dr.  Liturgy  received  the  body,  as  usual,  on  the  threshold 
of  the  sacred  edifice,  and  the  same  solemn  and  affecting 
language  was  uttered  over  the  dead,  as  if  she  had  departed 
soothed  by  the  most  cheerful  visions  of  an  assured  faith. 
As  the  service  proceeded,  the  citizens  clustered  about  the 
coffin,  in  deep  attention,  in  admiration  of  the  unwonted 
tremor  and  solemnity  that  had  crept  into  the  voice  of  the 
priest. 

Among  this  little  collection  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  col- 
ony, were  interspersed  a  few  men  in  the  military  dress, 
who,  having  known  the  family  of  the  deceased  in  more 
settled  times,  had  not  forgotten  to  pay  the  last  tribute  to 
the  memory  of  one  of  its  dead. 

When  the  short  service  was  ended,  the  body  was  raised 
on  the  shoulders  of  the  attendants,  and  borne  into  the 
yard,  to  its  place  of  final  rest.  At  such  a  funeral,  where 
few  mourned,  and  none  wept,  no  unnecessary  delay  would 
be  made  in  disposing  of  the  melancholy  relics  of  mortality. 
In  a  very  few  moments,  the  narrow  tenement,  which  con- 
tained the  festering  remains  of  one  who  had  so  lately  har- 
bored such  floods  of  human  passion,  was  lowered  from  the 
light  of  day,  and  the  body  was  left  to  moulder  by  the  side 
of  those,  which  had  gone  before  to  the  darkness  of  the 
tomb.  Perhaps,  of  all  who  witnessed  the  descent  of  the 
coffin,  Polwarth  alone,  through  that  chain  of  sympathies 
which  bound  him  to  the  caprice  of  Agnes,  felt  any  emotion 
at  all  in  consonance  with  the  solemn  scene.  The  obsequies 
of  the  dead  were,  like  the  living  character  of  the  woman, 
cold,  formal,  and  artificial.  The  sexton  and  his  assistants 
had  hardly  commenced  replacing  the  stone  which  covered 


LIONEL   LINCOLN  275 

the  entrance  of  the  vault,  when  a  knot  of  elderly  men  set 
the  example  of  desertion,  by  moving  away  in  a  body  from 
the  spot.  As  they  picked  their  footsteps  among  the  graves, 
and  over  the  frozen  ground  of  the  church-yard,  they  dis- 
coursed idly  together,  of  the  fortunes  and  age  of  the  wo- 
man of  whom  they  had  now  taken  their  leave  forever. 
The  curse  of  selfishness  appeared  even  to  have  fallen  on 
the  warning,  which  so  sudden  an  end  should  have  given  to 
those  who  forgot  they  tottered  on  the  brink  of  the  grave. 
They  spoke  of  the  deceased  as  of  one  who  had  failed  to 
awaken  the  charities  of  our  nature,  and  though  several 
ventured  their  conjectures  as  to  the  manner  in  which  she 
had  disposed  of  her  worldly  possessions,  not  one  remem- 
bered to  lament  that  she  had  continued  no  longer  to  enjoy 
them.  From  this  theme  they  soon  wandered  to  themselves, 
and  the  whole  party  quitted  the  church-yard,  joking  each 
other  on  the  inroads  of  time,  each  man  attempting  to  ape 
the  elastic  tread  of  youth,  in  order  not  only  to  conceal  from 
his  companions  the  ravages  of  age,  but  with  a  vain  desire 
to  extend  the  artifice  so  far,  if  possible,  as  to  deceive  him- 
self. 

When  the  seniors  of  the  party  withdrew,  the  remainder 
of  the  spectators  did  not  hesitate  to  follow  ;  and  in  a  few 
minutes  Polwarth  found  himself  standing  before  the  vault, 
with  only  two  others  of  all  those  who  had  attended  the 
body.  The  captain,  who  had  been  at  no  little  expense  of 
time  and  trouble  to  maintain  the  decencies  which  became 
a  near  friend  of  the  family  of  the  deceased,  stood  a  minute 
longer,  to  permit  these  lingering  followers  to  retire  also, 
before  he  turned  his  own  back  on  the  place  of  the  dead. 
But  perceiving  they  both  maintained  their  posts,  in  silent 
attention,  he  raised  his  eyes,  more  curiously,  to  examine 
who  these  loiterers  might  be. 

The  one  nearest  to  himself  was  a  man  whose  dress  and 
air  bespoke  him  to  be  of  no  very  exalted  rank  in  life,  while 
the  other  was  a  woman  of  even  an  inferior  condition,  if  an 
opinion  might  be  formed  from  the  squalid  misery  that  was 
exhibited  in  her  attire.  A  little  fatigued  with  the  arduous 
labors  of  the  day,  and  of  the  duties  of  the  unusual  office 
he  had  assumed,  the  worthy  captain  touched  his  hat  with 
studied  decorum,  and  said — 

"  I  thank  you,  good  people,  for  this  mark  of  respect  to 
the  memory  of  my  deceased  friend ;  but  as  we  have  per- 
formed all  that  can  now  be  done  in  her  behalf,  we  wiJl 
retire." 


2 76  LIONEL  LINCOLN. 

Apparently  encouraged  by  the  easy  and  courteous 
manner  of  Polwarth,  the  man  approached  still  nigher, 
and,  after  bowing  with  much  respect,  ventured  to 
say — 

"  They  tell  me  'tis  the  funeral  of  Madam  Lechmere  that 
I  have  witnessed  ? " 

"  They  tell  you  true,  sir,"  returned  the  captain,  begin- 
ning slowly  to  pick  his  way  toward  the  gate;  "of  Mrs. 
Priscilla,  the  relict  of  Mr.  John  Lechmere — a  lady  of  a 
creditable  descent,  and  I  think  it  will  not  be  denied  that 
she  has  had  honorable  interment." 

"  If  it  be  the  lady  I  suppose,"  continued  the  stranger, 
"she  is  of  an  honorable  descent  indeed.  Her  maiden 
name  was  Lincoln,  and  she  is  aunt  to  the  great  Devonshire 
baronet  of  that  family." 

"  How  !  know  you  the  Lincolns  ?"  exclaimed  Polwarth, 
stopping  short,  and  turning  to  examine  the  other  with  a 
stricter  eye.  Perceiving,  however,  that  the  stranger  was 
a  man  of  harsh  and  peculiarly  forbidding  features,  in  the 
vulgar  dress  already  mentioned,  he  muttered — "  you  may 
have  heard  of  them,  friend,  but  I  should  doubt  whether 
your  intimacy  could  amount  to  such  wholesome  familiari- 
ties as  eating  and  drinking." 

"Stronger  intimacies  than  that,  sir,  are  sometimes 
brought  about  between  men  who  were  born  to  very  differ- 
ent fortunes,"  returned  the  stranger,  with  a  peculiarly  sar- 
castic and  ambiguous  smile,  which  meant  more  than  met 
the  eye — "  but  all  who  know  the  Lincolns,  sir,  will  allow 
their  claims  to  distinction.  If  this  lady  was  one  of  them, 
she  had  reason  to  be  proud  of  her  blood." 

"  Ay,  you  are  not  tainted,  I  see,  with  these  revolutionary 
notions,  my  friend,"  returned.  Polwarth  ;  "she  was  also 
connected  with  a  very  good  sort  of  a  family  in  this  colony, 
called  the  Danforths — you  know  the  Danforths  ?" 

"  Not  at  all,  sir,  I— 

"  Not  know  the  Danforths  !  "  exclaimed  Polwarth,  once 
more  stopping  to  bestow  a  freer  scrutiny  on  his  compan- 
ion. After  a  short  pause,  however,  he  nodded  his  head, 
in  approbation  of  his  own  conclusions,  and  added — "  No, 
no — I  am  wrong — I  see  you  could  not  have  known  much 
of  the  Danforths  !  " 

The  stranger  appeared  quite  willing  to  overlook  the 
cavalier  treatment  he  received,  for  he  continued  to  attend 
the  difficult  footsteps  of  the  maimed  soldier,  with  the  same 
respectful  deference  as  before. 


LIONEL  LINCOLN.  277 

"  I  have  no  knowledge  of  the  Danforths,  it  is  true,"  he 
answered  ;  "  but  I  may  boast  of  some  intimacy  with  the 
family  of  Lincoln." 

"  Would  to  God,  then,"  cried  Pohvarth,  in  a  sort  of  so- 
liloquy, which  escaped  him  in  the  fulness  of  his  heart, 
"  you  could  tell  us  what  has  become  of  its  heir  !  " 

The  stranger  stopped  short  in  his  turn,  and  exclaimed — 

"  Is  he  not  serving  with  the  army  of  the  king,  against 
this  rebellion  ? — Is  he  not  here  ?  " 

"  He  is  here,  or  he  is  there,  or  he  is  anywhere  ;  I  tell 
you  he  is  lost." 

"  He  is  lost !  "  echoed  the  other. 

"  Lost !  "  repeated  an  humble  female  voice,  at  the  very 
elbow  of  the  captain. 

This  singular  repetition  of  his  own  language  aroused 
Polwarth  from  the  abstraction  into  which  he  had  suffered 
himself  to  fall.  In  his  course  from  the  vault  to  the  church- 
yard gate,  he  had  unconsciously  approached  the  woman 
before  mentioned,  and  when  he  turned  at  the  sound  of  her 
voice,  his  eyes  fell  full  upon  her  anxious  countenance. 
The  very  first  glance  was  enough  to  tell  the  observant  cap- 
tain that,  in  the  midst  of  her  poverty'and  rags,  he  saw  the 
broken  remains  of  great  female  beauty.  Her  dark  and  in- 
telligent eyes,  set  as  they  were  in  a  sallow  and  sunken 
countenance,  still  retained  much  of  the  brightness,  if  not  of 
the  softness  and  peace  of  youth.  The  contour  of  her  face 
was  also  striking,  though  she  might  be  said  to  resemble 
one  whose  loveliness  had  long  since  departed  with  her  in- 
nocence. But  the  gallantry  of  Polwarth  was  proof  even 
against  the  unequivocal  signs  of  misery,  if  not  of  guilt, 
which  were  so  easily  to  be  traced  in  her  appearance ;  and 
he  too  much  respected  even  the  remnants  of  female  charms 
which  were  yet  visible  amid  such  a  mass  of  unseemliness, 
to  regard  them  with  an  unfriendly  eye.  Apparently  en- 
couraged by  the  kind  look  of  the  captain,  the  woman  ven- 
tured to  add  — 

"  Did  I  hear  aright,  sir  ? — said  you  that  Major  Lincoln 
was  lost  ?  " 

"  I  am  afraid,  good  woman," —  returned  the  captain, 
leaning  on  the  iron-shod  stick  with  which  he  was  wont  to 
protect  his  footsteps  along  the  icy  streets  of  Boston — 
"  that  this  siege  has,  in  your  case,  proved  unusually  severe. 
If  I  am  not  mistaken  in  a  matter  in  which  I  profess  to  know 
much,  nature  is  not  supported  as  nature  should  be.  You 
would  ask  for  fuod;  and  God  forbid  that  I  should  deny  a 


278  LIONEL  LINCOLN. 

fellow-creature  a  morsel  of  that  which  constitutes  both  the 
seed  and  the  fruits  of  life.     Here  is  money." 

The  muscles  of  the  attenuated  countenance  of  the  wom- 
an worked  with  a  sudden  convulsive  motion,  and,  for  a 
moment,  she  glanced  her  eyes  wistfully  toward  his  silver, 
but  a  slight  flush  passing  quickly  over  her  pallid  features, 
she  answered — 

"Whatever  may  be  my  wants  and  my  suffering,  I  thank 
my  God  that  he  has  not  levelled  me  with  the  beggar  of  the 
streets.  Before  that  evil  day  shall  come,  may  I  find  a 
place  among  these  frozen  hillocks  where  we  stand.  But 
I  beg  pardon,  sir  ;  I  thought  I  heard  you  speak  of  Major 
Lincoln." 

"  I  did — and  what  of  him  ?  I  said  he  was  lost  ;  and  it  is 
true,  if  that  be  lost  which  cannot  be  found." 

"And  did  Madam  Lechmere  take  her  leave  before  he 
was  missing  ?"  asked  the  woman  advancing  a  step  nearer 
to  Polwarth,  in  her  intense  anxiety  to  be  answered. 

"Do  you  think,  good  woman,  that  a  gentleman  of  Major 
Lincoln's  notion  of  things,  would  disappear  after  the  de- 
cease of  his  relative,  and  leave  a  comparative  stranger  to 
fill  the  office  of  principal  mourner." 

"The  Lord  forgive  us  all  our  sins  and  wickedness!" 
muttered  the  woman,  drawing  the  shreds  of  her  tattered 
cloak  about  her  shivering  form,  and  hastening  silently 
away  into  the  depths  of  the  grave-yard.  Polwarth  re- 
garded her  unceremonious  departure  for  a  moment,  in 
surprise,  and  then,  turning  to  his  remaining  companion, 
he  remarked — 

"  That  woman  is  unsettled  in  her  reason,  for  the  want  of 
wholesome  nutriment.  It  is  just  as  impossible  to  retain 
the  powers  of  the  mind,  and  neglect  the  stomach,  as  it  is  to 
expect  a  truant  boy  will  make  a  learned  man."  By  this 
time  the  worthy  captain  had  forgotten  whom  it  was  he  ad- 
dressed, and  he  continued,  in  his  usual  philosophic  strain, 
"Children  are  sent  to  school  to  learn  all  useful  inventions 
but  that  of  eating ;  for  to  eat— that  is,  to  eat  with  judg- 
ment,— is  as  much  of  an  invention  as  any  other  discovery. 
Every  mouthful  a  man  swallows  has  to  undergo  four  im- 
portant operations,  each  of  which  may  be  called  a  crisis  in 
the  human  constitution." 

"  Suffer  me  to  help  you  over  this  grave,"  said  the  other, 
officiously  offering  his  assistance. 

"  I  thank  you,  sir,  I  thank  you — 'tis  a  sad  commentary 
on  my  words  !  "  returned  the  captain  with  a  melancholy 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  279 

smile.  "The  time  has  been  when  I  served  in  the  light 
corps,  but  your  rnen  in  unequal  quantities  are  good  for 
little  else  but  garrisons  ! — As  I  was  saying,  there  is  first, 
the  selection  ;  second,  mastication  ;  third,  deglutition  ;  and 
lastly,  the  digestion." 

"  Quite  true,  sir,"  said  the  stranger,  a  little  abruptly : 
"  thin  diet  and  light  meals  are  best  for  the  brain." 

"  Thin  diet  and  light  meals,  sir,  are  good  for  nothing  but 
to  rear  dwarfs  and  idiots  !  "  returned  the  captain  with  some 
heat.  "  I  repeat  to  you,  sir " 

He  was  interrupted  by  the  stranger,  who  suddenly 
smothered  a  dissertation  on  the  connection  between  the 
material  and  immaterial,  by  asking — 

"  If  the  heir  of  such  a  family  be  lost,  is  there  none  to  see 
that  he  is  found  again  ?" 

Polwarth,  finding  himself  thus  checked  in  the  very 
opening  of  his  theme,  stopped  again,  and  stared  the  other 
full  in  the  face  for  a  moment,  without  making  any  reply. 
His  kind  feeling,  however,  got  the  better  of  his  displeasure, 
and  yielding  to  the  interest  he  felt  in  the  fate  of  Lionel,  he 
answered — 

"  I  would  go  all  lengths,  and  incur  every  hazard  to  do 
him  service  ! " 

"  Then,  sir,  accident  has  brought  those  together  who 
are  willing  to  engage  in  the  same  undertaking  !  I,  too, 
will  do  my  utmost  to  discover  him  !  I  have  heard  he  has 
friends  in  this  province.  Has  he  no  connection  to  whom 
we  may  apply  for  intelligence  ?" 

"  None  nearer  than  a  wife." 

'"A  wife  !"  repeated  the  other  in  surprise — "  is  he  then 
married  ? " 

A  long  pause  ensued,  during  which  the  stranger  mused 
deeply,  and  Polwarth  bestowed  a  still  more  searching  scru- 
tiny than  ever  on  his  companion.  It  would  appear  that 
the  result  was  not  satisfactory  to  the  captain  ;  for,  shak- 
ing his  head,  in  no  very  equivocal  manner,  he  resumed  the 
task  of  picking  his  way  among  the  graves,  toward  the  gate, 
with  renewed  diligence.  He  was  in  the  act  of  seating  him- 
self in  the  pung,  when  the  stranger  again  stood  at  his  el- 
bow, and  said — 

"  II  I  knew  where  to  find  his  wife,  I  would  offer  my  ser- 
vices to  the  lady." 

Polwarth  pointed  to  the  building  of  which  Cecil  was  now 
the  mistress,  and  answered,  somewhat  superciliously  as  he 
drove  away — 


280  LIONEL  LINCOLN. 

"  She  is  there,  my  good  friend,  but  your  application  will 
be  useless  ! " 

The  stranger  received  the  direction  in  an  understanding 
manner,  and  smiled  with  satisfied  confidence,  while  he  took 
the  opposite  route  from  that  by  which  the  busy  equipage 
of  the  captain  had  already  disappeared. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

"  Up  Fish  street !  down  Saint  Magnus'  corner  ! 
Kill  and  knock  down  !     Throw  them  into  the  Thames  I—- 
What noise  is  this  I  hear  ?     Dare  any  be  so  bold  to  sound 
Retreat  or  parley,  when  I  command  them  kill?" 

— King  Henry  IV. 

IT  was  rarely,  indeed,  that  the  equal-minded  Polwarth 
undertook  an  adventure  with  so  fell  an  intent  as  was  the 
disposition  with  which  he  directed  the  head  of  the  hunter 
to  be  turned  toward  the  Dock  square.  He  had  long  known 
the  residence  of  Job  Pray,  and  often,  in  passing  from  his 
lodgings,  near  the  common,  into  the  more  fashionable  quar- 
ter of  the  town,  the  good-natured  epicure  had  turned  his 
head  to  bestow  a  nod  and  a  smile  on  the  unsophisticated  ad- 
mirer of  his  skill  in  the  culinary  art.  But  now,  as  the  pung 
whirled  out  of  Corn  hill  into  the  well-known  area,  his  eye 
fell  on  the  low  and  gloomy  walls  of  the  warehouse,  with  a 
far  less  amicable  design. 

From  the  time  he  was  apprised  of  the  disappearance  of 
his  friend,  the  captain  had  been  industriously  ruminating 
on  the  subject,  in  a  vain  wish  to  discover  any  probable 
reason  that  might  induce  a  bridegroom  to  adopt  so  hasty, 
and,  apparently,  so  unjustifiable  a  step,  as  the  desertion 
of  his  bride,  and  that,  too,  under  circumstances  of  such 
peculiar  distress.  But  the  more  he  reasoned,  the  more  he 
found  himself  involved  in  the  labyrinth  of  perplexity,  un- 
til he  was  glad  to  seize  on  the  slightest  clew  which  offered, 
to  lead  him  from  his  obscurity.  It  has  already  been  seen 
in  what  manner  he  received  the  intelligence  conveyed 
through  the  gorget  of  M'Fuse,  and  it  now  remains  for  us 
to  show  with  what  commendable  ingenuity  he  improved 
the  hint. 

It  had  always  been  a  matter  of  surprise  to  Polwarth, 
that  a  man  like  Lionel  should  tolerate  so  much  of  the 
society  of  the  simpleton,  nor  had  it  escaped  his  observa- 


LIONEL  LINCOLN.  281 

tion,  that  the  communications  between  the  two  were  a 
little  concealed  under  a  shade  of  mystery.  He  had  over- 
heard the  foolish  boast  of  the  lad,  the  preceding  day,  rel- 
ative to  the  death  of  M'Fuse  ;  and  the  battered  ornament, 
in  conjunction  with  the  place  where  it  was  found,  which 
accorded  so  well  with  his  grovelling  habits,  had  tended  to 
confirm  its  truth.  The  love  of  Polwarth  for  the  grenadier 
wras  second  only  to  his  attachment  for  his  earlier  friend. 
The  one  had  avowedly  fallen,  and  he  soon  began  to  sus- 
pect that  the  other  had  been  strangely  inveigled  from  his 
duty  by  the  agency  of  this  ill-gifted  changeling.  To  con- 
ceive an  opinion,  and  to  become  confirmed  in  its  justice, 
were  results  generally  produced  by  the  same  operation  of 
the  mind,  with  this  disciple  of  animal  philosophy.  While 
he  stood  near  the  tomb  of  the  Lechmeres,  in  the  impor- 
tant character  of  chief  mourner,  he  had  diligently  revolved 
in  his  mind  the  brief  arguments  which  he  found  necessary 
to  this  conclusion.  The  arrangement  of  his  ideas  might 
boast  of  the  terseness  of  a  syllogism.  His  proposition  and 
inference  were  something'  as  follows  : — Job  murdered 
M'Fuse  ; — some  great  evil  has  occurred  to  Lionel  ; — and 
therefore  Job  has  been  its  author. 

It  is  true,  there  was  a  good  deal  of  intermediate  argu- 
ment to  support  this  deduction,  at  which  the  captain  cast 
an  extremely  cursory  glance,  but  which  the  reader  may 
easily  conceive,  if  at  ail  gifted  in  the  way  of  imagination. 
It  would  require  no  undue  belief  of  the  connection  be- 
tween very  natural  effects  and  their  causes,  to  show  that 
Polwarth  was  not  entirely  unreasonable  in  suspecting 
the  agency  of  the  simpleton,  nor  in  harboring  the 
deep  and  bitter  resentment  that  so  much  mischief,  even 
though  it  were  sustained  from  the  hands  of  a  fool, 
was  likely  to  awaken.  Be  that  as  it  may,  by  the  time  the 
pung  had  reached  the  point  already  mentioned,  its  rapid 
motion,  which  accelerated  the  ordinary  quiet  circulation  of 
his  blood,  together  with  the  scene  through  which  he  had 
just  passed,  and  the  recollections  which  had  been  crowd- 
ing on  his  mind,  conspired  to  wind  up  his  resolution  to  a 
very  obstinate  pitch  of  determination.  Of  all  his  schemes, 
embracing,  as  they  did,  compulsion,  confession,  and  pun- 
ishment, Job  Pray  was,  of  course,  destined  to  be  both  the 
subject  and  the  victim. 

The  shadows  of  evening  were  already  thrown  upon  the 
town,  and  the  cold  had  long  before  driven  the  few  dealers 
in  meats  and  vegetables,  who  continued  to  find  daily  em- 


282  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

ployment  around  the  ill-furnished  shambles,  to  their  sev- 
eral  homes.  In  their  stead  there  was  only  to  be  seen  a 
meagre  and  impoverished  follower  of  the  camp,  stealing 
along  the  shadows  of  the  building,  with  her  half-famished 
child,  as  they  searched  among  the  offals  of  the  market  for 
some  neglected  morsel,  to  eke  out  the  scanty  meal  of  the 
night.  But  while  the  common  mart  presented  this  ap- 
pearance of  dulness  and  want,  the  lower  part  of  the  square 
exhibited  a  very  different  aspect. 

The  warehouse  was  surrounded  by  a  body  of  men  in 
uniform,  whose  disorderly  and  rapid  movements  proclaimed 
at  once,  to  the  experienced  eye  of  the  captain,  that  they 
were  engaged  in  a  scene  of  lawless  violence.  Some  were 
rushing  furiously  into  the  building,  armed  with  such  weap- 
ons as  the  streets  first  offered  to  their  hands,  while  others 
returned,  filling  the  air  with  their  threats  and  outcries.  A 
constant  current  of  eager  soldiers  was  setting  out  of  the 
dark  passages  in  the  neighborhood  toward  the  place,  and 
every  window  of  the  building  was  crowded  with  excited 
witnesses,  who  clung  to  the  walls,  apparently  animating 
those  within  by  their  cheers  and  applause. 

When  Polwarth  bade  Shearfiint  pull  the  reins,  he  caught 
the  quick,  half-formed  sentences  that  burst  from  the  riot- 
ers, and  even  before  he  was  able,  in  the  duskiness  of  the 
evening,  to  discover  the  facings  of  their  uniform,  his  ear 
detected  the  well-known  dialect  of  the  Royal  Irish.  The 
whole  truth  now  broke  upon  him  at  once,  and  throwing  his 
obese  person  from  the  sleigh,  in  the  best  manner  he  was 
able,  he  hobbled  into  the  throng,  with  a  singular  compound 
of  feeling,  which  owed  its  birth  to  the  opposing  impulses 
of  a  thirst  for  vengeance,  and  the  lingering  influence  of 
his  natural  kindness.  Better  men  than  the  captain  have, 
however,  lost  sight  of  their  humanity,  under  those  fierce 
sympathies  that  are  awakened  in  moments  of  tumult  and 
violence.  By  the  time  he  had  forced  his  person  into  the 
large,  dark  apartment  that  formed  the  main  building,  he 
had,  in  a  great  degree,  suffered  himself  to  be  worked  into 
a  sternness  of  purpose,  which  comported  very  ill  with  his 
intelligence  and  rank.  He  even  listened,  with  unaccount- 
able pleasure,  to  the  threats  and  denunciations  which  filled 
the  building  ;  until  he  foresaw,  from  their  savage  nature, 
there  was  great  danger  that  one  half  of  his  object,  the  dis- 
covery of  Lionel,  was  likely  to  be  frustrated  by  their  ful- 
filment. Animated  anew  by  this  impression,  he  threw  the 
rioters  from  him  with  prodigious  energy,  and  succeeded 


LIONEL   LINCOLN  283 

in  gaining  a  position  where  he  might  become  a  more  effi- 
cient actor  in  the  fray. 

There  was  still  light  enough  to  discover  Job  Pray  placed 
in  the  centre  of  the  warehouse,  on  his  miserable  bed,  in  an 
attitude  between  lying  and  sitting.  While  his  bodily  con- 
dition seemed  to  require  the  former  position,  his  fears  had 
induced  him  to  attempt  the  latter.  The  large,  red  blotches 
which  covered  his  unmeaning  countenance,  and  his  flushed 
eye-balls,  too  plainly  announced  that  the  unfortunate  young 
man,  in  addition  to  having  become  the  object  of  the  wrath 
of  a  lawless  mob,  was  a  prey  to  the  ravages  of  that  foul 
disorder  which  had  long  before  lighted  on  the  town. 
Around  this  squalid  subject  of  poverty  and  disease,  a  few 
of  the  hardiest  of  the  rioters,  chiefly  the  surviving  grena- 
diers of  the  i8th,  had  gathered  ;  while  the  less  excited,  or 
more  timid  among  them,  practised  their  means  of  annoy- 
ance at  a  greater  distance  from  the  malign  atmosphere  of 
the  distemper.  The  bruised  and  bloody  person  of  the 
simpleton  manifested  how  much  he  had  already  suffered 
from  the  hands  of  his  tormentors,  who  happily  possessed 
no  very  fatal  weapons,  or  the  scene  would  have  been  much 
earlier  terminated.  Notwithstanding  his  great  bodily  de- 
bility, and  the  pressing  dangers  that  beset  him  on  every 
side,  Job  continued  to  face  his  assailants,  with  a  sort  of 
stupid  endurance  of  the  pains  they  inflicted. 

At  the  sight  of  this  revolting  spectacle,  the  heart  of  Pol- 
warth  began  greatly  to  relent,  and  he  endeavored  to  make 
himself  heard,  in  the  clamor  of  fifty  voices.  But  his  pres- 
ence was  unheeded,  for  his  remonstrances  were  uttered  to 
ignorant  men,  wildly  bent  on  vengeance. 

"  Pul  the  baist  from  his  rags  !  "  cried  one — "  'tis  no  a  hu- 
man man,  but  a  divil's  imp,  in  the  shape  of  a  fellow  cratur ! " 

"  For  such  as  him  to  murder  the  flower  of  the  British 
army  !  "  said  another — "  his  small-pox  is  nothing  but  a 
foul  invintion  of  the  ould  one,  to  save  him  from  his  dai- 
sarrevings ! " 

"  Would  any  but  a  divil  invent  such  a  disorder  at  all  ? " 
interrupted  a  third,  who,  even  in  his  anger,  could  not  for- 
get his  humor.  "  Have  a  care,  b'ys,  he  may  give  it  to  the 
whole  family  the  naat'ral  way,  to  save  the  charges  of  the 
inoculation  !  " 

"  Have  done  wid  ye'r  foolery,  Terence,"  returned  the 
first  ;  "  would  ye  trifle  about  death,  and  his  unrevenged  ? 
Put  a  coal  into  his  filth,  b'ys,  and  burren  it  and  him  in  the 
same  bonfire  ! " 


284  LIOXF.L   LTXCQLN". 

"  A  coal !  a  coal !  a  brand  for  the  divil's  burning  !"  ech- 
oed twenty  soldiers,  eagerly  listening,  in  the  madness  of 
their  fury,  to  the  barbarous  advice. 

Polvvarth  again  exerted  himself,  though  unsuccessfully, 
to  be  heard  ;  nor  was  it  until  a  dozen  voices  proclaimed, 
in  disappointment,  that  the  house  contained  neither  fire 
nor  fuel,  that  the  sudden  commotion  in  the  least  sub- 
sided. 

"  Out  of  the  way  !  out  of  the  way  wid  ye  !  "  roared  one 
of  gigantic  mould,  whose  heavy  nature  had,  like  an  over- 
charged volcano,  been  slowly  wrought  up  to  the  eve  of  a 
fearful  eruption — "  Here  is  fire  to  destroy  a  salamander !  Be 
he  divil  or  be  he  saint,  he  has  great  need  of  his  prayers  !" 

As  he  spoke,  the  fellow  levelled  a  musket,  and  another  in- 
stant would  have  decided  the  fate  of  Job,  who  cowered  be- 
fore the  danger  with  instinctive  dread,  had  not  Polwarth 
beat  up  the  piece  with  his  cane,  and  interposed  his  body 
between  them. 

"Hold  your  fire,  brave  grenadier,"  he  said,  warily  adopt- 
ing a  middle  course  between  the  language  of  authority  and 
that  of  counsel.  "  This  is  hasty  and  unsoldier-like.  I  knew, 
and  loved  your  late  commander  well ;  let  us  obtain  the  con- 
fessions of  the  lad  before  we  proceed  to  punishment — there 
may  be  others  more  guilty  than  he." 

The  men  regarded  the  unexpected  intruder  with  such 
furious  aspects  as  augured  ill  of  their  deference  for  his  ad- 
vice and  station.  "  Blood  for  blood  ! "  passed  from  mouth 
to  mouth,  in  low,  sullen  mutterings  ;  and  the  short  pause 
which  had  succeeded  his  appearance  was  already  broken 
by  still  less  equivocal  marks  of  hostility,  when,  happily  for 
Polwarth,  he  was  recognized,  through  the  twilight,  by  a 
veteran  of  the  grenadiers,  as  one  of  the  former  intimates 
of  M'Fuse.  The  instant  the  soldier  communicated  this 
discovery  to  his  fellows,  the  growing  uproar  again  sub- 
sided, and  the  captain  was  relieved  from  no  small  bodily 
terror,  by  hearing  his  own  name  passing  among  them, 
coupled  with  such  amicable  .additions  as,  "xhVould  fri'nd  !" 
—"an  offisher  of  the  light  troops!" — "he  that  the  ribbils 
massacred  of  a  leg  ! "  &c.  As  soon  as  this  explanation  was 
generally  imderstood,  his  ears  were  greeted  with  a  burst 
from  every  mouth,  of — 

"  Hurrah  !  for  Captain  Pollywarreth  !  His  fri'nd  !  the 
brave  Captain  Pollywarreth  !" 

Pleased  with  his  success,  and  secretly  gratified  by  the 
commendations  that  were  now  freely  lavished  on  himself, 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  285 

with  characteristic  liberality,  the  mediator  improved  the 
slight  advantage  he  had  obtained,  by  again  addressing 
them. 

"I  thank  you  for  your  good  opinion,  my  friends;"  he 
added,  "and  must  acknowledge  it  is  entirely  mutual.  I 
love  the  Royal  Irish,  on  account  of  one  that  I  well  knew, 
and  greatly  esteemed,  and  who,  I  fear,  was  murdered  in 
defiance  of  all  the  rules  of  war." 

"  Hear  ye  that,  Dennis  murdered  !  " 

"  Blood  for  blood  !  "  muttered  three  or  four  surly  voices 
at  once. 

"  Let  us  be  deliberate,  that  we  may  be  just,  and  just  that 
our  vengeance  may  be  awful,"  Polwarth  quickly  answered, 
fearful  that  if  the  torrent  once  more  broke  loose,  it  would 
exceed  his  powers  to  stay  it.  "A  true  soldier  always 
awaits  his  orders  ;  and  what  regiment  in  the  army  can 
boast  of  its  discipline,  if  it  be  not  the  i8th!  Form  your- 
selves in  a  circle  around  your  prisoner,  and  listen,  while  I 
extract  the  truth  from  him.  After  that,  should  he  prove 
guilty,  I  will  consign  him  to  your  tenderest  mercy." 

The  rioters,  who  only  saw,  in  the  delay,  a  more  methodi- 
cal execution  of  their  own  violent  purpose,  received  the 
proposition  with  another  shout,  and  the  name  of  Polwarth, 
pronounced  in  all  the  varieties  of  their  barbarous  idioms, 
rung  loudly  through  the  naked  rafters  of  the  building, 
while  they  disposed  themselves  to  comply. 

The  captain,  with  a  wish  to  gain  time  to  command  his 
thoughts,  required  that  a  light  should  be  struck,  in  order, 
as  he  said,  to  study  the  workings  of  the  countenance  of 
the  accused.  As  the  night  had  now  gathered  about  them 
in  good  earnest,  the  demand  was  too  reasonable  for  ob- 
jection, and  with  the  same  headlong  eagerness  that  they 
had  manifested  a  few  minutes  before,  to  shed  the  blood  of 
Job,  they  turned  their  attention,  with  thoughtless  versatil- 
ity, to  effect  this  harmless  object.  A  brand  had  been 
brought,  for  a  very  different  end,  when  the  plan  of  burn- 
ing was  proposed,  and  it  had  been  cast  aside  again  with 
the  change  of  purpose.  A  few  of  its  sparks  were  now  col- 
lected, and  some  bundles  of  oakum,  which  lay  in  a  corner 
of  the  warehouse,  were  fired,  and  carefully  fed  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  shed  a  strong  light  through  every  cranny  of 
the  gloomy  edifice. 

By  the  aid  of  this  fitful  glare,  the  captain  succeeded 
once  more  in  marshalling  the  rioters  in  such  a  manner  that 
no  covert  injury  could  be  offered  to  Job.  The  whole  affair 


286  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

now  assumed,  in  some  measure,  the  character  of  a  regular 
investigation.  The  curiosity  of  the  men  without  overcame 
their  fears  of  infection,  and  they  crowded  into  the  place, 
in  earnest  attention,  until,  in  a  very  few  moments,  no 
other  sound  was  audible  but  the  difficult  and  oppressed 
respiration  of  their  victim.  When  all  the  other  noises  had 
ceased,  and  Polwarth  perceived  by  the  eager  and  savage 
countenances,  athwart  which  the  bright  glare  of  the  burn- 
ing hemp  was  gleaming,  that  delay  might  yet  be  danger- 
ous, he  proceeded  at  once  in  his  inquiries, 

"  You  may  see,  Job  Pray,  by  the  manner  in  which  you 
are  surrounded,"  he  said,  "that  judgment  has  at  length 
overtaken  you,  and  that  your  only  hope  for  mercy  lies  in 
your  truth.  Answer,  then,  to  such  questions  as  I  shall  put, 
and  keep  the  fear  of  God  before  your  eyes." 

The  captain  paused  to  allow  this  exhortation  to  produce 
its  desired  effect.  But  Job,  perceiving  that  his  late  tor- 
mentors were  quiet,  and  to  all  appearance  bent  on  no  im- 
mediate mischief,  sunk  his  head  languidly  upon  his  blank- 
ets, where  he  lay  in  silence,  watching,  with  rolling  and 
anxious  eyes,  the  smallest  movements  of  his  enemies. 
Polwarth  soon  yielded  to  the  impatience  of  his  listeners, 
and  continued — 

"  You  are  acquainted  with  Major  Lincoln  ?  " 

"  Major  Lincoln  !  "  grumbled  three  or  four  of  the  gren- 
adiers— "is  it  of  him  that  we  want  to  hear?" 

"  One  moment,  my  worthy  iSths;  I  shall  come  at  the 
whole  truth  the  sooner,  by  taking  this  indirect  course." 

"  Hurrah  !  for  Captain  Pollywarreth  !  "  shouted  the  riot- 
ers— "  him  that  the  ribbils  massacred  of  a  leg  !  " 

"  Thank  you — thank  you,  my  considerate  friends — an- 
swer, fellow,  without  prevarication  ;  you  dare  not  deny  to 
me  your  knowledge  of  Major  Lincoln  ?" 

After  a  momentary  pause,  a  low  voice  was  heard  mut- 
tering among  the  blankets —  r 

"  Job  knows  all  the  Boston  people  ;  and  Major  Lincoln 
is  a  Boston  boy." 

"  But  with  Major  Lincoln  you  had  a  more  particular 
acquaintance. — Restrain  your  impatience,  men  ;  these  ques- 
tions lead  directly  to  the  facts  you  wish  to  know."  The 
rioters,  who  were  profoundly  ignorant  of  what  sort  of  facts 
they  were  to  be  made  acquainted  with  by  this  examination, 
looked  at  each  other  in  uneasy  doubt,  but  soon  settled 
down  again  into  their  former  deep  silence. — "  You  know 
him  better  than  any  other  gentleman  of  the  army  ?  " 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  t$7 

"  He  promised  Job  to  keep  off  the  grannies,  and  Job 
agreed  to  run  his  ar'n'ds." 

"  Such  an  arrangement  betrays  a  greater  intimacy  than 
is  usual  between  a  wise  man  and  a  fool  !  If  you  are  then 
so  close  in  league  with  him,  I  demand  what  has  become  of 
your  associate  ? " 

The  young  man  made  no  reply. 

"  You  are  thought  to  know  the  reasons  why  he  has  left 
his  friends,"  returned  Polvvarth,  "  and  I  now  demand  that 
you  declare  them." 

"  Declare  !  "  repeated  the  simpleton,  in  his  most  unmean- 
ing and  helpless  manner — "  Job  was  never  good  at  his 
schooling." 

"  Nay,  then,  if  you  are  obstinate,  and  will  not  answer,  I 
must  withdraw,  and  permit  these  brave  grenadiers  to  work 
their  will  on  you." 

This  threat  served  to  induce  Job  to  raise  his  head,  and 
assume  that  attitude  and  look  of  instinctive  watchfulness 
that  he  had  so  recently  abandoned.  A  slight  movement  of 
the  crowd  followed,  and  the  terrible  words  of  "  Blood  for 
blood!  "  again  passed  among  them  in  sullen  murmurs.  The 
helpless  youth,  whom  we  have  been  obliged  to  call  an 
idiot,  for  want  of  a  better  term,  and  because  his  mental 
imbecility  removed  him  without  the  pale  of  legal  respon- 
sibility, now  stared  wildly  about  him,  with  an  increasing 
expression  of  reason,  that  might  be  ascribed  to  the  force 
of  that  inward  fire  which  preyed  upon  his  vitals,  and  which 
seemed  to  purify  the  spirit  in  proportion  as  it  consumed 
the  material  dross  of  his  existence. 

"  It's  ag'in  the  laws  of  the  Bay,  to  beat  and  torment  a 
fellow-creature,"  he  said,  with  a  solemn  earnestness  in  his 
voice,  that  would  have  melted  hearts  of  ordinary  softness ; 
"and,  what  is  more,  it's  ag'in  His  holy  book  !  If  you  hadn't 
made  oven-wood  of  the  Old  North,  and  a  horse-stable  of 
the  Old  South,  you  might  have  gone  to  hear  such  expound- 
ing as  would  have  made  the  hair  rise  on  your  wicked 
heads !  " 

The  cries  of  "  Have  done  wid  his  foolery  !  " — "  The  imp 
is  playing  his  games  on  us  !  " — "  As  if  his  wooden  mockery 
was  a  church  at  all  fit  for  a  ra'al  Christian  !  " — were  heard 
on  every  side,  and  they  were  succeeded  by  the  often  re- 
peated and  appalling  threat  of  "  Blood  for  blood  !  " 

"  Fall  back,  men,  fall  back  !  "  cried  Polwarth,  flourishing 
his  walking-stick  in  such  a  manner  as  effectually  to  en- 
force his  orders  ;  "  wait  for  his  confession  before  you  judge. 


288  LIONEL   LINCOLN". 

— Fellow,  this  is  the  last  and  trying  appeal  to  your  truth 
« — your  life  most  probably  depends  on  the  answer.  You 
are  known  to  have  been  in  arms  against  the  crown. — Nay, 
I  myself  saw  you  in  the  field  on  that  day  when  the  troops 
a-a-a — countermarched  from  Lexington.;  since  when  you 
are  known  to  have  joined  the  rebels  while  the  army  went 
out  to  storm  the  intrenchment  on  the  heights  of  Charles- 
town."  At  this  point  in  the  recapitulation  of  the  offences 
of  Job,  the  captain  was  suddenly  appalled  by  a  glimpse  at 
the  dark  and  threatening  looks  that  encircled  him,  and  he 
concluded  with  a  laudable  readiness — "  on  that  glorious 
day  when  his  majesty's  troops  scattered  your  provincial 
rabble  like  so  many  sheep  driven  from  their  pastures  by 
dogs ! " 

The  humane  ingenuity  of  Polwarth  was  rewarded  by  a 
burst  of  loud  and  savage  laughter.  Encouraged  by  this 
evidence  of  his  power  over  his  auditors,  the  worthy  captain 
proceeded  with  an  increased  confidence  in  his  own  elo- 
quence. 

"  On  that  glorious  day,"  he  continued,  gradually  warm- 
ing with  his  subject,  k<  many  a  gallant  gentleman,  and  hun- 
dreds of  fearless  privates,  met  their  fate.  Some  fell  in 
open  and  manly  fight,  and  according  to  the  chances  of 
regular  warfare.  Some — he-e-m — some  have  been  muti- 
lated ;  and  will  carry  the  marks  of  their  glory  with  them  to 
the  grave."  His  voice  grew  a  little  thick  and  husky  as  he 
proceeded  ;  but,  shaking  off  his  weakness,  he  ended  with 
an  energy  that  he  intended  should  curdle  the  heart  of  the 
prisoner, — "  while,  fellow,  some  have  been  murdered  ! " 

"  Blood  for  blood  !  "  was  heard  again  passing  its  fearful 
round.  Without  attempting  any  longer  to  repress  the  rising 
spirit  of  the  rioters,  Polwarth  continued  his  interrogatories, 
entirely  led  away  by  the  strength  of  his  own  feelings  on 
this  sensitive  subject. 

"  Remember  you  such  a  man  as  Dennis  M'Fuse  ? "  he 
demanded  in  a  voice  of.  thunder  ;  "he  that  was  treacher- 
ously slain  in  your  inmost  trenches,  after  the  day  was  wTon  ! 
Answer  me,  knave,  were  you  not  among  the  rabble,  and 
did  not  your  own  vile  hand  the  bloody  deed  ? " 

A  few  words  were  heard  from  Job,  in  a  low,  muttering 
tone,  of  which  only  "  the  rake-hellies,"  and  "the  people 
will  teach  'em  the  law  ! "  were  sufficiently  distinct  to  be 
understood. 

"  Murder  him  !  part  him  sowl  from  body  !  "  exclaimed 
the  fiercest  of  the  grenadiers. 


LIONEL   LINCOLN-.  289 

"  Hold  !  "  cried  Polwarth  ;  "  but  one  moment  more — I 
would  relieve  my  mind  from  the  debt  I  owe  his  memory. 
Speak,  fellow  ;  what  know  you  of  the  death  of  the  com- 
mander of  these  brave  grenadiers  ?" 

Job,  who  had  listened  to  his  words  attentively,  though 
liis  uneasy  eyes  still  continued  to  watch  the  slightest  move- 
ments of  his  foes,  now*  turned  to  the  speaker  with  a  look 
of  foolish  triumph,  and  answered — 

"The  i8th  came  up  the  hill,  shouting  like  roaring  lions  ! 
but  the  Royal  Irish  had  a  death-howl,  that  evening,  over 
their  tallest  man  !  " 

Polwarth  trembled  with  the  violence  of  the  passions 
that  beset  him  ;  but,  while  with  one  hand  he  motioned  to 
the  men  to  keep  back,  with  the  other  he  produced  the  bat- 
tered gorget  from  his  pocket,  and  held  it  before  the  eyes 
of  the  simpleton. 

"  Know  you  this  ?"  he  demanded  ;  "  who  sent  the  bullet 
through  this  fatal  hole  ? " 

Job  took  the  ornament,  and  for  a  moment  regarded  it 
with  an  unconscious  look.  But  his  countenance  gradually 
lighting  with  a  ray  of  unusual  meaning,  he  laughed  in 
scornful  exultation,  as  he  answered — 

"  Though  Job  is  a  fool,  he  can  shoot !  " 

Polwarth  started  back  aghast,  while  the  fierce  resent- 
ments of  his  ruden  listeners  broke  through  all  restraint. 
They  raised  a  loud  and  savage  shout,  as  one  man,  filling 
the  building  with  hoarse  execrations  and  cries  for  ven- 
geance. Twenty  expedients  to  destroy  their  captive  were 
named  in  a  breath,  and  with  all  the  characteristic  vehe- 
mence of  their  nation.  Most  of  them  would  have  been  ir- 
regularly adopted,  had  not  the  man  who  attended  the 
burning  hemp  caught  up  a  bundle  of  the  flaming  com- 
bustible, and  shouted  aloud — 

"  Smodder  him  in  the  fiery  flames  ! — he's  an  imp  of  dark- 
ness ;  burren  him,  in  his  rags,  from  before  the  face  of 
man !" 

The  barbarous  proposition  \vas  received  with  a  sort  of 
frenzied  joy,  and  in  another  moment  a  dozen  handfuls  of 
the  oakum  were  impending  above  the  devoted  head  of  the 
helpless  lad.  Job  made  a  feeble  attempt  to  avert  the 
dreadful  fate  that  threatened  him,  but  he  could  offer  no 
other  resistance  than  his  own  weakened  arm,  and  the  ab- 
ject meanings  of  his  impotent  mind.  He  was  enveloped  in 
a  cloud  of  black  smoke,  through  which  the  forked  flames 
had  already  begun  to  play,  when  a  woman  burst  into  the 

19 


290  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

throng,  casting  the  fiery  combustibles  from  her,  on  either 
side,  as  she  advanced,  with  a  strength  that  seemed  super- 
natural. When  she  had  reached  the  bed,  she  tore  aside  the 
smoking  pile  with  hands  that  disregarded  the  heat,  and 
placed  herself  before  the  victim,  like  a  fierce  lioness,  at 
bay,  in  defence  of  her  whelps.  In  this  attitude  she  stood 
an  instant,  regarding  the  rioters  with  a  breast  that  heaved 
with  passions  too  strong  for  utterance,  when  she  found  her 
tongue,  and  vented  her  emotions  with  all  the  fearlessness 
of  a  woman's  indignation. 

"  Ye  monsters  in  the  shape  of  men,  what  is't  ye  do  ! "  she 
exclaimed,  in  a  voice  that  rose  above  the  tumult,  and  had 
the  effect  to  hush  every  mouth.  "  Have  ye  bodies  without 
hearts !  the  forms  without  the  bowels  of  the  creatures  of 
God  !  Who  made  you  judges  and  punishers  of  sins  !  Is 
there  a  father  among  you,  let  him  come  and  view  the  an- 
guish of  a  dying  child  !  Is  there  a  son,  let  him  draw  near, 
and  look  upon  a  mother's  sorrow  !  Oh  !  ye  savages,  worse 
than  the  beasts  of  the  howling  wilderness,  who  have  mercy 
on  their  kinds,  what  is't  ye  do — what  is't  ye  do  !  " 

The  air  of  maternal  intrepidity  with  which  this  burst 
from  the  heart  was  uttered,  could  not  fail  to  awe  the  worst 
passions  of  the  rioters,  who  gazed  on  each  other  in  stupid 
wonder,  as  if  uncertain  how  to  act.  The  hushed  and  mo- 
mentary stillness  was,  however,  soon  broken  once  more  by 
the  low,  murmuring  threat  of  "  Blood  for  blood  !  " 

"  Cowards  !  dastards  !  soldiers  in  name,  and  demons  in 
your  deeds  !  "  continued  the  undaunted  Abigail — "  come 
ye  here  to  taste  of  human  blood !  Go — away  with  you  to 
the  hills  !  and  face  the  men  of  the  Bay,  who  stand  ready  to 
meet  you  with  arms  in  their  hands,  and  come  not  hither  to 
bruise  the  broken  reed !  Poor,  suffering,  and  stricken  as 
he  is,  by  a  hand  far  mightier  than  yours,  my  child  will 
meet  you  there,  to  your  shame,  in  the  cause  of  his  country, 
and  the  law  !  " 

This  taunt  was  too  bitter  for  the  unnurtured  tempers  to 
which  she  appealed,  and  the  dying  spark  of  their  resent- 
ment was  at  once  kindled  into  a  blaze  by  the  galling  gibe. 

The  rioters  were  again  in  motion,  and  the  cry  of  "  Burn 
the  hag  and  the  imp  together !  "  was  fiercely  raised,  when 
a  man  of  a  stout,  muscular  frame  forced  his  way  into  the 
centre  of  the  crowd,  making  room  for  the  passage  of  a 
female,  whose  gait  and  attire,  though  her  person  was  con- 
cealed by  her  mantle,  announced  her  to  be  of  a  rank  alto- 
gether superior  to  the  usual  guests  of  the  warehouse.  The 


L10XKL   LI \COL.V.  29* 

unexpected  appearance,  and  lofty,  though  gentle  bearing 
of  this  unlooked-for  visitor,  served  to  quell  the  rising  up- 
roar, which  was  immediately  succeeded  by  so  deep  a 
silence,  that  a  whisper  could  have  been  heard  in  that 
throng,  which  so  lately  resounded  with  violent  tumult  and 
barbarous  execrations. 


CHAPTER   XXVII. 

"Ay,  sir,  you  shall  find  me  reasonable  ;  if  it  be  so,  I  shall  do  that  that 
is  reason." — Slender. 

DURING  the  close  of  the  foregoing  scene,  Polwarth  was 
in  a  bewildered  state,  that  rendered  him  utterly  incapable 
of  exertion,  either  to  prevent  or  to  assist  the  evil  inten- 
tions of  the  soldiery.  His  discretion  and  all  his  better 
feelings  were  certainly  on  the  side  of  humanity,  but  the 
idle  vaunt  of  the  simpleton  had  stirred  anew  the  natural 
thirst  for  vengeance.  He  recognized  at  the  first  glance, 
in  the  wan,  but  speaking  lineaments  of  the  mother  of  Job, 
those  faded  remnants  of  beauty  that  he  had  traced,  so 
lately,  in  the  squalid  female  attendant  who  was  seen  linger- 
ing near  the  grave  of  Mrs.  Lechmere.  As  she  rushed  be- 
fore the  men,  with  all  the  fearlessness  of  a  mother  who 
stood  in  defence  of  her  child,  the  brightness  of  her  dark 
eyes,  aided  as  they  were  by  the  strong  glare  from  the  scat- 
tered balls  of  fire,  and  the  intense  expression  of  maternal 
horror  that  shone  in  every  feature  of  her  countenance,  had 
imparted  to  her  appearance  a  dignity  and  interest  that 
greatly  served  to  quell  the  unusual  and  dangerous  passions 
that  beset  him.  He  was  on  the  point  of  aiding  her  appeal 
by  his  authority  and  advice,  when  the  second  interruption 
to  the  brutal  purpose  of  the  men  occurred,  as  just  related. 
The  effect  of  this  strange  appearance,  in  such  a  place,  and 
at  such  a  time,  wras  not  less  instant  on  the  captain  than  on 
the  vulgar  throng  who  surrounded  him.  He  remained  a 
silent  and  an  attentive  spectator. 

The  first  sensation  of  the  lady  in  finding  herself  in  the 
centre  of  such  a  confused  and  unexpected  throng,  was  un- 
equivocally that  of  an  alarmed  and  shrinking  delicacy  ; 
but,  forgetting  her  womanish  apprehensions  in  the  next 
moment,  she  collected  the  powers  of  her  mind,  like  one 
sustained  by  high  and  laudable  intentions,  and,  dropping 


292  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

the  silken  folds  of  her  calash,  exhibited  the  pale,  but  love- 
ly countenance  of  Cecil  to  the  view  of  the  wondering 
bystanders.  After  a  moment  of  profound  silence,  she 
spoke — 

"I  know  not  why  I  find  this  fierce  collection  of  faces 
around  the  sick-bed  of  that  unfortunate  young  man,"  she 
said  ;  "  but  if  it  be  with  evil  purpose,  I  charge  you  to  re- 
lent, as  you  love  the  honor  of  your  gallant  profession,  or 
fear  the  power  of  your  leaders.  I  boast  myself  a  soldier's 
wife,  and  promise  you,  in  the  name  of  one  who  has  the  ear 
of  Howe,  pardon  for  what  is  past,  or  punishment  for  your 
violence,  as  you  conduct  yourselves." 

The  rude  listeners  stared  at  each  other  in  irresolute  hesi- 
tation, seeming  already  to  waver  in  their  purpose,  when  the 
old  grenadier,  whose  fierceness  had  so  nearly  cost  Job  his 
life,  gruffly  replied — 

"  If  you're  an  officer's  lady,  madam,  you'll  be  knowing 
how  to  feel  for  the  fri'nds  of  him  that's  dead  and  gone.  [ 
put  it  to  the  face  of  your  ladyship's  reason,  if  it's  not  too 
much  for  men  to  bear, — and  they  such  men. as  the  iSths, — 
to  hear  a  fool  boasting  on  the  highways  and  through  the 
streets  of  the  town,  that  he  has  been  the  death  of  the  like 
of  Captain  M'Fuse,  of  the  grenadiers  of  that  same  radg'- 
ment  ! " 

"  I  believe  I  understand  you,  friend,"  returned  Cecil, 
"for  I  have  heard  it  whispered  that  the  young  man 
was  believed  to  aid  the  Americans  on  the  bloody  day  to 
which  you  allude — but  if  it  is  not  lawful  to  kill  in  battle, 
what  are  you,  whose  whole  trade  is  war  ? " 

She  was  interrupted  by  half  a  dozen  eager,  though  re- 
spectful voices,  muttering,  in  the  incoherent  and  vehement 
manner  of  their  country,  "  It's  all  a  difference,  my  lady ! " 
— "  Fair  fighting  isn't  foul  fighting,  and  foul  fighting  is 
murder  !  " — with  many  other  similar  half-formed  and  equal- 
ly intelligible  remonstrances.  When  this  burst  was  ended, 
the  same  grenadier,  who  had  before  spoken,  took  on  him- 
self the  office  of  explaining. 

"  If  your  ladyship  spoke  never  a  word  again,  ye've  said 
the  truth  this  time,"  he  answered,  "  though  it  isn't  exactly 
the  truth  at  all.  When  a  man  is  kill't  in  the  fair  war,  it's  a 
godsend  ;  and  no  true  Irishman  will  gainsay  the  same  ;  but 
skulking  behind  a  dead  body,  arid  taking  aim  into  the 
f'atures  of  a  fellow-crature,  is  what  we  complain  of  against 
the  bloody-minded  rascal.  Besides,  wasn't  the  day  won1* 
and  even  his  death  couldn't  give  them  the  victory !  " 


LIOXT.L   I.f.YCOL.Y.  293 

"  I  know  not  all  these  nice  distinctioHs  in  your  dreadful 
calling,  friend,"  Cecil  replied,  "  but  I  have  heard  that  many 
fell  after  the  troops  mounted  the  works." 

"  That  did  they  ;  sure  your  ladyship  is  knowing  all  about 
it  !  and  it's  the  more  need  that  some  should  be  punished 
for  the  murders  !  It's  hard  to  tell  when  we've  got  the  day 
with  men  who  make  a  fight  of  it  after  they  are  fairly 
baitin  !  " 

"That  others  suffered  under  similar  circumstances,"  con- 
tinued Cecil,  with  a  quivering  lip,  and  a  tremulous  motion 
of  her  eyelids,  "  I  well  know  ;  but  had  never  supposed  it 
more  than  the  usual  fortune  of  every  war.  But  even  if 
this  youth  has  erred — look  at  him  ! — is  he  an  object  for 
the  resentment  of  men  who  pride  themselves  on  meeting 
their  enemies  on  equal  terms  !  He  has  long  been  visited 
by  a  blow  from  a  hand  far  mightier  than  yours,  and  even 
now  is  laboring,  in  addition  to  all  other  misfortunes,  under 
that  dangerous  distemper  whose  violence  seldom  spares 
those  it  seizes.  Nay,  you,  in  the  blindness  of  your  anger, 
expose  yourselves  to  its  attacks  ;  and  when  you  think  only 
of  revenge,  may  become  its  victims  !  " 

The  crowd  insensibly  fell  back  as  she  spoke,  and  a  large 
circle  was  left  around  the  bed  of  Job,  while  many  in  the 
rear  stole  silently  from  the  building,  with  a  haste  that  be- 
trayed how  completely  apprehension  had  got  the  better  of 
their  more  evil  passions.  Cecil  paused  but  an  instant,  and 
pursued  her  advantage. 

"  Go,"  she  said  ;  "  leave  this  dangerous  vicinity.  I  have 
business  with  this  young  man,  touching  the  interests,  if 
not  the  life,  of  one  dear,  deservedly  dear,  to  the  whole 
army,  and  would  be  left  alone  with  him  and  his  mother. 
Here  is  money — retire  to  your  own  quarters,  and  endeavor 
to  avert  the  danger  you  have  so  wantonly  braved,  by  care 
and  regimen.  Go  ;  all  shall  be  forgotten  and  pardoned." 

The  reluctant  grenadier  took  her  gold,  and,  perceiving 
that  he  was  already  deserted  by  most  of  his  companions, 
lie  made  an  awkward  obeisance  to  the  fair  being  before 
him,  and  withdrew,  not  without,  however,  casting  many  a 
savage  and  sullen  glance  at  the  miserable  wretch  who  had 
been  thus  singularly  rescued  from  his  vengeance.  Not  a 
soldier  now  remained  in  the  building  ;  and  the  noisy  and 
rapid  utterance  of  the  retiring  party,  as  each  vehemently 
recounted  his  deeds,  soon  became  inaudible  in  the  dis- 
tance. 

Cecil  then  turned  to  those  who  remained,  and  cast  a 


294  LIONEL    JJXCOLX. 

rapid  glance  at  each  individual  of  the  party.  The  instant 
she  encountered  the  wondering  look  of  Polwarth,  the  blood 
mantled  her  pale  features  once  more,  and  her  eyes  fell,  for 
an  instant,  in  embarrassment,  to  the  floor. 

"  I  trust  we  have  been  drawn  here  for  a  similar  purpose, 
Captain  Polwarth,"  she  said,  when  the  slight  confusion 
had  passed  away — "  the  welfare  of  a  common  friend  ?" 

"You  have  not  done  me  injustice,"  he  replied.  "When 
the  sad  office,  which  your  fair  cousin  charged  me  with, 
was  ended,  I  hastened  hither  to  follow  a  clew  which,  I  have 
reason  to  believe,  will  conduct  us  to " 

"  What  we  most  desire  to  find,"  said  Cecil,  involuntarily 
glancing  her  anxious  eyes  towards  the  other  spectators. 
"  But  our  first  duty  is  humanity.  Cannot  this  miserable 
young  man  be  reconveyed  to  his  own  apartment,  and  have 
his  hurts  examined  ?" 

"  It  may  be  done  now,  or  after  our  examination,"  re- 
turned the  captain,  with  a  cool  indifference  that  caused 
Cecil  to  look  up  at  him  in  surprise.  Perceiving  the  un- 
favorable impression  his  apathy  had  produced,  Polwarth 
turned  carelessly  to  a  couple  of  men  who  were  still  curi- 
ous lookers-on,  at  the  outer  door  of  the  building,  and 
called  to  them — "  Here,  Shearflint,  Meriton,  remove  the 
fellow  into  yonder  room." 

The  servants  in  waiting,  who  had  been  hitherto  wonder- 
ing witnesses  of  all  that  passed,  received  this  mandate  with 
strong  disgust.  Meriton  was  loud  in  his  murmurs,  and 
approached  the  verge  of  disobedience,  before  he  consented 
to  touch  such  an  object  of  squalid  misery.  As  Cecil,  how- 
ever, enforced  the  order  by  her  wishes,  the  disagreeable 
duty  was  performed,  and  Job  replaced  on  his  pallet  in  the 
tower,  from  which  he  had  been  rudely  dragged  an  hour 
before  by  the  soldiers. 

At  the  moment  when  all  danger  of  further  violence  dis- 
appeared, Abigail  had  sunk  on  some  of  the  lumber  of  the 
apartment,  where  she  remained  during  the  removal  of  her 
child,  in  a  sort  of  stupid  apathy.  When,  however,  she 
perceived  that  they  were  now  surrounded  by  those  who 
were  bent  on  deeds  of  mercy  rather  than  of  anger,  she 
slowly  followed  into  the  little  room,  and  became  an  anxious 
observer  of  the  succeeding  events. 

Polwarth  seemed  satisfied  with  what  had  been  done  for 
Job,  and  now  stood  aloof,  in  sullen  attendance  on  the 
pleasure  of  Cecil.  The  latter,  who  had  directed  every 
movement  with  female  tenderness  and  care,  bade  the  ser< 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  29$ 

vants  retire  into  the  outer  room,  and  wait  her  orders. 
When  Abigail,  therefore,  took  her  place,  in  silence,  near 
the  bed  of  her  child,  there  remained  present,  besides  her- 
self and  the  sick,  only  Cecil,  the  captain,  and  the  unknown 
man,  who  had  apparently  led  the  former  to  the  warehouse. 
In  addition  to  the  expiring  flames  of  the  oakum,  the  feeble 
light  of  a  candle  was  shed  through  the  room,  merely  ren- 
dering the  gloomy  misery  of  its  tenants  more  striking. 

Notwithstanding  the  high  but  calm  resolution  which 
Cecil  had  displayed  in  the  foregoing  scene  with  the  rioters, 
and  wrhich  still  manifested  itself  in  the  earnest  brightness 
of  her  intelligent  eye,  she  appeared  willing  to  profit  by  the 
duskiness  of  the  apartment,  to  conceal  her  expressive 
features  from  the  gaze  of  even  the  forlorn  female.  She 
placed  herself  in  one  of  the  shadows  of  the  room,  and 
partly  raised  the  calash,  by  a  graceful  movement  of  one  of 
her  hands,  while  she  addressed  the  simpleton. 

"Though  I  have  not  come  hither  with  any  intent  to 
punish,  nor  in  any  manner  to  intimidate  you  with  threats, 
Job  Pray,"  she  said,  with  an  earnestness  that  rendered 
the  soft  tones  of  her  voice  doubly  impressive — "yet  have 
I  come  to  question  you  on  matters  that  it  would  be  wrong, 
as  well  as  cruel  in  you,  to  misrepresent,  or  in  any  manner 
to  (conceal — 

"You  have  little  cause  to  fear  that  anything  but  the 
truth  will  be  uttered  by  my  child,"  interrupted  Abigail. 
"  The  same  power  that  destroyed  his  reason  has  dealt  ten- 
derly with  his  heart — the  boy  knows  no  guile — would  to 
God  the  same  could  be  said  of  the  sinful  woman  who  bore 
him ! " 

"  I  hope  the  character  you  give  your  son  will  be  sup- 
ported by  his  conduct,"  replied  Cecil;  "with  this  assur- 
ance of  his  integrity,  I  will  directly  question  him.  But 
that  you  may  see  I  take  no  idle  liberty  with  the  young  man, 
let  me  explain  my  motives  !  "  She  hesitated  a  moment, 
and  averted  her  face  unconsciously,  as  she  continued — "  I 
should  think,  Abigail  Pray,  that  my  person  must  be  known 
to  you  ? " 

"  It  is — it  is,"  returned  the  impatient  woman,  who  ap- 
peared to  feel  the  feminine  and  polished  elegance  of  the 
other  a  reproach  to  her  own  misery — "you  are  the  happy 
and  wealthy  heiress  of  her  whom  I  have  seen  this  day  laid 
in  her  vault.  The  grave  will  open  for  all  alike!  the  rich 
and  the  poor,  the  happy  as  well  as  the  wretched!  Yes — 
yes,  I  know  you! — you  are  the  bride  of  a  rich  man's  son!" 


296  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

Cecil  shook  back  the  dark  tresses  that  had  fallen  about 
her  countenance,  and  raised  her  face,  tinged  with  its 
richest  bloom,  as  she  answered,  with  an  air  of  matronly 
dignity — 

"  If  you  then  know  of  my  marriage,  you  will  at  once 
perceive  that  I  have  the  interest  of  a  wife  in  Major  Lincoln 
i — I  would  wish  to  learn  his  movements  of  your  son." 

"Of  my  boy!  of  Job  !  from  the  poor  despised  child  of 
poverty  and  disease,  would  you  learn  tidings  of  your  hus- 
band ? — no — no,  young  lady,  you  mock  us; — he  is  not 
worthy  to  be  in  the  secrets  of  one  so  great  and  happy !  " 

"  Yet  am  I  deceived  if  he  is  not  !  Has  there  not  been 
one  called  Ralph,  a  frequent  inmate  of  your  dwelling  dur- 
ing the  past  year ;  and  has  he  not  been  concealed  here 
within  a  very  few  hours  ? " 

Abigail  started  at  this  question,  though  she  did  not 
hesitate  to  answer  without  prevarication — 

"  It  is  true.  If  I  am  to  be  punished  for  harboring  a  being 
that  comes  I  know  whence,  and  goes  I  know  wrhither,  who 
can  read  the  heart,  and  knows  what  man,  by  his  own  limited 
powers,  could  never  know,  I  must  submit.  He  was  here 
yesterday ;  he  may  be  here  again  to-night ;  for  he  comes 
and  goes  at  will.  Your  generals  and  army  may  interfere, 
but  such  as  I  dare  not  forbid  it  !  " 

"  Who  accompanied  him  when  he  departed  last  ?  "  asked 
Cecil,  in  a  voice  so  low,  that,  but  for  the  profound  stillness 
of  the  place,  it  would  have  been  inaudible.  . 

"  My  child — my  weak,  unmeaning,  miserable  child  !  " 
said  Abigail,  with  a  reckless  promptitude  that  seemed  to 
court  any  termination  to  her  misery,  however  sudden  or  ad- 
verse. "  If  it  be  treasonable  to  follow  in  the  footsteps  of 
that  nameless  man,  Job  has  much  to  answer  for  ! " 

"  You  mistake  my  purpose — good,  rather  than  evil,  will 
attend  your  answers,  should  they  be  found  true." 

"  True  ! "  repeated  the  woman,  ceasing  the  rocking 
motion  of  her  body,  and  looking  proudly  up  into  the 
anxious  face  of  Cecil — "but  you  are  great  and  powerful, 
and  are  privileged  to  open  the  wounds  of  the  unhappy  ! " 

"  If  I  have  said  anything  to  hurt  the  feelings  of  a  child, 
I  shall  deeply  regret  the  words,"  said  Cecil,  with  gentle 
fervor — "  I  would  rather  be  your  friend  than  your  oppress- 
or, as  you  will  learn  when  occasion  offers." 

"No — no — you  can  never  be  a  friend  to  me!  "  exclaimed 
the  woman,  shuddering  ;  u  the  wife  of  Major  Lincoln  ought 
never  to  serve  the  interests  of  Abigail  Pray ! " 


LIONEL  LINCOLN:  297 

The  simpleton,  who  had  apparently  lain  in  dull  indiffer- 
ence to  what  was  passing,  raised  himself  now  from  among 
his  rags,  and  said,  with  foolish  pride — 

"Major  Lincoln's  lady  has  come  to  see  Job,  because  Job 
is  a  gentleman's  son  !  " 

"  You  are  the  child  of  sin  and  misery  !  "  groaned  Abi- 
gail, burying  her  head  in  her  cloak — "  would  that  you  had 
never  seen  the  light  of  day  !  " 

"  Tell  me,  then,  Job,  whether  Major  Lincoln  himself 
has  paid  you  this  compliment,  as  well  as  I,"  said  Cecil, 
without  regarding  the  conduct  of  the  mother — "when  did 
you  see  him  last  ?  " 

"  Perhaps  I  can  put  these  questions  in  a  more  intelligi- 
ble manner,"  said  the  stranger,  with  a  meaning  glance  of 
his  eye  towards  Cecil,  that  she  appeared  instantly  to  com- 
prehend. He  turned  then  to  Job,  whose  countenance  he 
studied  closely,  for  several  moments,  before  he  continued 
— "  Boston  must  be  a  fine  place  for  parades  and  shows, 
young  man  ;  do  you  ever  go  to  see  the  soldiers  exer- 
cise ?" 

"  Job  always  keeps  time  in  the  marchings,"  returned 
the  simpleton  ;  "  'tis  a  grand  sight  to  see  the  grannies 
treading  it  off  to  the  awful  sound  of  drums  and  trump- 
ets !  " 

"  And  Ralph,"  said  the  other,  soothingly — "  does  he 
march  in  their  company  too  ?" 

"  Ralph  !  he's  a  great  warrior  !  he  teaches  the  people 
their  trainings,  out  on  the  hills — Job  sees  him  there  every 
time  he  goes  for  the  major's  provisions." 

"This  requires  some  explanation,"  said  the  stranger. 

"Tis  easily  obtained,"  returned  the  observant  Polwarth. 
"The  young  man  has  been  the  bearer  of  certain  articles, 
periodically,  from  the  country  into  the  town,  during  the 
last  six  months,  under  the  favor  of  a  flag." 

The  man  mused  a  moment  before  he  pursued  the  sub- 
ject. 

"  When  were  you  last  among  the  rebels,  Job,"  he  at 
length  asked. 

"You  had  best  not  call  the  people  rebels,"  muttered  the 
young  man,  sullenly,  "for  they  won't  put  up  with  bitter 
names  !  " 

"  I  was  wrong,  indeed,"  said  the  stranger.  "But  when 
went  you  last  for  provisions  ?" 

"  Job  got  in  last  Sabba'day  morning  ;  and  that's  only 
yesterday  !  " 


298  LIONEL  LINCOLN. 

"  How  happened  it,  fellow,  that  you  did  not  bring  the 
articles  to  me  ?"  demanded  Polwarth,  with  a  good  deal  of 
impatient  heat. 

"  He  has  unquestionably  a  sufficient  reason  for  the  ap- 
parent neglect,"  said  the  cautious  and  soothing  stranger. 
"You  brought  them  here,  I  suppose,  for  some  good 
reason  ? " 

"  Ay !  to  feed  his  own  gluttony  !  "  muttered  the  irri- 
tated captain. 

The  mother  of  the  young  man  clasped  her  hands  to- 
gether convulsively,  and  made  an  effort  to  rise  and  speak  ; 
but  she  sunk  again  into  her  humble  posture,  as  if  choked 
by  emotions  that  were  too  strong  for  utterance. 

This  short,  but  impressive  pantomime  was  unnoticed  by 
the  stranger,  who  continued  his  inquiries  in  the  same  cool 
and  easy  manner  as  before. 

"  Are  they  yet  here  ?"  he  asked. 

"  Certain,"  said  the  unsuspecting  simpleton  ;  "  Job  has 
hid  them  till  Major  Lincoln  comes  back.  Both  Ralph  and 
Major  Lincoln  forgot  to  tell  Job  what  to  do  with  the  pro- 
visions." 

"In  that  case  I  am  surprised  you  did  not  pursue  them 
with  your  load." 

"  Everybody  thinks  Job's  a  fool,"  muttered  the  young 
man  ;  "  but  he  knows  too  much  to  be  lugging  provisions 
out  ag'in  among  the  people.  Why!"  he  continued,  rais- 
ing himself,  and  speaking,  with  a  bright  glare  dancing 
across  his  eyes,  that  betrayed  how  much  he  prized  the  en- 
vied advantage — "  the  Bay-men  came  down  with  cart- 
loads of  things  to  eat  while  the  town  is  filled  with 
hunger! " 

"  True.  I  had  forgotten  they  were  gone  out  among  the 
Americans — of  course  they  went  under  the  flag  that  you 
bore  in  ? " 

"Job  didn't  bring  any  flag — insygns  carry  the  flags  !  He 
brought  a  turkey,  a  grand  ham,  and  a  little  sa'ce — there 
wasn't  any  flag  among  them." 

At  the  sound  of  these  eatables,  the  captain  pricked  up 
his  ears,  and  he  probably  would  have  again  violated  the 
rigid  rules  of  decorum  had  not  the  stranger  continued  his 
questions. 

"  I  see  the  truth  of  all  you  say,  my  sensible  fellow,"  he 
observed.  "  It  was  easy  for  Ralph  and  Major  Lincoln  to 
go  out  by  means  of  the  same  privilege  that  you  used  to 
enter  ? " 


LIONEL  LINCOLN.  299. 

"To  be  sure,"  muttered  Job,  who,  tired  of  the  questions, 
had  already  dropped  his  head  again  among  his  blankets — 
"  Ralph  knows  the  way — he's  Boston  born  !  " 

The  stranger  turned  to  the  attentive  bride,  and  bowed, 
as  if  he  were  satisfied  with  the  result  of  his  examination. 
Cecil  understood  the  expression  of  his  countenance,  and 
made  a  movement  towards  the  place  where  Abigail  Pray 
was  seated  on  a  chest,  betraying,  by  the  renewed  rocking 
of  her  body,  and  the  low  groans  that  from  time  to  time 
escaped  her,  the  agony  of  mind  she  endured. 

"  My  first  care,"  she  said,  speaking  to  the  mother  of  Job, 
"  shall  be  to  provide  for  your  wants  ;  after  which  I  may 
profit  by  what  we  have  now  gathered  from  your  son." 

"  Care  not  for  me  and  mine  !  "  returned  Abigail,  in  a 
tone  of  bitter  resignation.  "  The  last  blow  is  struck,  and  it 
behooves  such  as  we  to  bow  our  heads  to  it  in  submission. 
Riches  and  plenty  could  not  save  your  grandmother  from 
the  tomb,  and  perhaps  Death  may  take  pity,  ere  long,  on 
me.  What  do  I  say,  sinner  that  I  am  !  can  I  never  bring 
my  rebellious  heart  to  wait  his  time  ! " 

Shocked  at  the  miserable  despair  that  the  other  exhib- 
ited, and  suddenly  recollecting  the  similar  evidences  of  a 
guilty  life  that  the  end  of  Mrs.  Lechmere  had  revealed, 
Cecil  continued  silent,  in  sensitive  distress.  After  a  mo- 
ment, to  collect  her  thoughts,  she  said,  with  the  meekness 
of  a  Christian,  united  to  the  soothing  gentleness  of  her  sex — 

"  We  are  surely  permitted  to  administer  to  our  earthly 
wants,  whatever  may  have  been  our  transgressions.  At  a 
proper  time  I  will  not  be  denied  in  my  wish  to  serve  you. 
Let  us  now  go,"  she  added,  addressing  her  unknown  com- 
panion. Then,  observing  Polwarth  making  an  indication 
to  advance  to  her  assistance,  she  gently  motioned  him  back, 
and  anticipated  his  offer,  by  saying,  "I  thank  you,  sir — 
but  I  have  Meriton,  and  this  worthy  man,  besides  my  own 
maid  without — I  will  not  further  interfere  with  your  par- 
ticular objects." 

As  she  spoke,  she  bestowed  a  melancholy,  though  sweet 
smile  on  the  captain,  and  left  the  tower  and  the  building, 
before  he  could  presume  to  dispute  her  pleasure.  Not- 
withstanding Cecil  and  her  companion  had  obtained  from 
Job  all  that  he  could  expect,  or  in  fact  had  desired  to 
know,  Polwarth  lingered  in  the  room,  making  those  prep- 
arations that  should  indicate  an  intention  to  depart.  He 
found,  at  length,  that  his  presence  was  entirely  disregarded 
by  both  mother  and  child.  The  one  was  still  sitting,  with 


300  LIONEL  LINCOLN. 

her  head  bowed  to  her  bosom,  abandoned  to  her  own  sor- 
rows, while  the  other  had  sunk  into  his  customary  dull 
lethargy,  giving  no  other  signs  of  life  than  by  his  labored 
and  audible  breathing.  The  captain,  fora  moment,  looked 
upon  the  misery  of  the  apartment,  which  wore  a  still  more 
dreary  aspect  under  the  dull  light  of  the  paltry  candle,  as 
well  as  at  the  disease  and  suffering  which  were  too  plainly 
exhibited  in  the  persons  of  its  abject  tenants  ;  but  the 
glance  at  neither  served  to  turn  him  from  his  purpose. 
Temptation  had  beset  the  humble  follower  of  Epicurus, 
in  a  form  that  never  failed  to  subdue  his  most  philosophic 
resolutions  ;  and,  in  this  instance,  it  prevailed  once  more 
over  his  humanity.  Approaching  the  pallet  of  the  simple- 
ton, he  spoke  to  him  in  a  sharp  voice,  saying — 

"  You  must  reveal  to  me  what  you  have  done  with  the 
provisions  with  which  Mr.  Seth  Sage  has  intrusted  you, 
young  man — I  cannot  overlook  so  gross  a  violation  of 
duty,  in  a  matter  of  such  singular  importance.  Unless 
you  wish  to  have  the  grannies  of  the  i8th  back  upon  you, 
speak  at  once,  and  speak  truly." 

Job  continued  obstinately  silent,  but  Abigail  raised  her 
head,  and  answered  for  her  child — 

"  He  has  never  failed  to  carry  the  things  to  the  quar- 
ters of  the  major,  whenever  he  got  back.  No,  no — if  my 
boy  was  so  graceless  as  to  steal,  it  would  not  be  him  that 
he  would  rob  !  " 

"  I  hope  so — I  hope  so,  good  woman  ;  but  this  is  a  sort 
of  temptation  to  which  men  yield  easily  in  times  of  scarc- 
ity," returned  the  impatient  captain,  who  probably  felt 
some  inward  tokens  of  his  own  frailty  in  such  matters. — 
"  If  they  had  been  delivered,  would  not  I  have  been  con- 
sulted concerning  their  disposition  !  The  young  man  ac- 
knowledges that  he  quitted  the  American  camp  yesterday 
at  an  early  hour." 

"  No,  no,"  said  Job  ;  "  Ralph  made  him  .come  away  on 
Saturda'-night.  He  left  the  people  without  his  dinner!  " 

"And  repaid  his  loss  by  eating  the  stores  !  Is  this  your 
honesty,  fellow  ?" 

"  Ralph  was  in  such  a  hurry  that  he  wouldn't  stop  to 
eat.  Ralph's  a  proper  warrior,  but  he  doesn't  seem  to 
know  how  sweet  it  is  to  eat ! " 

"  Glutton  !  gormandizer  !  thou  ostrich  of  a  man  !  "  ex- 
claimed the  angry  Polwarth — "  is  it  not  enough  that  you 
have  robbed  me  of  my  own,  but  you  must  make  me  more 
conscious  of  rny  loss  by  thy  silly  prating !  ' 


LIONEL   LINCOLN. 


3or 


"  If  you  really  suspect  my  child  of  doing  wrong  to  his 
employers,"  said  Abigail,  '-you  know  neither  his  temper 
nor  his  breeding,  I  will  answer  for  him,  and  with  bitter- 
ness of  heart  do  I  say  it,  that  nothing  in  the  shape  of  food 
has  entered  his  mouth  for  many  long  and  weary  hours. 
Hear  you  not  his  piteous  longings  for  nourishment  ? 
God,  who  knows  all  hearts,  will  hear  and  believe  his 
cry ! " 

"  What  say  you,  woman  ? "  cried  Polwarth,  aghast  with 
horror,  "  not  eaten,  did  you  say  ? — Why  hast  thou  not,  un- 
natural mother,  provided  for  his  wants  ? — why  has  he  not 
shared  in  your  meals  ?" 

Abigail  looked  up  into  his  face  with  eyes  that  gleamed 
with  hopeless  want,  as  she  answered — 

"  Would  I  willingly  see  the  child  of  my  body  perish  of 
hunger  ?  The  last  crumb  he  had  was  all  that  was  left  me, 
and  that  came  from  the  hands  of  one,  who,  in  better  jus- 
tice, should  have  sent  me  poison  !  " 

"  Nab  don't  know  of  the  bone  that  Job  found  before 
the  barracks,"  said  the  young  man,  feebly  ;  "  I  wonder  if 
the  king  knows  how  sweet  bones  are  ?" 

"  And  the  provisions,  the  stores ! "  cried  Polwarth, 
nearly  choking — "  foolish  boy,  what  hast  thou  done  with 
the  provisions  ? " 

"Job  knew  the  grannies  couldn't  find  them  under  that 
oakum."  said  the  simpleton,  raising  himself  to  point  out 
their  place  of  concealment,  with  silly  exultation — "when 
Major  Lincoln  comes  back,  may  be  he'll  give  Nab  and  Job 
the  bones  to  pick  !" 

Polwarth  was  no  sooner  made  acquainted  with  the  situ- 
ation of  the  precious  stores,  than  he  tore  them  from  their 
concealment,  with  the  violence  of  a  maniac.  As  he  sepa- 
rated the  articles  with  an  unsteady  hand,  he  rather  panted 
than  breathed  ;  and  during  the  short  operation,  every  feat- 
ure in  his  honest  face  was  working  with  extraordinary 
emotion.  Now  and  then  he  muttered  in  an  undertone — 
"  No  food!" — "Suffering  of  inanition!"  or  some  such 
expressive  exclamation,  that  sufficiently  explained  the  cur- 
rent of  his  thoughts.  When  all  was  fairly  exposed,  he 
shouted,  in  a  tremendous  voice — 

"  Shearflint  !  thou  rascal !  Shearflint — where  have  you 
hidden  yourself  ? " 

The  reluctant  menial  knew  how  dangerous  it  was  to  hes- 
itate, answering  a  summons  uttered  in  such  a  voice,  and 
while  his  master  was  yet  repeating  his  cries,  he  appeared 


302  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

at  the  door  of  the  little  apartment,  with  a  face  expressive 
of  the  deepest  attention. 

"  Light  up  the  fire,  thou  prince  of  idlers  !  "  Polwarth  con- 
tinued in  the  same  high  strain  ;  "  here  is  food,  and  there 
is  hunger !  God  be  praised  that  I  am  the  man  who  is  per- 
mitted to  bring  the  two  acquainted  !  Here,  throw  on  oakum 
—light  up,  light  up  !  " 

As  these  rapid  orders  were  accompanied  by  a  corre- 
sponding earnestness  of  action,  the  servant,  who  knew  his 
master's  humor,  sat  himself  most  diligently  at  work  to 
comply.  A  pile  of  the  tarred  combustible  was  placed  on 
the  dreary  and  empty  hearth,  and  by  a  touch  of  the  can- 
dle, it  was  lighted  into  a  blaze.  As  the  roar  of  the  chim- 
ney and  the  bright  glare  were  heard  and  seen,  the  mother 
and  child  both  turned  their  longing  eyes  toward  the  busy 
actors  in  the  scene.  Polwarth  threw  aside  his  cane,  and 
commenced  slicing  the  ham  with  a  dexterity  that  denoted 
great  practice,  as  well  as  an  eagerness  that  renewed  the 
credit  of  his  disgraced  humility. 

"  Bring  wood — hand  down  that  apology  for  a  gridiron — 
make  coals,  make  coals  at  once,  rascal,"  he  said,  at  short 
intervals — "  God  forgive  me,  that  I  should  ever  have  medi- 
tated evil  to  one  suffering  under  the  heaviest  of  curses  ! — 
D'ye  hear,  thou  Shearflint !  bring  more  wood  ;  I  shall  be 
ready  for  the  fire  in  a  minute." 

"  'Tis  impossible,  sir,"  said  the  worried  domestic  ;  "  I 
have  brought  the  smallest  chip  there  is  to  be  found — • 
wood  is  too  precious  in  Boston  to  be  lying  in  the  streets." 

"  Where  do  you  keep  your  fuel,  woman  ? "  demanded 
the  captain,  unconscious  that  he  addressed  her  in  the  same 
rough  strain  that  he  used  to  his  menial — "  I  am  ready  to 
put  down." 

"  You  see  it  all !  you  see  it  all !  "  said  Abigail,  in  the  sub- 
missive tones  of  a  stricken  conscience  ;  "  the  judgment  of 
God  has  not  fallen  on  me  singly  !  " 

"  No  wood  !  no  provisions  !  "exclaimed  Polwarth,  speak- 
ing with  difficulty — then,  dashing  his  hand  across  his  eyes, 
he  continued  to  his  man,  in  a  voice  whose  hoarseness  he 
intended  should  conceal  his  emotion — "  thou  villain,  Shear- 
flint,  come  hither — unstrap  my  leg." 

The  servant  looked  at  him  in  wonder, — but  an  impatient 
gesture  hastened  his  compliance. 

"  Split  it  into  ten  thousand  fragments  ;  'tis  seasoned  and 
ready  for  the  fire.  The  best  of  them,  they  of  flesh  I 
mean,  are  but  useless  encumbrances,  after  all !  A  cook 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  303 

wants  hands,  eyes,  nose,  and  palate,  but  I  see  no  use  for  a 
leg!" 

While  he  was  speaking,  the  philosophic  captain  seated 
himself  on  the  hearth  with  great  indifference,  and,  by  the 
aid  of  Shearflint,  the  culinary  process  was  soon  in  a  state  of 
forwardness. 

"  There  are  people,"  resumed  the  diligent  Polwarth,  who 
did  not  neglect  his  avocation  while  speaking,  "  that  eat 
but  twice  a  day  ;  and  some  who  eat  but  once  ;  though  I 
never  knew  any  man  thrive  who  did  not  supply  nature  in 
four  substantial  and  regular  meals.  These  sieges  are 
damnable  visitations  on  humanity,  and  there  should  be 
plans  invented  to  conduct  a  war  without  them.  The  mo- 
ment you  begin  to  starve  a  soldier,  he  grows  tame  and 
melancholy  :  feed  him,  and  defy  the  devil !  How  is  it, 
my  worthy  fellow  ?  do  you  like  your  ham  running  or 
dry  ? " 

The  savory  smell  of  the  meat  had  caused  the  suffering 
invalid  to  raise  his  feverish  body,  and  he  sat  watching,  with 
greedy  looks,  every  movement  of  his  unexpected  benefac- 
tor. His  parched  lips  were  already  working  with  impa- 
tience, and  every  glance  of  his  glassy  eye  betrayed  the  ab- 
solute dominion  of  physical  want  over  his  feeble  mind.  To 
this  question  he  made  the  simple  and  touching  reply  of — 

"Job  isn't  particular  in  his  eating." 

"  Neither  am  I,"  returned  the  methodical  gourmand,  re- 
turning a  piece  of  the  meat  to  the  fire,  that  Job  had  al- 
ready devoured  in  imagination — "one  would  like  to  get  it 
up  well,  notwithstanding  the  hurry.  A  single  turn  more, 
and  it  will  be  fit  for  the  mouth  of  a  prince.  Bring  hither 
that  trencher,  Shearflint — it  is  idle  to  be  particular  about 
crockery  in  so  pressing  a  case.  Greasy  scoundrel,  would 
you  dish  a  ham  in  its  gravy  !  What  a  nosegay  it  is  after 
all!  Come  hither;  help  me  to  the  bed." 

"  May  the  Lord,  who  sees  and  notes  each  kind  thought 
of  his  creatures,  bless  and  reward  you  for  this  care  of  my 
forlorn  boy ! "  exclaimed  Abigail,  in  the  fulness  of  her 
heart ;  "  but  will  it  be  prudent  to  give  such  strong  nour- 
ishment to  one  in  a  burning  fever  ?" 

"What  else  would  you  give,  woman?  I  doubt  not  he 
owes  his  disease  to  his  wants.  An  empty  stomach  is  like 
an  empty  pocket,  a  place  for  the  devil  to  play  his  gambols 
in.  'Tis  your  small  doctor  who  prates  of  a  meagre  regi- 
men. Hunger  is  a  distemper  of  itself,  and  no  reasonable 
man  who  is  above  listening  to  quackery,  will  believe  it  can 


304  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

be  a  remedy.  Food  is  the  prop  of  life — and  eating,  like  a 
crutch  to  a  maimed  man. — Shearflint,  examine  the  ashes 
for  the  irons  of  my  supporter,  and  then  dish  a  bit  of  the 
meat  for  the  poor  woman. — Eat  away,  my  charming  boy, 
eat  away  ! "  he  continued,  rubbing  his  hands  in  honest  de- 
light, to  see  the  avidity  with  which  the  famishing  Job  re- 
ceived his  boon.  "  The  second  pleasure  in  life  is  to  see  a 
hungry  man  enjoy  his  meal  ;  the  first  being  more  deeply 
seated  in  human  nature.  This  ham  has  the  true  Virginia 
flavor !  Have  you  such  a  thing  as  a  spare  trencher,  Shear- 
flint  ?  It  is  so  near  the  usual  hour,  I  may  as  well  sup.  \t 
is  rare,  indeed,  that  a  man  enjoys  two  such  luxuries  at 
once ! " 

The  tongue  of  Polwarth  ceased  the  instant  Shearflint 
administered  to  his  wants  ;  the  warehouse  into  which  he 
had  so  lately  entered  with  such  fell  intent,  exhibiting  the 
strange  spectacle  of  the  captain,  sharing,  with  social  com- 
munion, in  the  humble  repasts  of  its  hunted  and  miserable 
tenants. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

"  Sir  Thurio,  give  us  leave,  I  pray,  awhile  ; 
We  have  some  secrets  to  confer  about." 

— Two  Gentlemen  of  Verona. 

DURING  the  preceding  exhibition  of  riot  and  degrada- 
tion, in  the  Dock  Square,  a  very  different  state  of  things 
existed  beneath  the  roof  of  a  proud  edifice  that  stood  in  an 
adjacent  street.  As  was  usual  at  that  hour  of  the  night, 
the  windows  of  Province- House  were  brilliant  with  lights 
as  if  in  mockery  of  the  naked  dreariness  of  the  neighbor- 
ing church  ;  and  every  approach  to  that  privileged  resi- 
dence of  the  representative  of  royalty,  was  closely  guarded 
by  the  vigilance  of  armed  men.  Into  this  favored  dwell- 
ing it  now  becomes  necessary  to  remove  the  scene,  in  order 
to  pursue  the  thread  of  our  unpretending  narrative. 

Domestics,  in  rich  military  liveries,  might  be  seen  glid- 
ing from  room  to  room,  in  the  hurry  of  a  banquet — some 
bearing  vessels  of  the  most  generous  wines  into  the  apart- 
ment where  Howe  entertained  the  leaders  of  the  royal 
army,  and  others  returning  with  the  remnants  of  a  feast, 
which,  though  sumptuously  served,  having  felt  the  scarcity 
of  the  times,  had  offered  more  to  the  eyes  than  to  the  a,p- 


IJOXEL   LIXCOLX.  305 

petites  of  the  guests.  Idlers,  in  the  loose  undress  of  their 
martial  profession,  loitered  through  the  halls  ;  and  many  a 
wistful  glance,  or  lingering  look,  followed  the  odorous 
scents,  as  humbler  menials  received  the  viands  to  transport 
them  into  the  more  secret  recesses  of  the  building.  Not- 
withstanding the  life  and  activity  which  prevailed,  every 
movement  was  conducted  in  silence  and  regularity,  the 
whole  of  the  lively  scene  affording  a  happy  illustration  of 
the  virtues  and  harmony  of  order. 

Within  the  walls  of  that  apartment,  to  which  every  eye 
seemed  directed  as  to  a  common  centre,  in  anticipation  of 
the  slightest  wish  of  those  who  revelled  there,  all  was 
bright  and  cheerful.  The  hearth  knew  no  want  of  fuel  ; 
the  coarser  workmanship  of  the  floor  was  hid  beneath  rich 
and  ample  carpets,  while  the  windows  were  nearly  lost 
within  the  sweeping  folds  of  curtains  of  figured  damask. 
Everything  wore  an  air  of  exquisite  comfort,  blended  with 
a  species  of  careless  elegance.  Even  the  most  minute 
article  of  the  furniture  had  been  transported  from  that  dis- 
tant country,  which  was  then  thought  to  monopolize  all  the 
cunning  arts  of  handicraft,  to  administer  to  the  pleasures 
of  those,  who,  however  careless  of  themselves  in  moments 
of  trial,  courted  the  most  luxurious  indulgences  in  their 
hours  of  ease. 

Along  the  centre  of  this  gay  apartment  was  spread  the 
hospitable  board  of  the  entertainer.  It  was  surrounded 
by  men  in  the  trappings  of  high  military  rank,  though 
here  and  there  might  be  seen  a  guest,  whose  plainer  attire 
and  dejected  countenance  betrayed  the  presence  of  one  or 
two  of  those  misjudging  colonists,  whose  confidence  in  the 
resistless  power  of  the  crown  began  already  to  waver.  The 
lieutenant  of  the  king  held  his  wonted  place  at  the  banquet, 
his  dark  visage  expressing  all  the  heartiness  of  a  soldier's 
welcome,  while  he  pointed  out  this  or  that  favorite  amongst 
an  abundant  collection  of  wines,  that  included  the  choicest 
liquors  of  Europe. 

"  For  those  who  share  the  mess  of  a  British  general,  you 
have  encountered  rude  fare  to-day,  gentlemen,"  he  cried  ; 
"  though,  after  all,  'tis  such  as  a  British  soldier  knows  how 
to  fatten  on,  in  the  service  of  his  master  Fill,  gentlemen  ; 
fill  in  loyal  bumpers  ;  for  we  have  neglected  our  alle- 
giance." 

Each  glass  now  stood  sparkling  and  overcharged  with 
wine,  when,  after  a  short  and  solemn  pause,  the  host  pro- 
nounced aloud  the  magical  words — "The  King." — Every 


306  LIONEL  LINCOLN. 

voice  echoed  the  name,  after  which  there  literally  sue- 
ceeded  a  breathless  pause  ;  when  an  old  man,  in  the  uni- 
form of  an  officer  of  the  fleet,  first  proving  his  loyalty  by 
flourishing  on  high  his  inverted  glass,  added,  with  hearty 
will — 

"  God  bless  him  !  " 

"  God  bless  him !  "  repeated  the  graceful  leader,  who 
has  already  been  more  than  once  named  in  these  pages  ; 
•'and  grant  him  a  long  and  glorious  reign!  and,  should 
there  be  no  treason  in  the  wish,  in  death,  a  grave  like 
yourself,  worthy  admiral — *  Sepulcrum  sine  sordibus  ex- 
true.'  " 

"  Like  me  !  "  echoed  the  blunt  seaman,  whose  learning 
\vas  somewhat  impaired  by  hard  and  long  service — "  I  am, 
it  is  true,  none  of  your  cabin-window  gentry  ;  but  his 
majesty  might  stoop  lower  than  by  favoring  a  faithful  ser- 
vant, like  me,  with  his  gracious  presence." 

"  Your  pardon,  sir  ;  I  should  have  included,  *  permissum 
arbitrio.' " 

The  equivoque  had  barely  excited  a  smile,  when  the  se- 
date countenance  of  the  commander-in-chief  indicated  that 
the  subject  was  too  serious  for  a  jest.  Nor  did  the  naval 
chieftain  appear  to  relish  the  unknown  tongue  ;  for,  quite 
as  much,  if  not  a  little  more,  offended  with  the  liberty 
taken  with  his  own  name,  than  with  the  privileged  person 
of  the  sovereign,  he  somewhat  smartly  retorted — 

"  Permitted  or  not  permitted,  I  command  the  fleet  of  his 
majesty  in  these  waters,  and  it  shall  be  noted  as  a  cheerful 
day  in  our  log-books,  when  you  gentlemen  of  the  army 
dismiss  us  to  our  duty  again,  on  the  high-seas.  A  sailor 
will  grow  as  tired  of  doing  nothing,  as  ever  a  soldier  did 
of  work,  and  I  like  *  elbow-room,'  even  in  my  coffin — 
ha,  ha,  ha — what  d'ye  think  of  that,  master  wit  ? — ha,  ha, 
ha, — what  d'ye  say  to  that  ? " 

"  Quite  fair,  well  deserved,  and  cuttingly  severe,  ad- 
miral," returned  the  undisturbed  soldier,  smiling  with  per- 
fect self-possession,  as  he  sipped  his  wine.  "  But  as  you 
find  confinement  and  leisure,  so  irksome,  I  will  presume  to 
advise  your  seizing  some  of  these  impudent  Yankees,  who 
look  into  the  port  so  often,  not  only  robbing  us  of  our 
stores,  but  offending  so  many  loyal  eyes  with  their  traitor- 
ous presence." 

*'  I  command  a  parley  to  be  beaten,"  interrupted  the 
commander-in-chief,  "  and  a  truce  to  further  hostilities. 
Where  all  have  done  their  duty,  and  have  done  it  so  wel\ 


LIONEL  LINCOLN.  307 

even  wit  must  respect  their  conduct.  Let  me  advise  you  to 
sound  the  contents  of  that  dusky-looking  bottle,  Mr. 
Graves  ;  I  think  you  will  approve  the  situation  as  an  an- 
chorage for  the  night." 

The  honest  old  seaman  instantly  drowned  his  displeas- 
ure in  a  glass  of  the  generous  liquor,  and,  smacking  his 
lips  after  the  potations,  for  he  repeated  the  first  on  the 
moment,  he  exclaimed— 

"Ah !  you  are  too  stationary,  by  half,  to  stir  up  the  soul 
of  your  liquors.  Wine  should  never  slumber  on  its  lees 
until  it  has  been  well  rolled  in  the  trough  of  a  sea  for  a 
few  months  ;  then,  indeed,  you  may  set  it  asleep,  and  your- 
self by  the  side  of  it,  if  you  like  a  cat's  nap." 

"As  orthodox  a  direction  for  the  ripening  of  wine  as  was 
ever  given  by  a  bishop  to  his  butler  !"  exclaimed  his  ad- 
versary. Another  significant  glance  from  his  dark-looking 
superior  again  checked  his  wilful  playfulness,  when  Howe 
profited  by  the  silence,  to  say  with  the  frank  air  of  a  lib- 
eral host — 

"  As  motion  is,  just  now,  denied  us,  the  only  means  I 
can  devise,  to  prevent  my  wine  from  slumbering  on  its 
lees,  is  to  drink  it." 

"  Besides  which,  we  are  threatened  with  a  visit  from  Mr. 
Washington,  and  his  thirsty  followers,  who  may  save  us  all 
trouble  in  the  matter,  unless  we  prove  industrious.  In  such 
a  dilemma,  Mr.  Graves  will  not  hesitate  to  pledge  me  in  a 
glass,  though  it  should  be  only  to  disappoint  the  rebels ! " 
added  Burgoyne,  making  a  graceful  inclination  to  the  half- 
offended  seaman. 

"  Ay,  ay,  I  would  do  much  more  disagreeable  things  to 
cheat  the  rascals  of  their  plunder,"  returned  the  mollified 
admiral,  good-naturedly  nodding  his  head  before  he  swal- 
lowed his  bumper. — "  If  there  be  any  real  danger  of  the 
loss  of  such  liquid  amber  as  this,  'twould  be  as  well  to  send 
it  along-side  my  ship,  and  I  will  hoist  it  in,  and  find  it  a 
berth,  though  it  shares  my  own  cot.  I  believe  I  command 
a  fortress  which  neither  Yankee,  Frenchman,  nor  Don, 
would  like  to  besiege,  unless  at  a  respectful  distance." 

The  officers  around  him  looked  exceedingly  grave,  ex- 
changing glances  of  great  meaning,  though  all  continued 
silent,  as  if  the  common  subject  of  their  meditations  was 
too  delicate  to  be  loudly  uttered  in  such  a  presence.  At 
length  the  second  in  command,  who  still  felt  the  coldness 
of  his  superior,  and  who  had,  hitherto,  said  nothing  during 
the  idle  dialogue,  ventured  a  remark,  with  the  gravity 


308  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

and  distance  of  a  man  who  was  not  certain  of  his  wel- 
come. 

"  Our  enemies  grow  bold  as  the  season  advances,"  he 
said,  "and  it  is  past  a  doubt  that  they  will  find  us  employ- 
ment in  the  coming  summer.  It  cannot  be  denied  but  they 
conduct  themselves  with  great  steadiness  in  all  their  bat- 
teries, especially  in  this  last,  at  the  water-side  ;  nor  am  I 
without  apprehension  that  they  will  yet  get  upon  the  isl- 
ands, and  render  the  situation  of  the  shipping  hazard- 
ous." 

"  Get  upon  the  islands !  drive  the  fleet  from  their  anch- 
ors !  "  exclaimed  the  veteran  sailor,  in  undisguised  amaze- 
ment. "  I  shall  account  it  a  happy  day  for  England,  when 
Washington  and  his  rabble  trust  themselves  within  reach 
of  our  shot !  " 

"  God  grant  us  a  chance  at  the  rascals  with  the  bayonet 
in  the  open  field,"  cried  Howe,  "and  an  end  of  these  win- 
ter quarters  !  I  say  winter  quarters,  for  I  trust  no  gentle- 
man can  consider  this  army  as  besieged  by  a  mob  of  armed 
peasants !  We  hold  the  town,  and  they  the  country  ;  but 
when  the  proper  time  shall  come — well,  sir,  your  pleasure," 
he  continued,  interrupting  himself  to  speak  to  an  upper 
servant  at  his  elbow. 

The  man,  who  had  stood  for  more  than  a  minute,  in  an 
attitude  of  respectful  attention,  anxious  to  catch  the  eye 
of  his  master,  muttered  his  message  in  a  low  and  hurried 
voice,  as  if  unwilling  to  be  heard  by  others,  and  at  the 
same  time  conscious  of  the  impropriety  of  whispering. 
Most  of  those  around  him  turned  their  heads  in  polite  in- 
difference ;  but  the  old  sailor,  who  sat  too  near  to  be  totally 
deaf,  had  caught  the  words,  "  a  lady,"  which  was  quite 
enough  to  provoke  all  his  merriment,  after  such  a  free  in- 
dulgence of  the  bottle.  Striking  his  hand  smartly  on  the 
table,  he  exclaimed,  with  a  freedom  that  no  other  present 
could  have  presumed  to  use — 

"  A  sail  !  a  sail !  by  George,  a  sail  !  under  what  colors, 
friend  ?  king's  or  rebels'  ?  Here  has  been  a  blunder,  with 
a  vengeance  !  The  cook  has  certainly  been  too  late,  or 
the  lady  is  too  early  !  ha,  ha,  ha — Oh !  you  are  wicked, 
free  livers  in  the  army  !  " 

The  tough  old  tar  enjoyed  his  joke  exceedingly,  chuck- 
ling with  inward  delight  at  his  discovery.  He  was,  how- 
ever, alone  in  his  merriment,  none  of  the  soldiers  venturing 
to  understand  his  allusions,  any  further  than  by  exchanging 
a  few  stolen  looks  of  unusual  archness.  Hcwe  bit  his  lips, 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  309 

with  obvious  vexation,  and  sternly  ordered  the  man  to  re- 
peat his  errand  in  a  voice  that  was  more  audible. 

"A  lady,"  said  the  trembling  menial,  "wishes  to  see 
your  excellency,  and  she  waits  your  pleasure,  sir,  in  the 
library." 

"Among  his  books,  too!"  shouted  the  admiral — "that 
would  have  better  become  you,  my  joking  friend  !  I  say, 
young  man,  is  the  girl  young  and  handsome  ?" 

"  By  the  lightness  of  her  step,  sir,  I  should  think  her 
young  ;  but  her  face  was  concealed  under  a  hood." 

"  Ay  !  ay  !  the  jade  comes  hooded  into  the  house  of  the 
king  !  Damn  me,  Howe,  but  modesty  is  getting  to  be  a 
rare  virtue  amongst  you  gentlemen  on  shore ! " 

"'Tis  a  plain  case  against  you,  sir,  for  even  the  servant, 
as  you  find,  has  detected  that  she  is  light  of  carriage,"  said 
the  smiling  Burgoyne,  making  half  a  motion  toward  ris- 
ing. "  It  is  probably  some  applicant  for  relief,  or  for  per- 
mission to  depart  the  place.  Suffer  me  to  see  her,  and 
spare  yourself  the  pain  of  a  refusal." 

"  Not  at  all,"  said  Howe,  gaining  his  feet  with  an  alacrity 
that  anticipated  the  more  deliberate  movement  of  the  other 
— "  I  should  be  unworthy  of  the  trust  I  hold,  could  I  not 
lend  an  occasional  ear  to  a  petition.  Gentlemen,  as  there 
is  a  lady  in  the  case,  I  presume  to  trespass  on  your  indul- 
gence. Admiral,  I  commend  you  to  my  butler,  who  is  a 
worthy  fellow,  and  can  give  you  all  the  cruises  of  the  bot- 
tle before  you,  since  it  left  the  island  of  Madeira." 

He  inclined  his  head  to  his  guests,  and  passed  from  the 
room  with  a  hurried  step,  that  did  not  altogether  consult 
appearances.  As  he  proceeded  through  the  hall,  his  ears 
were  saluted  by  another  burst  from  the  hearty  old  seaman, 
who,  however,  enjoyed  his  humor  alone,  the  rest  of  the 
party  immediately  turning  to  other  subjects,  with  well-bred 
dulness.  On  entering  the  room  already  mentioned,  Howe 
found  himself  in  the  presence  of  the  female,  who,  notwith- 
standing their  apparent  indifference,  was  at  that  very  mo- 
ment occupying  the  thoughts,  and  exercising  the  ingenuity 
of  every  man  he  had  left  behind  him.  Advancing  at  once 
to  the  centre  of  the  apartment,  with  the  ease  and  freedom 
of  a  soldier  who  felt  himself  without  a  superior,  he  asked, 
with  a  politeness  somewhat  equivocal — 

"  Why  am  I  favored  with  this  visit  ?  and  why  has  a  lady, 
whose  appearance  shows  she  might  command  friends  at 
any  time,  assumed  this  personal  trouble  ?  " 

"  Because  I  am  a  supplicant  for  a  favor  that  might  be 


310  LIONEL  JJXCOLN: 

denied  to  one  who  petitioned  coldly,"  returned  a  soft, 
tremulous  voice,  deep  within  the  covering  of  a  silken  ca- 
lash. "  As  time  is  wanting  to  observe  the  usual  forms  of 
applications,  I  have  presumed  to  come  in  person,  to  pre- 
vent delay." 

"And  surely,  one  like  you  can  have  little  reason  to 
dread  a  repulse,"  said  Howe,  with  an  attempt  at  gallantry, 
that  would  have  better  become  the  man  who  had  offered 
to  be  his  substitute.  While  speaking,  he  advanced  a  step 
nigher  to  the  lady,  and,  pointing  to  her  hood,  he  contin- 
ued— "  Would  it  not  be  wise  to  aid  your  request  with  a 
view  of  a  countenance  that  I  am  certain  can  speak  better 
than  any  words  ? — whom  have  I  the  honor  to  receive,  and 
what  may  be  the  nature  of  her  business  ?" 

"A  wife,  who  seeks  her  husband,"  returned  the  female, 
dropping  the  folds  of  her  calash,  and  exposing  to  his 
steady  eyes  the  commanding  loveliness  of  the  chaste  coun- 
tenance of  Cecil.  The  sudden  annunciation  of  her  char- 
acter was  forced  from  the  lips  of  the  unclaimed  bride,  by 
the  freedom  of  a  gaze  to  which  she  was  unused  ;  but  the 
instant  she  had  spoken,  her  eyes  fell  on  the  floor  in  em- 
barrassment, and  she  stood  deeply  blushing  at  the  strength 
of  her  own  language,  though  preserving  all  the  apparent 
composure  and  dignity  of  female  pride.  The  English  gen- 
eral regarded  her  beauty  for  a  moment,  with  a  pleased, 
though  doubting  eye,  before  he  continued — 

"  Is  he  whom  you  seek  within  or  without  the  town  ? " 

"  I  much  fear  without !  " 

"  And  you  would  follow  him  into  the  camp  of  the  rebels  ? 
This  is  a  case  that  may  require  some  deliberation.  I  feel 
assured  I  entertain  a  lady  of  great  beauty  ;  might  I,  in  ad- 
dition, know  how  to  address  her  ?  " 

"  For  my  name  I  can  have  no  reason  to  blush,"  said  Ce- 
cil, proudly — "'tis  noble  in  the  land  of  our  common  ances- 
tors, and  may  have  reached  the  ears  of  Mr.  Howe — I  am 
the  child  of  the  late  Colonel  Dynevor  !  " 

"The  niece  of  Lord  Cardonnel !  "  exclaimed  her  auditor, 
in  amazement,  instantly  losing  the  equivocal  freedom  of 
his  manner  in  an  air  of  deep  respect — "  I  have  long  known 
that  Boston  contained  such  a  lady  ;  nor  do  I  forget  that 
she  is  accused  of  concealing  herself  from  the  attentions  of 
the  army,  like  one  of  the  most  obdurate  of  our  foes — atten- 
tions which  every  man  in  the  garrison  would  be  happy  to 
show  her,  from  myself  down  to  the  lowest  ensign. — Do  me 
the  honor  to  be  seated  !  " 


LIONEL    LINCOLN.  31 

Cecil  bowed  her  acknowledgments,  but  continued  stand- 
ing— 

"  I  have  neither  time  nor  spirits  to  defend  myself  from 
such  an  imputation,"  she  answered — "though,  should  my 
own  name  prove  no  passport  to  your  favor,  I  must  claim 
it  in  behalf  of  him  I  seek." 

"  Should  he  be  the  veriest  rebel  in  the  train  of  Washing 
ton,  he  has  great  reason  to  be  proud  of  his  fortune  ! " 

"So  far  from  ranking  among  the  enemies  of  the  king, 
he  has  already  been  lavish  of  his  blood  in  behalf  of  the 
crown,"  returned  Cecil,  unconsciously  raising  the  calash 
again,  with  maiden  bashfulness,  as  she  felt  the  moment 
\vas  approaching  when  she  must'declare  the  name  of  the 
man,  whose  influence  over  her  feelings  she  had  already 
avowed. 

"  And  he  is  called—?" 

The  answer  was  given  to  this  direct  question  in  a  low 
but  distinct  voice.  Howe  started  when  he  heard  the  well- 
known  name  of  an  officer  of  so  much  consideration,  though 
a  meaning  smile  lighted  his  dark  features,  as  he  repeated 
her  words  in  surprise — 

"Major  Lincoln!  his  refusal  to  return  to  Europe,  in 
search  of  health,  is  then  satisfactorily  explained.  Without 
the  town  did  y®u  say  !  there  must  be  some  error." 

"  I  fear  it  is  too  true!  " 

The  harsh  features  of  the  leader  contracted  again  into 
their  sternest  look,  and  it  was  apparent  how  much  he  was 
disturbed  by  the  intelligence. 

"  This  is  presuming  too  far  on  his  privilege,"  he  mut- 
tered in  an  undertone. — "Left  the  place  say  you,  without 
my  knowledge  and  approbation,  young  lady  ?" 

"  But  on  no  unworthy  errand  !  "  cried  the  almost  breath- 
less Cecil,  instantly  losing  sight  of  herself  in  her  anxi- 
ety for  Lionel — "  private  sorrows  have  driven  him  to 
an  act,  that,  at  another  time,  he  would  be  the  first  to  con- 
demn, as  a  soldier." 

Howe  maintained  a  cool,  but  threatening  silence,  that 
was  far  more  appalling  than  any  wrords  could  be.  The 
alarmed  wife  gazed  at  his  lowering  face  for  a  minute,  as 
if  to  penetrate  his  secret  thoughts  ;  then  yielding,  with  the 
sensitiveness  of  a  woman,  to  her  worst  apprehensions,  she 
cried — 

"  Oh  !  you  would  not  avail  yourself  of  this  confession  to 
do  him  harm  !  Has  he  not  bled  for  you  ?  lingered  for 
months  on  the  verge  of  the  grave,  in  defence  of  your 


312  J.IONET.   LINCOLN. 

cause  ?  and  will  you  now  doubt  him  ?  Nay,  sir,  though 
chance  and  years  may  have  subjected  him,  for  a  time,  to 
your  control,  he  is  every  way  your  equal,  and  will  con- 
front each  charge  before  his  royal  master,  let  who  may 
bring  them  against  his  spotless  name  ! " 

"  'Twill  be  necessary,"  the  other  coldly  replied. 

"  Nay,  hearken  not  to  my  weak,  unmeaning  words," 
continued  Cecil,  wringing  her  hands  in  doubting  distress; 
"I  know  not  what  I  say.  He  has  your  permission  to  hold 
intercourse  with  the  country  weekly  ?" 

"  For  the  purpose  of  obtaining  the  supplies  necessary  to 
his  past  condition." 

"And  may  he  not  have  gone  on  such  an  errand,  and 
under  favor  of  the  flag  you  yourself  have  cheerfully  ac- 
corded ?" 

"  In  such  a  case  would  I  not  have  been  spared  the  pain 
of  this  interview  ? " 

Cecil  paused  a  moment,  and  seemed  collecting  her  scat- 
tered faculties,  and  preparing  her  mind  for  some  serious 
purpose.  After  a  little  time,  she  attempted  a  painful 
smile,  saying,  more  calmly — 

"  I  had  presumed  too  far  on  military  indulgence,  and 
was  even  weak  enough  to  believe  the  request  would  be 
granted  to  my  name  and  situation." 

"No  name,  no  situation,  no  circumstances,  can  ever 
render " 

"  Speak  not  the  cruel  words,  lest  they  once  more  drive 
me  from  my  recollection,"  interrupted  Cecil.  "  First  hear 
me,  sir — listen  to  a  wife  and  a  daughter,  and  you  will  re- 
call the  cruel  sentence." 

Without  waiting  for  a  reply,  she  advanced  with  a  firm 
and  proud  step  to  the  door  of  the  room,  passing  her  aston- 
ished companion  with  an  eye  and  a  face  beaming  with  the 
fulness  of  her  object.  In  the  outer  passage  she  beckoned 
from  among  the  loiterers  in  the  hall,  to  the  stranger  who 
had  accompanied  her  in  the  visit  to  the  warehouse,  and 
when  he  had  approached,  and  entered  the  room,  the  door 
once  more  closed,  leaving  the  spectators  without  wondering 
whence  such  a  vision  of  purity  could  have  made  its  way 
within  the  sullied  walls  of  Province-House. 

Many  long  and  impatient  minutes  were  passed  by  the 
guests  in  the  banqueting-room,  during  the  continuance  of 
this  mysterious  interview.  The  jests  of  the  admiral  began 
to  flag,  just  as  his  companions  were  inclined  to  think  they 
were  most  merited,  and  the  conversation  assumed  that 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  313 

broken  and  disjointed  character  which  betrays  the  wander- 
ing of  the  speakers'  thoughts. 

At  length  a  bell  rang,  and  orders  came  from  the  com- 
mander-in-chief,  .to  clear  the  hall  of  its  curious  idlers. 
When  none  were  left  but  the  regular  domestics  of  the 
family,  Howe  appeared,  supporting  Cecil,  closely  hooded, 
to  the  conveyance  that  awaited  her  presence  at  the  gate. 
The  air  of  their  master  communicated  a  deep  respect  to 
the  manners  of  the  observant  menials,  who  crowded  about 
their  persons,  to  aid  the  departure,  with  officious  zeal. 
The  amazed  sentinels  dropped  their  arms,  with  the  usual 
regularity,  to  their  chieftain,  as  he  passed  to  the  outer 
portal  in  honor  of  his  unknown  companion,  and  eyes  met 
the  expressive  glances  of  eyes,  as  all  who  witnessed  the 
termination  of  this  visit  sought,  in  the  countenances  of 
those  around  them,  some  solution  of  its  object. 

When  Howe  resumed  his  seat  at  the  table,  another 
attempt  was  made  by  the  admiral  to  renew  the  subject  ; 
but  it  was  received  with  an  air  so  cold,  and  a  look  so  point- 
edly severe,  that  even  the  careless  son  of  the  ocean  forgot 
his  humor  under  the  impression  of  so  dark  a  frown. 


CHAPTER   XXIX. 

"Nor  martial  shout,  nor  minstrel  tone, 
Announced  their  march — " — SCOTT. 

CECIL  suffered  the  night  to  advance  a  little,  before  she 
left  Tremont  Street,  to  profit  by  the  permission  to  leave 
the  place,  her  communication  had  obtained  from  the  Eng- 
lish general.  It  was,  however,  far  from  late  when  she  took 
leave  of  Agnes,  and  commenced  her  expedition,  still 
attended  bv  Meriton  and  the  unknown  man,  with  whom 
she  has  already,  more  than  once,  made  her  appearance  in 
our  pages.  At  the  lower  part  of  the  town  she  left  her 
vehicle,  and  pursuing  the  route  of  several  devious  and 
retired  streets,  soon  reached  the  margin  of  the  water.  The 
wharves  were  deserted  and  still.  Indicating  the  course  by 
her  own  light  and  hurried  footsteps,  to  her  companions, 
the  youthful  bride  moved  unhesitatingly  along  the  rough 
planks,  until  her  progress  was  checked  by  a  large  basin, 
between  two  of  the  ordinary  wooden  piers  which  line 
the  shores  of  the  place.  Here  she  paused  for  a  moment, 


3 H  LIONEL  LINCOLN; 

in  doubt,  as  if  fearful  there  had  been  some  mistake,  when 
the  figure  of  a  boy  was  seen  advancing  out  of  the  shadows 
of  a  neighboring  store-house. 

"  I  fear  you  have  lost  your  way,"  he  said,  when  within  a 
few  feet  of  her,  where  he  stood,  apparently  examining  the 
party  with  rigid  scrutiny.  ''May  I  venture  to  ask  whom 
or  what  you  seek  ?  " 

"  One  who  is  sent  hither  on  private  duty,  by  orders  from 
the  commander-in-chief." 

"  I  see  but  two,"  returned  the  lad,  hesitating — "where  is 
the  third?" 

"  He  lingers  in  the  distance,"  said  Cecil,  pointing  to 
Meriton,  whose  footsteps  were  much  more  guarded  than 
those  of  his  mistress.  "Three  is  our  number,  and  we  are 
all  present." 

"  I  beg  a  thousand  pardons,"  returned  the  youth,  drop- 
ping the  folds  of  a  sailor's  overcoat,  under  which  he  had 
concealed  the  distinguishing  marks  of  a  naval  dress,  and 
raising  his  hat  at  the  same  moment,  with  great  respect  ; 
"my  orders  were  to  use  the  utmost  precaution,  ma'am,  for, 
as  you  hear,  the  rebels  sleep  but  little  to-night  !  " 

"'Tis  a  dreadful  scene  I  leave,  truly,  sir,"  returned  Cecil, 
"  and  the  sooner  it  will  suit  your  convenience  to  transport 
us  from  it,  the  greater  will  be  the  obligation  you  are  about 
to  confer." 

The  youth  once  more  bowed,  in  submission  to  her  wishes, 
and  requested  the  whole  party  to  follow  whither  he  should 
lead.  A  very  few  moments  brought  them  to  a  pair  of  water- 
stairs,  where,  under  cover  of  the  duskiness  thrown  upon 
the  basin  from  the  wharf,  a  boat  lay  concealed,  in  perfect 
readiness  to  receive  them. 

"  Be  stirring,  boys  !  "  cried  the  youth,  in  a  tone  of  au- 
thority ;  "  ship  your  oars  as  silently  as  if  stealing  away 
from  an  enemy.  Have  the  goodness,  ma'am,  to  enter,  and 
you  shall  have  a  quick  and  safe  landing  on  the  other  shore, 
whatever  may  be  the  reception  of  the  rebels." 

Cecil  and  her  two  attendants  complied  without  delay, 
when  the  boat  glided  into  the  stream  with  a  velocity  that 
promised  a  speedy  verification  of  the  wordsof  the  midship- 
man. The  most  profound  stillness- reigned  among  these 
nocturnal  adventurers,  and  by  the  time  they  had  rowed  a 
short  distance,  the  bride  began  to  lose  an  immediate  con- 
sciousness of  her  situation  in  contemplation  of  the  scene. 

The  evening  was  already  milder,  and  by  one  of  those 
sudden  changes,  peculiar  to  the  climate,  it  was  rapidly  be- 


Z70AYJY.    I.f.VCOLA'  315 

coming  even  bland  and  pleasant.  The  light  of  a  clear 
moon  fell  upon  the  town  and  harbor,  rendering  the  objects 
of  both  visible,  in  mellowed  softness.  The  huge  black 
hulls  of  the  vessels  of  war  rested  sullenly  on  the  waters,  like 
slumbering  leviathans,  without  even  a  sail  or  a  passing 
boat,  except  their  own,  to  enliven  the  view  in  the  direction 
of  the  port.  On  the  other  hand,  the  hills  of  the  town  rose, 
in  beautiful  relief,  against  the  clear  sky,  with  here  and 
there  a  roof  or  a  steeple  reflecting  the  pale  light  of  the 
moon.  The  bosom  of  the  place  was  as  quiet  as  if  its  inhabi- 
tants were  buried  in  midnight  sleep  ;  but  behind  the  hills, 
in  a  circuit  extending  from  the  works  on  the  heights  of 
Charlestown,  to  the  neck,  which  lay  in  open  view  of  the 
boat,  there  existed  all  the  evidences  of  furious  warfare. 
During  the  few  preceding  nights,  the  Americans  had  been 
more  than  commonly  diligent  in  the  use  of  their  annoy- 
ances, but  now  they  appeared  to  expend  their  utmost  en- 
ergies upon  their  enemies.  Still  they  spared  the  town,  di- 
recting the  weight  of  their  fire  at  the  different  batteries 
which  protected  the  approaches  to  the  place,  as  already 
described,  along  the  western  borders  of  the  peninsula. 

The  ears  of  Cecil  had  long  been  accustomed  to  the  up- 
roar of  arms,  but  this  was  the  first  occasion  in  which  she 
was  ever  a  witness  of  the  mingled  beauties  and  terrors  of  a 
cannonade  at  night.  Suffering  the  calash  to  fall,  she  shook 
back  the  dark  tresses  from  her  face,  and,  leaning  over  the 
sides  of  the  little  vessel,  listened  to  the  bursts  of  the  artil- 
lery, and  gazed  on  the  sudden  flashes  of  vivid  light  that 
mocked  the  dimmer  illumination  of  the  planet,  with  an  ab- 
sorbed attention  that  momentarily  lured  her  into  forget- 
fulness.  The  men  pulled  their  light  boat  with  muffled 
oars,  and  so  still  was  its  progress,  that  there  were  instants 
when  even  the  shot  might  be  heard  rattling  among  the 
ruins  they  had  made. 

"  It's  amazement  to  me,  madam,"  said  Meriton,  "that  so 
many  British  generals,  and  brave  gentleman  as  there  is  in 
Boston,  should  stay  in  such  a  little  spot  to  be  shot  at  by  a 
parcel  of  countrymen,  when  there  is  Lon'non,  as  still  and 
as  safe,  at  this  blessed  moment,  as  a  parish  church-yard  at 
midnight ! " 

Cecil  raised  her  eyes  at  this  interruption,  and  perceived 
the  youth  gazing  at  her  countenance  in  undisguised  admi- 
ration of  its  beauty.  Blushing,  and  once  more  concealing 
her  features  beneath  her  calash,  she  turned  away  from  the 
view  of  the  conflict,  in  silence. 


316  LIOXKL   LI.VCOL.V. 

"  The  rebels  are  free  with  their  gunpowder  to-night !  " 
said  the  midshipman. — "  Some  of  their  cruisers  have  picked 
up  another  of  our  store-ships,  I  fancy,  or  Mr.  Washington 
would  not  make  such  a  noisy  time  of  it,  when  all  honest 
people  should  be  thinking  of  their  sleep.  Don't  you  be- 
lieve, ma'am,  if  the  admiral  would  warp  three  or  four  of 
our  heaviest  ships  up  into  the  channel,  back  of  the  town, 
it  would  be  a  short  method  of  lowering  th,e  conceit  of  these 
Yankees  ? " 

"  Really,  sir,  I  am  so  little  acquainted  with  military  mat- 
ters," returned  Cecil,  suffering  her  anxious  features  to  re- 
lax into  a  smile,  "that  my  opinion,  should  I  venture  to 
give  one,  would  be  utterly  worthless." 

"Why,  young  gentleman,"  said  Meriton,  "the  rebels 
drove  a  galley  out  of  the  river,  a  night  or  two  ago,  as  1 
can  testify  myself,  having  stood  behind  a  large  brick 
store,  where  I  saw  the  whole  affair,  most  beautifully  con- 
ducted ! " 

"  A  very  fit  place  for  one  like  you,  no  doubt,  sir,"  re- 
turned the  midshipman,  without  attempting  to  conceal  his 
disgust  at  so  impertinent  an  interruption — "do  you  know 
what  a  galley  is,  ma'am  ?  nothing  but  a  small  vessel  cut 
down,  with  a  few  heavy  guns,  I  do  assure  you.  It  would 
be  a  very  different  affair  with  a  frigate  or  a  two-decker  ! 
Do  but  observe  what  a  charming  thing  our  ship  is,  ma'am 
— I  am  sure  so  beautiful  a  lady  must  know  how  to  admire 
a  handsome  ship  ! — she  lies  hereaway,  nearly  in  a  range 
with  the  second  island." 

To  please  the  earnest  youth  Cecil  bent  her  head  toward 
the  quarter  he  wished,  and  murmured  a  few  words  in  ap- 
probation of  his  taste.  But  the  impatient  boy  had  nar- 
rowly watched  the  direction  of  her  eyes,  and  she  was 
interrupted  by  his  exclaiming,  in  manifest  disappoint- 
ment— 

"What!  that  shapeless  hulk,  just  above  the  castle!  she 
is  an  old  Dutch  prize,  en  flute,  ay,  older  than  my  grand- 
mother, good  old  soul ;  and  it  wouldn't  matter  the  value  of 
a  piece  of  junk,  into  which  end  you  stepped  her  bowsprit ! 
One  of  my  school-fellows,  Jack  Willoughby,  is  a  reefer  on 
board  her  ;  and  he  says  that  they  can  just  get  six  knots 
out  of  her,  on  her  course  in  smooth  water  with  a  fresh 
breeze,  allowing  seven  knot  for  leeway  !  Jack  means  to 
get  rid  of  her  the  moment  he  can  catch  the  admiral  run- 
ning large  ;  for  the  Graveses  live  near  the  Willoughbys  in 
town,  and  he  knows  all  the  soundings  about  the  old  man's 


LIONEL   J.IXCOLX.  317 

humor.  No,  no,  ma'am  ;  Jack  would  give  every  shot  in 
his  lockers  to  swing  a  hammock  between  two  of  the  beams 
of  our  ship.  Do  excuse  me,  one  moment  ;" — presuming 
to  take  one  of  the  hands  of  Cecil,  though  with  sufficient 
delicacy,  as  he  pointed  out  his  favorite  vessel — "  There, 
ma'am,  now  you  have  her  !  she  that's  so  taut-rigged,  with 
a  flying-jib-boom,  and  all  her  top-gallant-yards  stopped  to 
her  lower  rigging — we  send  them  down  every  night  at  gun- 
fire, and  cross  them  again  next  morning  as  regularly  as 
the  bell  strikes  eight. — Isn't  she  a  sweet  thing,  ma'am  ?  for 
I  see  she  has  caught  your  eye  at  last,  and  I  am  sure  you 
can't  wish  to  look  at  any  other  ship  in  port." 

Cecil  could  not  refuse  her  commendations  to  this  elo- 
quent appeal,  though  at  the  next  moment  she  would  have 
been  utterly  at  a  loss  to  distinguish  the  much-admired 
frigate  from  the  despised  store-ship. 

"  Ay,  ay,  madam,  I  knew  you  would  like  her  when  you 
once  got  a  fair  glimpse  at  her  proportions,"  continued  the 
delighted  boy  ;  "  though  she  is  not  half  so  beautiful  on  her 
broadside,  as  when  you  can  catch  her  lasking,  especially 
on  her  larboard  bow. — Pull,  long  and  strong,  men,  and 
with  a  light  touch  of  the  water — these  Yankees  have  ears 
as  long  as  borricoes,  and  we  are  getting  in  with  the  land. 
This  set-down  at  Dorchester's  neck  will  give  you  a  long 
walk,  ma'am,  to  Cambridge,  but  there  was  no  possibility 
of  touching  the  rebels  anywhere  else  to-night,  or,  as  you 
see,  we  should  have  gone  right  into  the  face  of  their 
cannon." 

"  Is  it  not  a  little  remarkable,"  said  Cecil,  willing  to  pay 
the  solicitude  of  the  boy  to  amuse  her,  by  some  reply, 
"  that  the  colonists,  while  they  invest  the  town  so  closely 
on  the  north  and  west,  should  utterly  neglect  to  assail  it 
on  the  south  ?  for  I  believe  they  have  never  occupied  the 
hills  in  Dorchester  at  all  ;  and  yet  it  is  one  of  the  points 
nearest  to  Boston." 

"It  is  no  mystery  at  all ! "  returned  the  boy,  shaking  his 
head  with  all  the  sagacity  of  a  veteran — "  it  would  bring 
another  Bunker  Hill  about  their  ears  ;  for  you  see  it  is  the 
same  thing  at  this  end  of  the  place  that  Charlestown  neck  is 
at  the  other  ! — a  light  touch,  men,  a  light  touch  ! "  he  con- 
tinued, dropping  his  voice,  as  they  approached  the  shore  ; 
— "  besides,  ma'am,  a  fort  on  that  hill  could  throw  its  shot 
directly  on  our  decks,  a  thing  the  old  man  would  never 
submit  to  ;  and  that  would  either  bring  on  a  regular  ham- 
mering match,  or  a  general  clearing  out  of  the  fleet  ;  and 


318  LIONEL   LINCOLN'. 

then  what  would  become  of  the  army  ? — No,  no — the  Yan- 
kees wouldn't  risk  driving  the  codfish  out  of  their  bay,  to 
try  such  an  experiment ! — Lay  on  your  oars,  boys,  while  I 
take  a  squint  along  this  shore,  to  see  if  there  are  any  Jona- 
thans cooling  themselves  near  the  beach,  by  moonlight." 

The  obedient  seamen  rested  from  their  labors,  while 
their  youthful  officer  stood  up  in  the  boat,  and  directed  a 
small  night-glass  over  the  intended  place  of  landing.  The 
examination  proved  entirely  satisfactory,  and  in  a  low, 
cautious  voice,  he  ordered  the  men  to  pull  into  a  place 
where  the  shadow  of  the  hills  might  render  the  landing 
still  less  likely  to  be  observed. 

From  this  moment  the  most  profound  silence  was  ob- 
served, the  boat  advancing  swiftly,  though  under  perfect 
command,  to  the  desired  spot,  where  it  was  soon  heard 
grazing  upon  the  bottom,  as  it  gradually  lost  its  motion, 
and  finally  became  stationary.  Cecil  was  instantly  assisted 
to  the  land  whither  she  was  followed  by  the  midshipman, 
who  jumped  upon  the  shore  with  great  indifference,  and 
approached  the  passenger,  from  whom  he  was  now  about 
to  part. 

"  I  only  hope  that  those  you  next  fall  in  with  may  know 
how  to  treat  you  as  well  as  those  you  leave,"  said  the  boy, 
approaching,  and  offering  his  hand,  with  the  frankness  of 
an  older  seaman,  to  Cecil — "God  bless  you,  my  dear 
ma'am  ;  I  have  two  little  sisters  at  home,  nearly  as  hand- 
some as  yourself  ;  and  I  never  see  a  woman  in  want  of  as- 
sistance, but  I  think  of  the  poor  girls  I've  left  in  old  Eng- 
land— God  bless  you,  once  more — I  hope  when  we  meet 
again,  you  will  take  a  nearer  view  of  the " 

"You  are  not  likely  to  part  so  soon  as  you  imagine," 
exclaimed  a  man,  springing  on  his  feet,  from  his  place  of 
concealment  behind  a  rock,  and  advancing  rapidly  on  the 
party — "  offer  the  least  resistance,  and  you  are  all  dead." 

"  Shove  off,  men,  shove  off,  and  don't  mind  me  ! "  cried 
the  youth,  with  admirable  presence  of  mind — "  For  God's 
sake,  save  the  boat,  if  you  die  for  it ! " 

The  seamen  obeyed  with  practised  alacrity,  when  the 
boy  darted  after  them  with  the  lightness  of  his  years,  and, 
making  a  desperate  leap,  caught  the  gunwale  of  the  barge, 
into  which  he  was  instantly  drawn  by  the  sailors.  A  dozen 
armed  men  had  by  this  time  reached  the  edge  of  the  water, 
and  as  many  muskets  were  pointed  at  the  retreating  party, 
when  he  who  had  first  spoken,  cried — 

"  Not  a  trigger ! — the  boy  has  escaped  us,  and  he  de- 


LIONEL   LINCOLN".  319 

serves  his  fortune  ! — Let  us  secure  those  who  remain  ,  but 
if  a  single  gun  be  fired,  it  will  only  draw  the  attention  of 
the  fleet  and  castle." 

His  companions,  who  had  acted  with  the  hesitation  of 
men  that  were  not  assured  the  course  they  took  was  cor- 
rect, willingly  dropped  the  muzzles  of  their  pieces,  and  in 
another  instant  the  boat  was  ploughing  its  way  toward 
the  much-admired  frigate,  at  a  distance  which  would  prob- 
ably have  rendered  their  fire  quite  harmless.  Cecil  had 
hardly  breathed  during  the  short  period  of  uncertainty  ; 
but  when  the  sudden  danger  was  passed,  she  prepared  her- 
self to  receive  their  captors  with  the  perfect  confidence 
which  an  American  woman  seldom  fails  to  feel  in  the  mild- 
ness and  reason  of  her  countrymen.  The  whole  party,  who 
now  approached  her,  were  dressed  in  the  ordinary  habili- 
ments of  husbandmen,  mingled,  in  a  slight  degree,  with  the 
more  martial  accoutrements  of  soldiers.  They  were  armed 
with  muskets  only,  which  they  wielded  like  men  acquainted 
with  all  the  uses  of  the  weapon,  at  the  same  time  that  they 
were  unaccustomed  to  the  mere  manual  of  the  troops. 

Every  fibre  of  the  body  of  Meriton,  however,  shook  with 
fear,  as  he  found  this  unexpected  guard  encircling  their 
little  party,  nor  did  the  unknown  man  who  had  accom- 
panied them  appear  entirely  free  from  apprehension.  The 
bride  still  maintained  her  self-possession,  supported  either 
by  her  purpose,  or  her  greater  familiarity  with  the  charac- 
ter of  the  people  into  whose  hands  she  had  fallen. 

When  the  whole  party  were  posted  within  a  few  feet  of 
them,  they  dropped  the  butts  of  their  muskets  on  the 
ground,  and  stood  patient  listeners  to  the  ensuing  exam* 
ination.  The  leader  of  the  party,  who  was  only  distin- 
guished from  his  companions  by  a  green  cockade  in  his  hat, 
which  Cecil  had  heard  was  the  symbol  of  a  subaltern  offi- 
cer among  the  American  troops,  addressed  her  in  a  calm, 
but  steady  tone  — 

"  It  is  unpleasant  to  question  a  woman,"  he  said,  "  and 
especially  one  of  your  appearance  ;  but  duty  requires  it 
of  me.  What  brings  you  to  this  unfrequented  point,  in 
the  boat  of  a  king's  ship,  and  at  this  unusual  hour  of  the 
night  ?" 

"  I  come  with  no  intent  to  conceal  my  visit  from  any 
eyes,"  returned  Cecil  ;  "  for  my  first  wish  is  to  be  con- 
ducted to  some  officer  of  rank,  to  whom  I  will  explain  my 
object.  There  are  many  that  I  should  know,  who  will  not 
hesitate  to  believe  my  words." 


320  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

"We  none  of  us  profess  to  doubt  your  truth  ;  we  only 
act  with  caution,  because  it  is  required  by  circumstances. 
— Cannot  the  explanation  be  made  to  me  ? — for  I  dislike 
the  duty  that  causes  trouble  to  a  female." 

"  'Tis  impossible  !  "  said  Cecil,  involuntarily  shrinking 
within  the  folds  of  her  mantle. 

"You  came  at  a  most  unfortunate  moment,"  said  the 
other,  musing  ;  "and  I  fear  you  will  pass  an  uneasy  night, 
in  consequence.  By  your  tongue,  I  think  you  are  an 
American  ? " 

"  I  was  born  among  those  roofs,  which  you  may  see  on 
the  opposite  peninsula." 

"Then  we  are  of  the  same  town,"  returned  the  officer, 
stepping  back  in  a  vain  attempt  to  get  a  glimpse  of  those 
features  which  were  concealed  beneath  the  hood.  He  made 
no  attempt,  however,  to  remove  the  silk  ;  nor  did  he  in  the 
slightest  manner  convey  any  wish  of  a  nature  that  might 
be  supposed  to  wound  the  delicacy  of  her  sex  ;  but  finding 
himself  unsuccessful,  he  turned  away,  as  he  added — "  and 
I  grow  tired  of  remaining  where  I  can  see  the  smoke  of 
my  own  chimneys,  at  the  same  time  I  know  that  strangers 
are  seated  around  the  hearths  below  !  " 

"  None  wish  more  fervently  than  I,  that  the  moment  had 
arrived  when  each  might  enjoy  his  own,  in  peace  and  quiet 
ness." 

"  Let  the  Parliament  repeal  their  laws,  and  the  king  re- 
call his  troops,"  said  one  of  the  men,  "and  there  will  be  an 
end  of  the  struggle  at  once.  We  don't  fight  because  we  love 
to  shed  blood  !  " 

"  He  would  do  both,  friend,  if  the  counsel  of  one  so  in- 
significant as  I  could  find  weight  in  his  royal  mind." 

"  I  believe  there  is  not  much  difference  between  a  royal 
mind  and  that  of  any  other  man,  when  the  devil  gets  hold 
of  it !  "  bluntly  exclaimed  another  of  the  party.  "  I've  a 
notion  the  imp  is  as  mischievous  with  a  king  as  with  a  cob' 
bier  ! " 

"  Whatever  I  may  think  of  the  conduct  of  his  ministers," 
said  Cecil,  coldly,"  'tis  unpleasant  to  me  to  discuss  the  per- 
sonal qualities  of  my  sovereign." 

"  Why,  I  meant  no  oifence  ;  though  when  the  truth  is 
uppermost  in  a  man's  thoughts,  he  is  apt  to  let  it  out,"  re- 
turned the  soldier.  After  this  uncouth  apology,  he  con- 
tinued silent,  turning  away  like  one  who  felt  dissatisfied 
with  himself  for  what  he  had  done. 

In  the  meantime  the  leader   had  been  consulting  with 


LIONEL  LINCOLN.  321 

one  or  two  of  his  men  aside.   He  now  advanced  again,  and 
delivered  the  result  of  their  united  wisdom. 

"Under  all  circumstances,  I  have  concluded,"  he  said, 
speaking  in  the  first  person,  in  deference  to  his  rank, 
though  in  fact  he  had  consented  to  change  his  own  opinion 
at  the  instigation  of  his  advisers,  "  to  refer  you  for  infor- 
mation to  the  nearest  general  officer,  under  the  care  of 
these  two  men,  who  will  show  you  the  way.  They  both 
know  the  country,  and  there  is  not  the  least  danger  of  their 
mistaking  the  road." 

Cecil  bo\ved  in  entire  submission  to  this  characteristic 
intimation  of  his  pleasure,  and  declared  her  anxiety  to  pro- 
ceed. The  officer  held  another  short  consultation  with 
the  two  guides  which  soon  terminated  by  his  issuing  orders 
to  the  rest  of  the  detachment  to  prepare  to  depart.  Before 
they  separated,  one  of  the  guides,  or,  more  properly, 
guards,  approached  Meriton,  and  said,  with  a  deliberation 
that  might  easily  be  mistaken  for  doubt — 

"  As  we  shall  be  only  two  to  two,  friend,  will  it  not  be  as 
well  to  see  what  you  have  got  secreted  about  your  person, 
as  it  may  prevent  any  hard  words  or  difficulties  hereafter  ? 
You  will  see  the  reason  of  the  thing,  I  trust,  and  make  no 
objection." 

"  Not  at  all,  sir,  not  at  all  !  "  returned  the  trembling 
valet,  producing  his  purse,  without  a  moment's  hesitation  ; 
"  it  is  not  heavy,  but  what  there  is  in  it,  is  of  the  best 
English  gold  ;  which  I  expect  is  much  regarded  among 
you  who  see  nothing  but  rebel  paper !  " 

"  Much  as  we  set  store  by  it,  we  do  not  choose  to  rob 
for  it,"  returned  the  soldier,  with  cool  contempt.  "  I  wish 
to  look  for  weapons,  and  not  for  money." 

"  But,  sir,  as  I  unluckily  have  no  weapons,  had  you  not 
better  take  my  money  ?  there  are  ten  good  guineas,  I  do 
assure  you  ;  and  not  a  light  one  among  them  all,  'pon 
honor  !  besides  several  pieces  of  silver." 

"Come,  Allen,"  said  the  other  soldier,  laughing,  "it's  no 
great  matter  whether  that  gentleman  has  arms  or  not,  I 
believe.  His  comrade,  here,  who  seems  to  know  rather  bet- 
ter what  he  is  about,  has  none,  at  any  rate  ;  and  for  one  of 
two  men,  I  am  willing  to  trust  the  other." 

"  I  do  assure  you,"  said  Cecil,  "  that  our  intentions  are 
peaceable,  and  that  your  charge  will  prove  in  no  manner 
difficult." 

The  men  listened  to  the  earnest  tones  of  her  sweet  voice 
with  much  deference,  and  in  a  few  moments  the  two  parties 
21 


322  LIONEL  LINCOLN. 

separated,  to  proceed  on  their  several  ways.  While  the 
main  body  of  the  soldiers  ascended  the  hill,  the  guides  of 
Cecil  took  a  direction  which  led  them  around  its  base. 
Their  route  lay  toward  the  low  neck,  which  connected  the 
heights  with  the  adjacent  country,  and  their  progress  was 
both  diligent  and  rapid.  Cecil  was  often  consulted  as  to 
her  ability  to  endure  the  fatigue,  and  repeated  offers  were 
made  to  accommodate  their  speed  to  her  wishes.  In  every 
other  respect  she  was  totally  disregarded  by  the  guides, 
who,  however,  paid  much  closer  attention  to  her  compan- 
ions, each  soldier  attaching  himself  to  one  of  her  follow- 
ers, whom  he  constantly  regarded  with  a  watchful  and 
wary  eye. 

"  You  seem  cold,  friend,"  said  Allen  to  Meriton,  "  though 
I  should  call  the  night  quite  pleasant  for  the  first  week  in 
March  !  " 

"  Indeed  I'm  starved  to  the  bones  !"  returned  the  valet, 
with  a  shivering  that  would  seem  to  verify  his  assertion — 
"  It's  a  very  chilly  climate  is  this  of  America,  especially 
of  nights  !  I  never  really  felt  such  a  remarkable  damp- 
ness about  the  throat  before,  within  memory,  I  do  assure 
you." 

"  Here  is  another  handkerchief,"  said  the  soldier,  throw- 
ing him  a  common  'kerchief  from  his  pocket — "wrap  it 
round  your  neck,  for  it  gives  me  an  ague  to  hear  your 
teeth  knocking  one  another  about  so." 

"I  thank  you,  sir,  a  thousand  times,"  said  Meriton,  pro- 
ducing his  purse,  again,  with  an  instinctive  readiness — 
"what  may  be  the  price?" 

The  man  pricked  up  his  ears,  and  dropping  his  musket 
from  the  guarded  position  in  which  he  had  hitherto  car- 
ried it,  he  drew  closer  to  the  side  of  his  prisoner,  in  a  very 
companionable  way,  as  he  replied — 

"  I  did  not  calculate  on  selling  the  article  ;  but  if  you 
have  need  of  it,  I  wouldn't  wish  to  be  hard." 

"Shall  I  give  you  one  guinea,  or  two,  Mr.  Rebel?" 
asked  Meriton,  whose  faculties  were  utterly  confounded 
by  his  terror. 

"My  name  is  Allen,  friend,  and  we  like  civil  language 
in  the  Bay,"  said  the  soldier.  "  Two  guineas  for  a  pocket 
handkerchief  !  I  couldn't  think  of  imposing  on  any  man 
so  much  ! " 

"  What  shall  it  be  then,  half  a  guinea,  or  four  half-crown 
pieces  ?" 

"  I  didn't  at  all  calculate  to  part  with  the  handkerchief 


LIONEL  LINCOLN.  323 

when  I  left  home — it's  quite  new,  as  you  can  see  by  hold- 
ing it  up,  in  this  manner,  to  the  moon — besides,  you  know, 
now  there  is  no  trade,  these  things  come  very  high. — Well, 
if  you  are  disposed  to  buy,  I  don't  wish  to  crowd  ;  you  may 
take  it,  finally,  for  the  two  crowns." 

Meriton  dropped  the  money  into  his  hands,  without 
hesitation,  and  the  soldier  pocketed  the  price,  perfectly 
satisfied  with  his  bargain  and  himself,  since  he  had  sold 
his  goods  at  a  clear  profit  of  about  three  hundred  per  cent. 
He  soon  took  occasion  to  whisper  to  his  comrade,  that  in 
his  opinion  "  he  had  made  a  good  trade  ; "  and  laying 
their  heads  together,  they  determined  that  the  bargain 
was  by  no  means  a  bad  wind-fall.  On  the  other  hand, 
Meriton,  who  knew  the  difference  in  value  between  cotton 
and  silk  quite  as  well  as  his  American  protectors,  was 
equally  well  satisfied  with  the  arrangement ;  though  his 
contentment  was  derived  from  a  very  different  manner  of 
reasoning.  From  early  habit,  he  had  long  been  taught  to 
believe,  that  every  civility,  like  patriotism  in  the  opinion 
of  Sir  Robert  Walpole,  had  its  price  ;  and  his  fears  had 
rendered  him  somewhat  careless  about  the  amount  of  the 
purchase-money.  He  now  considered  himself  as  having  a 
clear  claim  on  the  protection  of  his  guard,  and  his  appre- 
hensions gradually  subsided  into  security  under  the  sooth- 
ing impression. 

By  the  time  this  satisfactory  bargain  was  concluded, 
and  eacli  party  was  lawfully  put  in  possession  of  his  own, 
they  had  reached  the  low  land  already  mentioned  as  the 
"  neck."  Suddenly  the  guard  stopped,  and  bending  for- 
ward, in  the  attitude  of  deep  attention,  they  seemed  to 
listen,  intently,  to  some  faint  and  distant  sounds,  that 
were,  for  moments,  audible  in  the  intervals  of  the  can- 
nonade. 

"  They  are  coming,"  said  one  to  the  other ;  "  shall  we 
go  on,  or  wait  until  they've  passed  ? " 

The  question  was  answered  in  a  whisper,  and,  after  a 
short  consultation,  they  determined  to  proceed. 

The  attention  of  Cecil  had  been  attracted  by  this  con- 
ference, and  the  few  words  which  had  escaped  her  guides  ; 
and,  for  the  first  time,  she  harbored  some  little  dread  as 
to  her  final  destination.  Full  of  the  importance  of  her 
errand,  the  bride  now  devoted  every  faculty  to  detect  the 
least  circumstance  that  might  have  a  tendency  to  defeat 
it.  She  trod  so  lightly  on  the  faded  herbage  as  to  render 
her  own  footsteps  inaudible,  and  more  than  once  she  was 


324  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

about  to  request  the  others  to  imitate  her  example,  thai 
no  danger  might  approach  them  unexpectedly.  At  length 
her  doubts  were  relieved,  though  her  wonder  was  increased, 
by  distinctly  hearing  the  lumbering  sounds  of  wheels  on 
the  frozen  earth,  as  if  innumerable  groaning  vehicles  were 
advancing  with  slow  and  measured  progress.  In  another 
instant  her  eyes  assisted  the  organs  of  hearing,  and  by  the 
aid  of  the  moon  her  doubts,  if  not  her  apprehensions,  were 
entirely  removed. 

Her  guards  now  determined  on  a  change  of  purpose,  and 
withdrew  with  their  prisoners  within  the  shadow  of  an 
apple  tree  that  stood  on  the  low  land,  but  a  few  paces 
from  the  line  of  the  route  evidently  taken  by  the  approach- 
ing vehicles.  In  this  position  they  remained  for  several 
minutes,  attentive  observers  of  what  was  passing  around 
them. 

"  Our  men  have  woke  up  the  British  by  their  fire,"  said 
one  of  the  guards  ;  "  and  all  their  eyes  are  turned  to  the 
batteries  ! " 

"  Yes,  it's  very  well  as  it  is,"  returned  his  comrade  ;  "but 
if  the  old  brass  congress  mortar  hadn't  gi'n  way  yesterday, 
there  would  be  a  different  sort  of  roaring.  Did  you  ever 
see  the  old  congress  ?  " 

"  I  can't  say  I  ever  saw  the  cannon  itself,  but  I  have 
seen  the  bombs  fifty  times  ;  and  pokerish-looking  things 
they  be,  especially  in  a  dark  night — but  hush,  here  they 
come." 

A  large  body  of  men  now  approached,  and  moved  swiftly 
past  them,  in  deepest  silence,  defiling  at  the  foot  of  the 
hills,  and  marching  toward  the  shores  of  the  peninsula. 
The  whole  of  this  party  was  attired  and  accoutred  much 
in  the  fashion  of  those  who  had  received  Cecil.  One  or 
two  who  were  mounted,  and  in  more  martial  trappings,  an- 
nounced the  presence  of  some  officers  of  higher  rank.  At 
the  very  heels  of  this  detachment  of  soldiers,  came  a  great 
number  of  carts,  which  took  the  route  that  led  directly  up 
to  the  neighboring  heights.  After  these  came  another, 
and  more  numerous  body  of  troops,  who  followed  the 
teams,  the  whole  moving  in  the  profoundest  stillness,  and 
with  the  diligence  of  men  who  were  engaged  in  the  most 
important  undertaking.  In  the  rear  of  the  whole,  another 
collection  of  carts  appeared,  groaning  under  the  weight  of 
large  bundles  of  hay,  and  other  military  preparations  of 
defence.  Before  this  latter  division  left  the  low  land,  im- 
mense numbers  of  the  closely-packed  bundles  were  turn* 


LIONEL  LINCOLN.  325 

bled  to  the  ground,  and  arranged,  with  a  quickness  almost 
magical,  in  such  a  manner  as  to  form  a  light  breast-work 
across  the  low  ground,  which  would  otherwise  have  been 
completely  exposed  to  be  swept  by  the  shot  of  the  royal 
batteries  ;  a  situation  of  things  that  was  believed  to  have 
led  to  the  catastrophe  of  Breed's,  the  preceding  summer. 

Among  the  last  of  those  who  crossed  the  neck,  was  an 
officer  on  horseback,  whose  eye  was  attracted  by  the  group 
who  stood  as  idle  spectators  under  the  tree.  Pointing  out 
the  latter  object  to  those  around  him,  he  rode  nigher  to 
the  party,  and  leaned  forward  in  his  saddle  to  examine 
their  persons — 

"  How's  this  ?  "  he  exclaimed — "  a  woman  and  two  men 
under  the  charge  of  sentinels  !  Have  we  then  more  spies 
among  us  ? — cut  away  the  tree,  men  ;  we  have  need  of  it, 
and  let  in  the  light  of  the  moon  upon  them  !  " 

The  order  was  hardly  given  before  it  was  executed,  and 
the  tree  fell  with  a  despatch  that,  to  any  but  an  American, 
would  appear  incredible.  Cecil  stepped  aside  from  the 
impending  branches,  and  by  moving  into  the  light,  be- 
trayed the  appearance  of  a  gentlewoman  by  her  mien  and 
apparel. 

"  Here  must  be  some  mistake  ! "  continued  the  officer — 
"why  is  the  lady  thus  guarded  ?  " 

One  of  the  soldiers,  in  a  few  words,  explained  the  nat- 
ure of  her  arrest,  and  in  return  received  directions,  anew, 
how  to  proceed.  The  mounted  officer  now  put  spurs  into 
his  horse,  and  galloped  away,  in  eager  pursuit  of  more 
pressing  duties,  though  he  still  looked  behind  him,  so  long 
as  the  deceptive  light  enabled  him  to  distinguish  either 
form  or  features. 

"  'Tis  advisable  to  go  on  the  heights,"  said  the  soldier, 
"where  we  may  find  the  commanding  general." 

"  Anywhere,"  returned  Cecil,  confused  with  the  activity 
and  bustle  that  had  passed  before  her  eyes,  "or  anything, 
to  be  relieved  from  this  distressing  delay." 

In  a  very  few  moments  they  reached  the  summit  of  the 
nearest  of  the  two  hills,  where  they  paused  just  without 
the  busy  circle  of  men  who  labored  there,  while  ooe  of  the 
soldiers  went  in  quest  of  the  officer  in  command.  From 
the  point  where  she  now  stood,  Cecil  had  an  open  view  of 
the  port,  the  town,  and  most  of  the  adjacent  country.  The 
vessels  still  reposed  heavily  on  the  waters,  and  she  fancied 
that  the  youthful  midshipman  was  already  nestling  safe  in 
his  own  hammock,  on  board  the  frigate,  whose  tall  and 


326  LIONEL  LINCOLN: 

tapering  spars  rose  against  the  sky  in  such  beautiful  and 
symmetrical  lines.  No  evidences  of  alarm  were  manifested 
in  the  town  ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  the  lights  were  gradually 
disappearing,  notwithstanding  the  heavy  cannonade  which 
still  roared  along  the  western  side  of  the  peninsula  ;  and 
it  was  probable  that  Howe,  and  his  unmoved  companions, 
yet  continued  their  revels,  with  the  same  security  in  which 
they  had  been  left  two  short  hours  before.  While,  with 
the  exception  of  the  batteries,  everything  in  the  distance 
was  still,  and  apparently  slumbering,  the  near  view  was 
one  of  life  and  activity.  Mounds  of  earth  were  already 
rising  on  the  crest  of  the  hill ;  laborers  were  filling  barrels 
with  earth  and  sand  ;  fascines  were  tumbling  about  from 
place  to  place,  as  they  were  wanted  ;  and  yet  the  stillness 
was  only  interrupted  by  the  unremitting  strokes  of  the 
pick,  the  low  and  earnest  hum  of  voices,  or  the  crashing 
of  branches,  as  the  pride  of  the  neighboring  orchards  came 
crushing  to  the  earth.  The  novelty  of  the  scene  beguiled 
Cecil  of  her  anxiety,  and  many  minutes  passed  unheeded 
by.  Fifty  times  parties,  or  individuals  amongst  the  labor- 
ers, approaching  near  her  person,  paused  to  gaze  a  mo- 
ment at  the  speaking  and  sweet  features  that  the  placid 
light  of  the  moon  rendered  even  more  than  usually  soft, 
and  then  pushed  on  in  silence,  endeavoring  to  repair,  by 
renewed  diligence,  the  transient  forgetfulness  of  their  ur- 
gent duties.  At  length  the  man  returned,  and  announced 
the  approach  of  the  general  who  commanded  on  the  hill. 
The  latter  was  a  soldier  of  middle  age,  of  calm  and  col- 
lected deportment,  roughly  attired  for  the  occasion,  and 
bearing  no  other  symbol  of  his  rank  than  the  distinctive 
crimson  cockade,  in  one  of  the  large  military  hats  of  the 
period. 

"  You  find  us  in  the  midst  of  our  labors,"  he  pleasantly 
observed,  as  he  approached  ;  "and  will  overlook  the  delay 
I  have  given  you.  It  is  reported  you  left  the  town  this 
evening  ?" 

"  Within  the  hour." 

"  And  Howe — dreams  he  of  the  manner  in  which  we  are 
likely  to  amuse  him  in  the  morning?" 

"  It  would  be  affectation  in  one  like  me,"  said  Cecil^ 
modestly,  "  to  decline  answering  questions  concerning  the 
views  of  the  royal  general ;  but  still  you  will  pardon  me  if 
I  say,  that  in  my  present  situation,  I  could  wish  to  be 
spared  the  pain  of  even  confessing  my  ignorance." 

"  I  acknowledge   my  error,"  the  officer   unhesitatingly 


LIONEL  LINCOLN.  327 

answered.  After  a  short  pause,  in  which  he  seemed  to 
muse,  he  continued — "  this  is  no  ordinary  night,  young 
lady,  and  it  becomes  my  duty  to  refer  you  to  the  general 
commanding  this  wing  of  the  army.  He  possibly  may 
think  it  necessary  to  communicate  your  detention  to  the 
commander-in -chief." 

"  It  is  he  I  seek,  sir,  and  would  most  wish  to  meet." 
He  bowed,  and,  giving  his  orders  to  a  subaltern  in  a  low 
voice,  walked  away,  and  was  soon  lost  in  the  busy  crowd 
that  came  and  went  in  constant  employment,  around  the 
summit  of  the  hill.  Cecil  lingered  a  single  moment  after 
her  new  conductor  had  declared  his  readiness  to  proceed, 
to  cast  another  glance  at  the  calm  splendor  of  the  sea 
and  bay  ;  the  distant  and  smoky  roofs  of  the  town  ;  the 
dim  objects  that  moved  about  the  adjacent  eminence, 
equally  and  similarly  employed  with  those  around  her  ; 
and  then  raising  her  calash,  and  tightening  the  folds  of  her 
mantle,  she  descended  the  hill  with  the  light  and  elastic 
sfeps  of  youth. 


CHAPTER   XXX. 

,    "  The  rebel  vales,  the  rebel  dales, 

With  rebel  trees  surrounded, 
The  distant  woods,  the  hills  and  floods, 

With  rebel  echoes  sounded." — The  Battle  of  the  Kegs. 

THE  enormous  white  cockade  that  covered  nearly  one 
side  of  the  little  hat  of  her  present  conductor,  was  the 
only  symbol  that  told  Cecil  she  was  now  committed  to  the 
care  of  one  who  held  the  rank  of  captain,  among  those 
who  battled  for  the  rights  of  the  colonies.  No  other  part 
of  his  attire  was  military,  though  a  cut-and-thrust  was 
buckled  to  his  form,  which,  from  its  silver  guard,  and  for- 
midable dimensions,  had  probably  been  borne  by  some  of 
his  ancestors,  in  the  former  wars  of  the  colonies.  The  dis- 
position of  its  present  wearer  was,  however,  far  from  that 
belligerent  nature  that  his  weapon  might  be  thought  to 
indicate,  for  he  tendered  the  nicest  care  and  assiduity  to 
the  movements  of  his  prisoner. 

At  the  foot  of  the  hill,  a  wagon,  returning  from  the  field, 
was  put  in  requisition  by  this  semi-military  gallant  ;  and, 
after  a  little  suitable  preparation,  Cecil  found  herself 
seated  on  a  rude  bench  by  his  side,  in  the  vehicle  ;  while 


328  LIONEL  LINCOLN. 

her  own  attendants,  and  the  two  private  men,  occupied  its 
bottom  in  still  more  social  affinity.  At  first  their  progress 
was  slow  and  difficult,  return  carts,  literally  by  hundreds, 
impeding  the  way  ;  but  when  they  had  once  passed  the 
heavy-footed  beasts  who  drew  them,  they  proceeded  in  the 
direction  of  Roxbury,  with  greater  rapidity.  During  the 
first  mile,  while  they  \vere  extricating  themselves  from  the 
apparently  interminable  line  of  carts,  the  officer  directed 
his  whole  attention  to  this  important  and  difficult  ma- 
noeuvre ;  but  when  their  uneasy  vessel  might  be  said  to  be 
fairly  sailing  before  the  wind,  he  did  not  choose  to  neglect 
those  services,  which,  from  time  immemorial,  beautiful 
women  in  distress  have  had  a  right  to  claim  of  men  in  his 
profession. 

"  Now  do  not  spare  the  whip,"  he  said  to  the  driver,  at 
the  moment  of  their  deliverance  ;  "  but  push  on,  for  the 
credit  of  horse-flesh,  and  to  the  disgrace  of  all  horned 
cattle.  This  near  beast  of  yours  should  be  a  tory,  by 
his  gait  and  his  reluctance  to  pull  in  the  traces  for  the 
common  good — treat  him  as  such,  friend,  and,  in  turn, 
you  shall  receive  the  treatment  of  a  sound  whig,  when 
we  make  a  halt.  You  have  spent  the  winter  in  Bos- 
ton, madam  ?  " 

Cecil  bent  her  head  in  silent  assent. 

"  The  royal  army  will,  doubtless,  make  a  better  figure  in 
the  eyes  of  a  lady,  than  the  troops  of  the  colonies  ;  though 
there  are  some  among  us  who  are  thought  not  wholly 
wanting  in  military  knowledge,  and  the  certain  air  of  a  sol- 
dier," he  continued  ;  extricating  the  silver-headed  legacy 
of  his  grandfather  from  its  concealment  under  a  fold  of  his 
companion's  mantle — "you  have  balls  and  entertainments 
without  number,  I  fancy,  ma'am,  from  the  gentlemen  in 
the  king's  service." 

"  I  believe  that  few  hearts  are  to  be  found  amongst  the 
females  in  Boston,  so  light  as  to  mingle  in  their  amuse- 
ments !  " 

"  God  bless  them  for  it !  "  exclaimed  her  escort ;  "  I  am 
sure  every  shot  we  throw  into  the  town  is  like  drawing 
blood  from  our  own  veins.  I  suppose  the  king's  officers 
don't  hold  the  colonists  so  cheap,  since  the  small  affair  on 
Charlestown  Neck,  as  they  did  formerly?" 

"None  who  had  any  interest  at  stake,  in  the  events 
of  that  fatal  day,  will  easily  for.get  the  impression  it  has 
made  !  " 

The  young  American  was  too  much  struck  by  the  melan- 


BZ  LINCOLN.  329 

choly  pathos  in  the  voice  of  Cecil,  not  to  fancy  he  had,  in 
his  own  honest  triumph,  unwittingly  probed  a  wound 
which  time  had  not  yet  healed.  They  rode  many  minutes, 
after  this  unsuccessful  effort  on  his  part  to  converse,  in 
profound  silence;  nor  did  he  again  speak  until  the  tramp- 
ling of  horses'  hoofs  was  borne  along  by  the  evening  air, 
unaccompanied  by  the  lumbering  sounds  of  wheels.  At  the 
next  turn  of  the  road  they  met  a  small  cavalcade  of  offi- 
cers, riding  at  a  rapid  rate  in  the  direction  of  the  place 
they  had  so  recently  quitted.  The  leader  of  this  party 
drew  up  when  he  saw  the  wagon,  which  was  also  stopped 
in  deference  to  his  obvious  wish  to  speak  with  them. 

There  was  something  in  the  haughty,  and  yet  easy  air 
of  the  gentleman  who  addressed  her  companion,  that  in- 
duced Cecil  to  attend  to  his  remarks  with  more  than  the 
interest  that  is  usually  excited  by  the  commonplace  dia- 
logues of  the  road.  His  dress  was  neither  civil,  norwholly 
military,  though  his  bearing  had  much  of  a  soldier's  man- 
ner. As  he  drew  up,  three  or  four  dogs  fawned  upon  him, 
or  passed  with  indulged  impunity  between  the  legs  of  his 
high-blooded  charger,  apparently  indifferent  to  the  im- 
patient repulses  that  were  freely  bestowed  on  their  trouble- 
some familiarities. 

"  High  discipline,  by  !  "  exclaimed  this  singular 

specimen  of  the  colonial  chieftains. — "  I  dare  presume, 
gentlemen,  you  are  from  the  heights  of  Dorchester  ;  and 
having  walked  the  whole  distance  thither  from  camp,  are 
disposed  to  try  the  virtues  of  a  four-wheeled  conveyance 
over  the  same  ground,  in  a  retreat ! " 

The  young  man  rose  in  his  place,  and  lifted  his  hat,  with 
marked  respect,  as  he  answered — 

"  We  are  returning  from  the  hills,  sir,  it  is  true  ;  but  we 
must  see  our  enemy  before  we  retreat ! " 

"  A  white  cockade  !  As  you  hold  such  rank,  sir,  I  pre- 
sume you  have  authority  for  your  movements  ? — Down, 
Juno — down,  slut." 

"  This  lady  was  landed  an  hour  since  on  the  Point,  from 
the  town,  by  a  boat  from  a  king's  ship,  sir  ;  and  I  am  or- 
dered to  see  her  in  safety  to  the  general  of  the  right  wing." 

"  A  lady  !  "  repeated  the  other,  with  singular  emphasis, 
slowly  passing  his  hand  over  his  remarkably  aquiline  and 
prominent  features,  "if  there  be  a  lady  in  the  case,  ease 
must  be  indulged.  Will  you  down,  Juno!"  Turning  his 
head  a  little  aside,  to  his  nearest  aid,  he  added,  in  a  voice 
that  was  suppressed  only  by  the  action — "  Some  trull  of 


330 


LIONEL   LINCOLN. 


Howe's  sent  out  as  the  newest  specimen  of  loyal  modesty! 
In  such  a  case,  sir,  you  are  quite  right  to  use  horses. — I 
only  marvel  that  you  did  not  take  six  instead  of  two.  But 
how  come  we  on  in  the  trenches  ? — Down,  you  hussy, 
down  !  Thou  shouldst  go  to  court,  Juno,  and  fawn  upon 
his  majesty's  ministers,  where  thy  sycophancy  might  pur- 
chase thee  a  riband  !  How  come  we  on  in  the  trenches  ? " 

"  We  have  broken  ground,  sir,  and  as  the  eyes  of  the 
royal  troops  are  drawn  upon  the  batteries,  we  shall  make 
a  work  of  it  before  the  day  shows  them  our  occupation." 

"Ah  !  we  are  certainly  good  at  digging,  if  at  no  other 
part  of  our  exercises  !  Miss  Juno,  thou  puttest  thy  pre- 
cious life  in  jeopardy ! — you  will  ?  then  take  thy  fate  !  " 
As  he  spoke,  the  impatient  chief  drew  a  pistol  from  his 
holster,  and  snapped  it  twice  at  the  head  of  the  dog,  that 
still  fawned  upon  him  in  unwitting  fondness.  Angry  with 
himself,  his  weapon,  and  the  animal  at  the  same  moment, 
he  turned  to  his  attendants,  and  added,  with  bitter  delib- 
eration— "  Gentlemen,  if  one  of  you  will  exterminate  that 
quadruped,  I  promise  him  an  honorable  place  in  my  first 
despatches  to  Congress,  for  the  service  ! " 

A  groom  in  attendance  whistled  to  the  spaniel,  and 
probably  saved  the  life  of  the  disgraced  favorite. 

The  officer  now  addressed  himself  to  the  party  he  had 
detained,  with  a  collected  and  dignified  air,  that  showed  he 
had  recovered  his  self-possession,  by  saying — 

"  I  beg  pardon,  sir,  for  this  trouble— let  me  not  prevent 
you  from  proceeding ;  there  may  be  serious  work  on  the 
heights  before  morning,  and  you  will  doubtless  wish  to  be 
there." — He  bowed  with  perfect  ease  and  politeness,  and 
the  two  parties  were  slowly  passing  each  other,  when,  as  if 
repenting  of  his  condescension,  he  turned  himself  in  his 
saddle,  adding,  with  those  sarcastic  tones  so  peculiarly  his 
own — "  Captain,  I  beseech  thee  have  an  especial  care  of 
the  lady!" 

With  these  words  in  his  mouth,  he  clapped  spurs  to  his 
horse,  and  galloped  onward,  followed  by  all  his  train,  at 
the  same  impetuous  rate. 

Cecil  had  heard  each  syllable  that  fell  from  the  lips  of 
both  in  this  short  dialogue,  and  she  felt  a  chill  of  disap- 
pointment gathering  about  her  heart,  as  it  proceeded. 
When  they  had  parted,  drawing  a  long,  tremulous  breath, 
she  asked,  in  tones  that  betrayed  all  her  feelings — 

"And  is  this  Washington  ?" 

"  That!  "  exclaimed  her  companion— "No, no,  madam,  he 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  331 

is  a  very  different  sort  of  man  !  That  is  the  great  English 
officer,  whom  congress  has  made  a  general  in  our  army.  He 
is  thought  to  be  as  great  in  the  field,  as  he  is  uncouth  in 
the  drawing  room — yes,  I  will  acknowledge  that  much  in 
his  favor,  though  I  never  know  how  to  understand  him  ; 
he  is  proud — so  supercilious — and  yet,  he  is  a  great  friend 
of  liberty  !" 

Cecil  permitted  the  officer  to  reconcile  the  seeming  con 
tradictions  in  the  character  of  his  superior,  in  his  own  way, 
feeling  perfectly  relieved,  when  she  understood  it  was  not 
the  man  who  could  have  any  influence  on  her  own  destiny. 
The  driver  now  appeared  anxious  to  recover  the  lost  time, 
and  he  urged  his  horses  over  the  ground  with  increased 
rapidity.  The  remainder  of  their  short  drive  to  the  vicin- 
ity of  Roxbury,  passed  in  silence.  As  the  cannonading 
was  still  maintained  with  equal  warmth  by  both  parties,  it 
was  hazarding  too  much  to  place  themselves  in  the  line  of 
the  enemy's  fire.  The  young  man,  therefore,  after  find- 
ing a  secure  spot  among  the  uneven  ground  of  the  vicin- 
ity, where  he  might  leave  his  charge  in  safety,  proceeded 
by  himself  to  the  point  where  he  had  reason  to  believe  he 
should  find  the  officer  he  was  ordered  to  seek.  During  his 
short  absence,  Cecil  remained  in  the  wagon,  an  appalled 
listener,  and  a  partial  spectator  of  the  neighboring  con- 
test. 

The  Americans  had  burst  their  only  mortar  of  size,  the 
preceding  night  ;  but  they  applied  their  cannon  with  un- 
wearied diligence,  not  only  in  the  face  of  the  British 
entrenchments,  but  on  the  low  land,  across  the  estuary  of 
the  Charles  ;  and  still  farther  to  the  north,  in  front  of  the 
position  which  their  enemies  held  on  the  well-known 
heights  of  Charlestown.  In  retaliation  for  this  attack,  the 
batteries  along  the  western  side  of  the  town  were  in  a 
constant  blaze  of  fire,  while  those  of  the  eastern  contin- 
ued to  slumber,  in  total  unconsciousness  of  the  coming 
danger. 

When  the  officer  returned,  he  reported  that  his  search 
had  been  successful,  and  that  he  had  been  commanded  to 
conduct  his  charge  into  the  presence  of  the  American 
commander-in-chief.  This  new  arrangement  imposed  the 
necessity  of  driving  a  few  miles  farther  ;  and  as  the  youth 
began  to  regard  his  new  duty  with  some  impatience,  he 
was  in  no  humor  for  delay.  The  route  was  circuitous  and 
safe  ;  the  roads  good  ;  and  the  driver  diligent.  In  conse- 
quence, within  the  hour  they  passed  the  river,  and  Cecil 


332  LIONEL  LINCOLN. 

found  herself,  after  so  long  an  absence,  once  more  ar> 
preaching  the  ancient  provincial  seat  of  learning. 

The  little  village,  though  in  the  hands  of  friends,  exhib- 
ited the  infallible  evidences  of  the  presence  of  an  irregular 
arrhy.  The  buildings  of  the  University  were  filled  with 
troops,  and  the  doors  of  the  different  inns  were  thronged 
with  noisy  soldiers,  who  were  assembled  for  the  insepa- 
rable purposes  of  revelry  and  folly.  The  officer  drove  to 
one  of  the  most  private  of  these  haunts  of  the  unthinking 
and  idle,  and  declared  his  intentions  to  deposit  his  charge 
under  its  roof,  until  he  could  learn  the  pleasure  of  the 
American  leader.  Cecil  heard  his  arrangements  with  little 
satisfaction  ;  but,  yielding  to  the  necessity  of  the  case, 
when  the  vehicle  had  stopped,  she  alighted,  without  re- 
monstrance. With  her  two  attendants  in  her  train,  and 
preceded  by  the  officer,  she  passed  through  the  noisy 
crowd,  not  only  without  insult,  but  without  molestation. 
The  different  declaimers  in  the  throng,  and  there  were 
many,  even  lowered  'their  clamorous  voices  as  she  ap- 
proached, the  men  giving  way,  in  deference  for  her  sex  ; 
and  she  entered  the  building  without  hearing  but  one  re- 
mark applied  to  herself,  though  a  low  and  curious  buzz  of 
voices  followed  her  footsteps  to  its  very  threshold.  That 
solitary  remark  was  a  sudden  exclamation,  in  admiration 
of  the  grace  of  her  movements  ;  and,  singular  as  it  may 
seem,  her  companion  thought  it  necessary  to  apologize  for 
its  rudeness,  by  whispering  that  it  proceeded  from  the 
lips  of  "  one  of  the  southern  riflemen;  a  corps  as  dis- 
tinguished for  its  skill  and  bravery,  as  for  its  want  of 
breeding!" 

The  inside  of  this  inn  presented  a  very  different  aspect 
from  its  exterior.  The  decent  tradesman  who  kept  it  had 
so  far  yielded  to  the  emergency  of  the  times,  and  perhaps, 
also,  to  a  certain  propensity  towards  gain,  as  temporarily 
to  adopt  the  profession  he  followed  ;  but  by  a  sort  of  im- 
plied compact  with  the  crowd  without,  while  he  adminis- 
tered to  their  appetite  for  liquor,  he  preserved  most  of  the 
privacy  of  his  domestic  arrangements.  He  had,  however, 
been  compelled  to  relinquish  one  apartment  entirely  to 
the  service  of  the  public,  into  which  Cecil  and  her  com- 
panions were  shown,  as  a  matter  of  course,  without  the 
smallest  apology  for  its  condition. 

There  might  have  been  a  dozen  people  in  the  common 
room  ;  some  of  whom  were  quietly  seated  before  its  large 
fire,  among  whom  were  one  or  two  females  ;  some  walk- 


LIONEL  LINCOLN;  333 

ing,  and  others  distributed  on  chairs,  as  accident  or  incli- 
nation had  placed  them.  A  slight  movement  was  made  at 
the  entrance  of  Cecil,  but  it  soon  subsided  ;  though  he* 
rich  mantle  of  fine  cloth,  and  silken  calash,  did  not  fail  to 
draw  the  eyes  of  the  women  upon  her,  with  a  ruder  gaze 
than  she  had  yet  encountered  from  the  other  sex  during 
the  hazardous  adventures  of  the  night.  She  took  an 
offered 'seat  near  the  bright  and  cheerful  blaze  on  the 
hearth,  which  imparted  all  the  light  the  room  contained, 
and  disposed  herself  to  wait  in  patience  the  return  of  her 
conductor,  who  immediately  took  his  departure  for  the 
neighboring  quarters  of  the  American  chief. 

"  Tis  an  awful  time  for  women  bodies  to  journey  in  !  " 
said  a  middle-aged  woman  near  her,  who  was  busily  en- 
gaged in  knitting,  though  she  also  bore  the  marks  of  a 
traveller  in  her  dress — "  I'm  sure  if  I  had  thought  there'd 
ha'  been  such  contentions,  I  would  never  have  crossed  the 
Connecticut ;  though  I  have  an  only  child  in  camp  !  " 

"  To  a  mother,  the  distress  must  be  great,  indeed,"  said 
Cecil,  "  when  she  hears  the  report  of  a  contest  in  which 
she  knows  her  children  are  engaged." 

"  Yes,  Royal  is  engaged  as  a  six-months'-man,  and  he  is 
partly  agreed  to  stay  till  the  king's  troops  conclude  to 
give  up  the  town." 

"  It  seems  to  me,"  said  a  grave-looking  yeoman,  who  oc- 
cupied the  opposite  corner  of  the  fireplace,  "your  child 
has  an  unfitting  name  for  one  who  fights  against  the 
crown  !  " 

"Ah,  he  was  so  called  before  the  king  wore  his  Scottish 
Boot !  and  what  has  once  been  solemnly  named,  in  holy 
baptism,  is  not  to  be  changed  with  the  shift  of  the  times ! 
They  were  twins,  and  I  called  one  Prince  and  the  other 
Royal ;  for  they  were  born  the  day  his  present  majesty  came 
to  man's  estate.  That,  you  know,  was  before  his  heart  had 
changed,  and  when  the  people  of  the  Bay  loved  him  little 
less  than  they  did  their  own  flesh  and  blood." 

"Why,  Goody,"  said  the  yeoman,  smiling  good-humor- 
edly,  and  rising  to  offer  her  a  pinch  of  his  real  Scotch,  in 
token  of  amity,  while  he  made  so  free  with  her  domestic 
matters — "  you  had  then  an  heir  to  the  throne  in  your  own 
family  !  The  Prince  Royal,  they  say,  comes  next  to  the 
king ;  and  by  your  tell,  one  of  them,  at  least,  is  a  worthy 
fellow,  who  is  not  likely  to  sell  his  heritage  for  a  mess  of 
pottage  !  If  I  understand  you,  Royal  is  here  in  service?" 

"  He's  at  this  blessed  moment  in  one  of  the  battering' 


334  LIONEL  LINCOLN. 

rams  in  front  of  Boston  Neck,"  returned  the  woman  ;  "  and 
the  Lord,  he  knows,  'tis  an  awful  calling,  to  be  beating 
down  the  houses  of  people  of  the  same  religion  and  blood 
with  ourselves  !  but  so  it  must  be,  to  prevail  over  the 
wicked  designs  of  such  as  would  live  in  pomp  and  idleness, 
by  the  sweat  and  labor  of  their  fellow-creatures." 

The  honest  yeoman,  who  was  somewhat  more  familiar 
with  the  terms  of  modern  warfare  than  the  woman,  smiled 
at  her  mistake,  while  he  pursued  the  conversation  with  a 
peculiar  gravity,  which  rendered  his  humor  doubly  droll. 

"  Tis  to  be  hoped  the  boy  will  not  weary  at  the  weapon 
before  the  morning  cometh.  But  why  does  Prince  linger 
behind,  in  such  a  moment  ?  Tarries  he  with  his  father,  on 
the  homestead,  in  safety,  being  the  younger  born  ?  " 

"No,  no,"  said  the  woman,  shaking  her  head,  in  sorrow, 
"  he  dwells,  I  trust,  with  our  common  Father,  in  heaven  ! 
Neither  are  you  right  in  calling  him  the  home-child.  He 
was  my  first-born,  and  a  comely  youth  he  grew  to  be  ! 
When  the  cry  that  the  reg'lars  were  out  at  Lexington,  to 
kill  and  destroy,  passed  through  the  country,  he  shouldered 
his  musket,  and  came  down  with  the  people,  to  know  the 
reason  the  land  was  stained  with  American  blood.  He  was 
young,  and  full  of  ambition  to  be  foremost  among  them 
who  were  willing  to  fight  for  their  birthrights ;  and  the 
last  I  ever  heard  of  him  was  in  the  midst  of  the  king's 
troops  on  Breed's.  No,  no  ;  his  body  never  came  off  the 
hill  !  The  neighbors  sent  me  up  the  clothes  he  left  in 
camp,  and  'tis  one  of  his  socks  that  I'm  now  footing  for  his 
twin-brother." 

The  woman  delivered  this  simple  explanation  with  per- 
fect calmness ;  though,  as  she  advanced  in  the  subject,  large 
tears  started  from  her  eyes,  and,  following  each  other  down 
her  cheeks,  fell  unheeded  upon  the  humble  garment  of  her 
dead  son. 

"This  is  the  way  our  bravest  striplings  are  cut  off,  fight- 
ing with  the  scum(of  Europe !  "  exclaimed  the  yeoman,  with 
a  warmth  that  showed  how  powerfully  his  feelings  were 
touched — "  I  hope  the  boy  who  lives  may  find  occasion  to 
revenge  his  brother's  death." 

"  God  forbid !  God  forbid  !  "  exclaimed  the  weeping 
mother — "  revenge  is  an  evil  passion  ;  and  least  of  all  would 
I  wish  a  child  of  mine  to  go  into  the  field  of  blood  with  so 
foul  a  breast.  God  has  given  us  this  land  to  dwell  in,  and 
to  rear  up  temples  and  worshippers  of  his  holy  name  ;  and 
in  giving  it,  he  bestowed  the  right  to  defend  it  against  all 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  335 

earthly  oppression.  If  'twas  right  for  Prince  to  come, 
'twas  right  for  Royal  to  follow !  " 

"  I  believe  I  am  reproved  in  justice,"  returned  the  man, 
looking  around  at  the  spectators  with  an  eye  that  no  longer 
teemed  with  a  hidden  meaning — "  God  bless  you,  my  good 
woman,  and  deliver  you,  with  your  remaining  boy,  and  all 
of  us,  from  the  scourge  which  has  been  inflicted  on  the 
country  for  our  sins.  I  go  west,  into  the  mountains,  with 
the  sun  ;  and  if  I  can  carry  any  word  of  comfort  from  you 
to  the  good  man  at  home,  it  will  not  be  a  hill  or  two  that 
shall  hinder  it." 

"  The  same  thanks  to  you  for  the  offer,  as  if  you  did  it, 
friend  ;  my  man  would  be  right  glad  to  see  you  at  his  set- 
tlement ;  out  I  sicken  already  with  the  noises  and  awful 
sights  of  warfare,  and  shall  not  tarry  long  after  my-son 
comes  forth  from  the  battle.  I  shall  go  down  to  Cragie's- 
house  in  the  morning,  and  look  upon  the  blessed  man 
whom  the  people  have  chosen  from  among  themselves  as 
a  leader,  and  hurry  back  again ;  for  I  plainly  see  that  this 
is  not  an  abiding  place  for  such  as  I  ! " 

"  You  will  then  have  to  follow  him  into  the  line  of  dan- 
ger ;  for  I  saw  him,  within  the  hour,  riding,  with  all  his 
followers,  toward  the  water-side ;  and  I  doubt  not  that  this 
unusual  waste  of  ammunition  is  intended  for  more  than  we 
of  little  wit  can  guess." 

"  Of  whom  speak  you  ?"  Cecil  involuntarily  asked. 

"  Of  whom  should  he  speak,  but  of  Washington  ? "  re- 
turned a  deep,  low  voice  at  her  elbow,  whose  remarkable 
sounds  instantly  recalled  the  tones  of  the  aged  messenger 
of  death,  who  had  appeared  at  the  bed-side  of  her  grand- 
mother. Cecil  started  from  her  chair,  and  recoiled  several 
paces  from  the  person  of  Ralph,  who  stood  regarding  her 
with  a  steady  and  searching  look,  heedless  of  the  observa- 
tion they  attracted,  as  well  as  of  the  number  and  quality 
of  the  spectators. 

"We  are  not  strangers,  young  lady,"  continued  the  old 
man ;  "  and  you  will  excuse  me,  if  I  add,  that  the  face  of 
an  acquaintance  must  be  grateful-to  one  of  your  gentle 
sex,  in  a  place  so  unsettled  and  disorderly  as  this." 

"An  acquaintance  !"  repeated  the  unprotected  bride. 

"  I  said  an  acquaintance  ;  we  know  each  other,  surely," 
returned  Ralph,  with  marked  emphasis  ;  "  you  will  be- 
lieve me  when  I  add,  that  I  have  seen  the  two  men  in  the 
guard-room,  which  is  at  hand." 

Cecil  cast  a  furtive  glance  behind  her,  and,  with  some 


336  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

alarm,  perceived  that  she  was  separated  from  Meriton  and 
the  stranger.  Before  time  was  allowed  for  recollection, 
the  old  man  approached  her  with  a  courtly  breeding,  that 
was  rendered  more  striking  by  the  coarseness  as  well  as 
negligence  of  his  attire. 

"This  is  not  a  place  for  the  niece  of  an  English  peer/' 
he  said  ;  "  but  I  have  long  been  at  home  in  this  warlike 
village,  and  will  conduct  you  to  another  residence,  more 
suited  to  your  sex  and  condition." 

For  an  instant  Cecil  hesitated ;  but  observing  the  won- 
dering- faces  about  her,  and  the  intense  curiosity  with 
which  all  in  the  room  suspended  their  several  pursuits,  to 
listen  to  each  syllable,  she  timidly  accepted  his  offered 
hand,  suffering  him  to  lead  her,  not  only  from  the  room, 
but  the  house,  in  profound  silence.  The  door  through 
which  they  left  the  building  was  opposite  to  that  by  which 
she  had  entered  ;  and  when  they  found  themselves  in  the 
open  air,  it  was  in  a  different  street,  and  a  short  distance 
removed  from  the  crowd  of  revellers  already  mentioned. 

"  I  have  left  two  attendants  behind  me,"  she  said,  "  with- 
out whom  'tis  impossible  to  proceed." 

"As  they  are  watched  by  armed  men,  you  have  no 
choice  but  to  share  their  confinement,  or  to  submit  to 
the  temporary  separation,"  returned  the  other,  calmly. 
"  Should  his  keepers  discover  the  character  of  him  who 
led  you  hither,  his  fate  would  be  certain  !  " 

"  His  character  !  "  repeated  Cecil,  again  shrinking  from 
the  touch  of  the  old  man. 

"  Surely  my  words  are  plain  !  I  said  his  character.  Is 
he  not  the  deadly,  obstinate  enemy  of  liberty  ?  And  think 
you  these  countrymen  of  ours  so  dull  as  to  suffer  one  like 
him  to  go  at  large  in  their  very  camp  ! — No,  no,"  he  mut- 
tered with  a  low,  but  exulting  laugh  ;  "  like  a  fool  has  he 
tempted  his  fate,  and  like  a  dog  shall  he  meet  it !  Let  us 
proceed  ;  the  house  is  but  a  step  from  this,  and  you  may 
summon  him  to  your  presence  if  you  will." 

Cecil  was  rather  impelled  by  her  companion,  than  in- 
duced to  proceed,  when,  as  he  had  said,  they  soon  stopped 
before  the  door  of  an  humble  and  retired  building.  An 
armed  man  paced  along  its  front,  while  the  lengthened 
shadow  of  another  sentinel  in  the  rear  was  every  half-min- 
ute thrown  far  into  the  street,  in  confirmation  of  the  watch- 
fulness that  was  kept  over  those  who  dwelt  within. 

"  Proceed,"  said  Ralph,  throwing  open  the  outer  door, 
without  hesitation.  Cecil  complied,  but  started  at  en< 


LIONEL   LINCOLN  337 

countering  another  man,  trailing  a  musket,  as  he  paced  to 
and  fro  in  the  narrow  passage  that  received  her.  Between 
this  sentinel  and  Ralph,  there  seemed  to  exist  a  good  un- 
derstanding, for  the  latter  addressed  him  with  perfect  free- 
dom— 

"  Has  no  order  been  yet  received  from  Washington  ?  " 
he  asked. 

"  None  ;  and  I  rather  conclude,  by  the  delay,  that  noth- 
ing very  favorable  is  to  be  expected." 

The  old  man  muttered  to  himself,  but  passed  on,  and, 
throwing  open  another  door,  said — 

"  Enter." 

Again  Cecil  complied,  the  door  closing  on  her  at  the 
instant  ;  but  before  she  had  time  to  express  either  her 
wonder  or  her  alarm,  she  was  folded  in  the  arms  of  her 
husband. 


CHAPTER   XXXI. 

"Is  she  aCapulet? 
O  dear  account  !  my  life  is  my  foe's  debt." — Romeo. 

"  AH  !  Lincoln  !  Lincoln  !  "  cried  the  weeping  bride, 
gently  extricating  herself  from  the  long  embrace  of  Lionel, 
"  at  what  a  moment  did  you  desert  me  ! " 

"And  how  have  I  been  punished,  love  !  a  night  of 
frenzy,  and  a  morrow  of  useless  regrets  !  How  early 
have  I  been  made  to  feel  the  strength  of  those  ties  which 
unite  us  ; — unless,  indeed,  my  own  folly  may  have  already 
severed  them  forever  !  " 

"  Truant !  I  know  you  !  and  shall  hereafter  weave  a  web, 
with  woman's  art,  to  keep  you  in  my  toils  !  If  you  love 
me,  Lionel,  as  I  would  fain  believe,  let  all  the  past  be  for- 
gotten. I  ask — I  wish,  no  explanation.  You  have  been 
deceived,  and  that  repentant  eye  assures  me  of  your  re- 
turning reason.  Let  us  now  speak  only  of  yourself.  Why 
do  I  find  you  thus  guarded,  more  like  a  criminal  than  an 
officer  of  the  crown  ?  " 

"They  have,  indeed,  bestowed  especial  watchfulness  on 
my  safety  ! " 

"  How  came  you  in  their  power  ?  and  why  do  they  abuse 
their  advantage  ? " 

"  'Tis  easily  explained.  Presuming  on  the  tempestuous- 
ness  of  the  night— what  a  bridal  was  ours,  Cecil !  " 

22 


338  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

"  'Twas  terrible  ! "  she  answered,  shuddering  ;  then,  with 
a  bright  and  instant  smile,  as  if  sedulous  to  chase  every 
appearance  of  distrust  or  care  from  her  countenance,  she 
continued — "  but  I  have  no  longer  faith  in  omens,  Lincoln  ! 
or,  if  one  has  been  given,  is  not  the  awful  fulfilment  already 
come  ?  I  know  not  how  you  value  the  benedictions  of  a 
parting  soul,  Lionel,  but  to  me  there  is  holy  consolation  in 
knowing  that  my  dying  parent  left  her  blessing  on  our 
sudden  union  !  " 

Disregarding  the  hand,  which,  with  gentle  earnestness, 
she  had  laid  upon  his  shoulder,  he  walked  gloomily  away, 
into  a  distant  corner  of  the  apartment. 

"  Cecil,  I  do  love  you,  as  you  would  fain  believe,"  he 
said,  "and  I  listen  readily  to  your  wish  to  bury  the  past 
in  oblivion. — But  I  leave  my  tale  unfinished.  You  know 
the  night  was  such  that  none  would  choose,  uselessly,  to 
brave  its  fury — I  attempted  to  profit  by  the  storm,  and 
availing  myself  of  a  flag,  which  is  regularly  granted  to  the 
simpleton,  Job  Pray,  I  left  the  town.  Impatient — do  I  say 
impatient? — borne  along  rather  by  a  tempest  of  passions 
that  mocked  the  feebler  elements,  we  ventured  too  much 
•^-Cecil,  I  was  not  alone  !  " 

"  I  know  it — I  know  it/'  she  said,  hurriedly,  though 
speaking  barely  above  her  breath  —  "you  ventured  too 
much — " 

"  And  encountered  a:  piquet  that  would  not  mistake  a 
royal  officer  for  an  impoverished,  though  privileged  idiot. 
In  our  anxiety  we  overlooked — believe  me,  dearest  Cecil, 
that  if  you  knew  all — the  scene  I  had  witnessed — the  mo- 
tives which  urged — they,  at  least  would  justify  this  strange 
and  seeming  desertion." 

"  Did  I  doubt  it,  would  I  forget  my  condition,  my  recent 
loss,  and  my  sex,  to  follow  in  the  footsteps  of  one  unworthy 
of  my  solicitude !  "  returned  the  bride,  coloring  as  much 
with  innate  modesty,  as  with  the  power  of  her  emotions. 
"Think  not  I  come  with  girlish  weakness,  to  reproach  you 
with  any  fancied  wrongs  t  I  am  your  wife,  Major  Lin- 
coln ;  and  as  such  would  I  serve  you,  at  a  moment  when  I 
know  all  the  tenderness  of  the  tie  will  most  be  needed. 
At  the  altar,  and  in  the  presence  of  my  God,  have  I  ac- 
knowledged the  sacred  duty  ;  and  shall  I  hesitate  to  dis> 
charge  it  because  the  eyes  of  man  are  on  me  ! " 

"  I  shall  go  mad  ! — I  shall  go  mad  ! "  cried  Lionel,  in 
ungovernable  mental  anguish,  as  he  paced  the  floor,  in  vi- 
olent disorder. — "  There  are  moments  when  I  think  that 


LIONEL  LINCOLN-.  339 

the  curse,  which  destroyed  the  father,  has  already  lighted 
on  the  son  !  " 

"  Lionel  !  "  said  the  soft,  soothing  voice  of  his  compan- 
ion, at  his  elbow,  "  is  this  to  render  me  more  happy  ? — • 
the  welcome  you  bestow  on  the  confiding  girl,  who  has 
committed  her  happiness  to  your  keeping  ?  I  see  you  re- 
lent, and  will  be  more  just  to  us  both  ;  more  dutiful  to 
your  God  !  Now  let  us  speak  of  your  confinement.  Surely, 
you  are  not  suspected  of  any  criminal  designs  in  this  rash 
visit  to  the  camp  of  the  Americans  !  'Twere  easy  to  con- 
vince their  leaders  that  you  are  innocent  of  so  base  a  pur- 
pose ! " 

"'Tis  difficult  to  evade  the  vigilance  of  those  who  strug- 
gle for  liberty  !  "-returned  the  low,  calm  voice  of  Ralph, 
who  stood  before  them,  unexpectedly.  "  Major  Lincoln 
has  too  long  listened  to  the  councils  of  tyrants  and  slaves, 
and  forgotten  the  land  of  his  birth.  If  he  would  be  safe, 
let  him  retract  the  error,  while  yet  he  may,  with  honor." 

"  Honor  !"  repeated  Lionel,  with  unconcealed  disdain 
— again  pacing  the  room  with  swift  and  uneasy  steps,  with- 
out deigning  any  other  notice  of  the  unwelcome  intruder. 
Cecil  bowed  her  head,  and,  sinking  in  a  chair,  concealed 
her  face  in  her  small  muff,  as  if  to  exclude  some  horrid 
and  fearful  sight  from  her  view. 

The  momentary  silence  was  broken  by  the  sound  of  foot- 
steps and  of  voices  in  the  passage,  and  at  the  next  instant, 
the  door  of  the  room  opening,  Meriton  was  seen  on  its 
threshold.  His  appearance  roused  Cecil,  who,  springing 
on  her  feet,  beckoned  him  away,  with  a  sort  of  frenzied 
earnestness,  exclaiming — 

"  Not  here  !  not  here  ! — for  the  love  of  heaven,  not  here  !  " 

The  valet  hesitated,  but,  catching  a  glimpse  of  his  mas^ 
ter,  his  attachment  got  the  ascendency  of  his  respect — 

"  God  be  praised  for  this  blessed  sight,  Master  Lionel  !  " 
he  cried — "  'tis  the  happiest  hour  I  have  seen  since  I  lost 
the  look  at  the  shores  of  old  England  !  If  'twas  only  at 
Ravenscliffe,  or  in  Soho,  I  should  be  the  most  contented 
fool  in  the  three  kingdoms  !  Ah,  Master  Lionel,  let  us  get 
out  of  this  province,  into  the  country,  where  there  is  no 
rebels  ;  or  anything  worse  than  King,  Lords,  and  Com- 
mons !  " 

"  Enough  now  ;  for  this  time,  worthy  Meriton,  enough  !" 
interrupted  Cecil,  breathing  with  difficulty,  in  her  eager- 
ness to  be  heard. — "  Go — return  to  the  inn — the  colleges 
— anywhere — do  but  go  !  " 


340  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

"  Don't  send  a  loyal  subject,  ma'am,  again  among  th« 
rebels,  I  desire  to  entreat  of  you.  Such  awful  blasphemies, 
sir,  as  I  heard  while  I  was  there  !  They  spoke  of  his  sa- 
cred majesty  just  as  freely,  sir,  as  if  he  had  been  a  gentle- 
man like  yourself.  Joyful  was  the  news  of  my  release  !  " 

"  And  had  it  been  a  guard-room  on  the  opposite  shore," 
said  Ralph,  "  the  liberties  they  used  with  your  earthly 
monarch  would  have  been  as  freely  taken  with  the  King 
of  kings  !  " 

"You  shall  remain,  then,"  said  Cecil,  probably  mistak- 
ing the  look  of  high  disdain  which  Mcriton  bestowed  on 
his  aged  fellow-voyager,  for  one  of  a  very  different  mean- 
ing— "  but  not  here.  You  have  other  apartments,  Major 
Lincoln  ;  let  my  attendants  be  received , there — you  surely 
would  not  admit  the  menials  to  our  interview !  " 

"  Why  this  sudden  terror,  love  ?  Here,  if  not  happy, 
you  at  least  are  safe.  Go,  Meriton,  into  the  adjoining 
room  ;  if  wanted,  there  is  admission  through  this  door  of 
communication." 

The  valet  murmured  some  half-uttered  sentences,  of 
which  only  the  emphatic  word  "  genteel "  was  audible  ; 
while  the  direction  of  his  discontented  eye  sufficiently  be- 
trayed that  Ralph  was  the  subject  of  his  meditations.  The 
old  man  followed  his  footsteps,  and  the  door  of  the  passage 
soon  closed  on  both,  leaving  Cecil  standing,  like  a  beauti- 
ful statue,  in  an  attitude  of  absorbed  thought.  When  the 
noise  of  her  attendants,  as  they  quietly  entered  the  adjoin- 
ing room,  was  heard,  she  breathed  again,  with  a  tremulous 
sigh,  that  seemed  to  raise  a  weight  of  apprehension  from 
her  heart. 

"Fear  not  for  rne,  Cecil,  and  least  of  all  for  yourself," 
said  Lionel,  drawing  her  to  his  bosom  with  fond  solicitude 
• — "  my  headlong  rashness,  or  rather  that  fatal  bane  to  the 
happiness  of  my  house,  the  distempered  feeling  which  you 
must  have  often  seen  and  deplored,  has  indeed  led  me  in- 
to a  seeming  danger.  But  I  have  a  reason  for  my  conduct, 
which,  avowed,  shall  lull  the  suspicions  of  even  our  ene- 
mies to  sleep." 

"  I  have  no  suspicions — no  knowledge  of  any  imper« 
fections — no  regrets,  Lionel ; — nothing  but  the  most  ar« 
dent  wishes  for  your  peace  of  mind  ;  and,  if  I  might  ex- 
plain ! — yes,  now  is  a  time — Lionel,  kind,  but  truant  Lio- 
nel  " 

Her  words  were  interrupted  by  Ralph,  who  appeared 
again  in  the  room,  with  that  noiseless  step,  which,  in  con- 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  341 

junction  with  his  great  age  and  attenuated  frame,  some- 
times gave  to  his  movements  and  aspect  the  character  of 
a  being  superior  to  the  attributes  of  humanity.  On  his 
arm  he  bore  an  overcoat  and  a  hat,  both  of  which  Cecil 
recognized,  at  a  glance,  ,as  the  property  of  the  unknown 
man  who  had  attended  her  person  throughout  all  the  vicis- 
situdes of  that  eventful  night. 

"  See  !  "  said  Ralph,  exhibiting  his  spoils  with  a  ghastly, 
but  meaning  smile,  "  see  in  how  many  forms  Liberty  ap- 
pears to  aid  her  votaries  !  Here  is  the  guise  in  which  she 
will  now  be  courted  !  Wear  them,  young  man,  and  be 
free  ! " 

"  Believe  him  not — listen  not,"  whispered  Cecil,  while 
she  shrunk  from  his  approach  in  undisguised  terror — 
"nay,  do  listen,  but  act  with  caution!" 

"  Dost  thou  delay  to  receive  the  blessed  boon  of  freedom, 
when  offered  ?  "  demanded  Ralph  ;  "  wouldst  thou  remain, 
and  brave  the  angry  justice  of  the  American  chief,  and 
make  thy  wife,  of  a  day,  a  widow  for  an  age  ? " 

"In  what  manner  am  I  to  profit  by  this  dress  ?"  said 
Lionel. — "  To  submit  to  the  degradation  of  a  disguise,  suc- 
cess should  be  certain." 

"  Turn  thy  haughty  eyes,  young  man,  on  the  picture  of 
innocence,  and  terror  at  thy  side.  For  the  sake  of  her 
whose  fate  is  wrapped  in  thine,  if  not  for  your  own, 
consult  thy  safety,  and  fly — another  minute  may  be  too 
late." 

"  Oh  !  hesitate  not  a  moment  longer,  Lincoln,"  cried 
Cecil,  with  a  change  of  purpose  as  sudden  as  the  impulse 
was  powerful — "  fly, — leave  me  ;  my  sex  and  station  will 
be " 

"Never,"  said  Lionel,  casting  the  garment  from  him, 
in  cool  disdain. — "  Once,  when  Death  was  busy,  did  I 
abandon  thee  ;  but,  ere  I  do  it  again,  his  blow  must  fall  on 
me  !  " 

"  I  will  follow — I  will  rejoin  you." 

"  You  shall  not  part,"  said  Ralph,  once  more  raising  the 
rejected  coat,  and  lending  his  aid  to  envelop  the  form  of 
Lionel,  who  stood  passive  under  the  united  efforts  of  his 
bride  and  her  aged  assistant.  "Remain  here,"  the  latter 
added,  when  their  brief  task  was  ended,  "  and  await  the 
summons  to  freedom.  And  thou,  sweet  flower  of  innocence 
and  love,  follow,  and  share  in  the  honor  of  liberating  him 
who  has  enslaved  thee  !" 

Cecil  blushed  with  virgin  shame,  at  the   strength  of  his 


342  LIONEL  LINCOLN. 

expressions,  but  bowed  her  head  in  silent  acquiescence  ta 
his  will.  Proceeding  to  the  door,  he  beckoned  her  to  ap- 
proach, indicating,  by  an  expressive  gesture  to  Lionel,  that 
he  was  to  remain  stationary.  When  Cecil  had  complied, 
and  they  were  in  the  narrow  passage  of  the  building,  Ralph, 
instead  of  betraying  any  apprehension  of  the  sentinel  who 
paced  its  length,  fearlessly  approached,  and  addressed  him 
with  the  confidence  of  a  known  friend — 

''See!"  he  said,  removing  the  calash  from  before  the 
pale  features  of  his  companion,  "  how  terror  for  the  fate 
of  her  husband  has  caused  the  good  child  to  weep  !  She 
quits  him  now,  friend,  with  one  of  her  attendants,  while 
the  other  tarries  to  administer  to  his  master's  wants.  Look 
at  her ;  is't  not  a  sweet,  though  mourning  partner,  to  smooth 
the  path  of  a  soldier's  life  ! " 

The  man  seemed  awkwardly  sensible  of  the  unusual 
charms  that  Ralph  so  unceremoniously  exhibited  to  his 
view  ;  and  while  he  stood  in  admiring  embarrassment, 
ashamed  to  gaze,  and  yet  unwilling  to  retire,  Cecil  traced 
the  light  footsteps  of  the  old  man,  entering  the  room  oc- 
cupied by  Meriton  and  the  stranger.  She  was  still  in  the 
act  of  veiling  her  features  from  the  eyes  of  the  sentinel, 
when  Ralph  reappeared,  attended  by  a  figure  muffled  in 
the  well-known  overcoat.  Notwithstanding  the  flopped 
hat,  and  studied  concealment  of  his  gait,  the  keen  eyes  of 
the  wife  penetrated  the  disguise  of  her  husband  ;  and  recol- 
lecting, at  the  same  instant,  the  door  of  communication 
between  the  two  apartments,  the  whole  artifice  was  at  once 
revealed.  With  trembling  eagerness  she  glided  past  the 
sentinel,  and  pressed  to  the  side  of  Lionel,  with  a  de- 
pendence that  might  have  betrayed  the  deception  to  one 
more  accustomed  to  the  forms  of  life  than  was  the  honest 
countryman  who  had  so  recently  thrown  aside  the  flail  to 
carry  a  musket. 

Ralph  allowed  the  sentinel  no  time  to  deliberate  ;  but 
waving  his  hand  in  token  of  adieu,  he  led  the  way  into  the 
street,  with  his  accustomed  activity.  Here  they  found 
themselves  in  the  presence  of  the  other  soldier,  who  moved 
to  and  fro,  along  the  allotted  ground  in  front  of  the  build- 
ing, rendering  the  watchfulness,  by  which  they  were  en- 
vironed, doubly  embarrassing.  Following  the  example  of 
their  aged  conductor,  Lionel  and  his  trembling  companion 
walked  with  apparent  indifference  towards  this  man,  who, 
as  it  proved,  was  better  deserving  of  his  trust  than  his  fel- 
low within  doors.  Dropping  his  musket  across  their  path, 


LIONEL   LINCOLN'.  343 

in  a  manner  which  announced  an  intention  to  inquire  into 
their  movements,  before  he  suffered  them  to  proceed,  he 
roughly  demanded — 

"  How's  this,  old  gentleman  ?  you  come  out  of  the  prison- 
ers' rooms  by  squads  !  one,  two,  three  ;  our  English  gallant 
might  be  among  you,  and  there  would  still  be  two  left ! 
Come,  come,  old  father,  render  some  account  of  yourself, 
and  of  your  command.  For,  to  be  plain  with  you,  there 
are  those  who  think  you  are  no  better  than  a  spy  of  Howe's, 
notwithstanding  you  are  left  to  run  up  and  down  the  camp, 
as  you  please.  In  plain  Yankee  dialect,  and  that's  intelli- 
gible English,  you  have  been  caught  in  bad  company  of 
late,  and  there  has  been  hard  talk  about  shutting  you  up, 
as  well  as  your  comrade  ! " 

"  Hear  ye  that  ? "  said  Ralph,  calmly  smiling,  and  ad- 
dressing himself  to  his  companions,  instead  of  the  man 
whose  interrogatories  he  was  expected  to  answer — "  think 
you  the  hirelings  of  the  crown  are  thus  alert  ?  Would  not 
the  slaves  be  sleeping  the  moment  the  eyes  of  their  tyrants 
are  turned  on  their  own  lawless  pleasures  ?  Thus  it  is  with 
Liberty  !  The  sacred  spirit  hallows  its  meanest  votaries,  and 
elevates  the  private  to  all  the  virtues  of  the  proudest  cap- 
tain ! " 

"  Come,  come,"  returned  the  flattered  sentinel,  throwing 
his  musket  back  to  his  shoulder  again,  "  I  believe  a  man 
gains  nothing  by  battling  you  with  words  !  I  should  have 
spent  a  year  or  two  inside  yonder  colleges  to  dive  at  all 
your  meaning.  Though  I  can  guess  you  are  more  than  half 
right  in  one  thing  ;,  for  if  a  poor  fellow,  who  loves  his 
country,  and  the  good  cause,  finds  it  so  hard  to  keep  his 
eyes  open  on  post,  what  must  it  be  to  a  half-starved  devil 
on  sixpence  a-day  !  Go  along,  go  along,  old  father ;  there 
is  one  less  of  you  than  went  in,  and  if  there  was  anything 
wrong,  the  man  in  the  house  should  know  it ! ' 

As  he  concluded,  the  sentinel  continued  his  walk,  hum- 
ming averse  of  Yankee-doodle,  in  excellent  favor  with  him- 
self and  all  mankind,  with  the  sweeping  exception  of  his 
country's  enemies.  To  say  that  this  was  not  the  first  in- 
stance of  well-meaning  integrity  being  cajoled  by  the  jar- 
gon of  liberty,  might  be  an  assertion  too  hazardous  ;  but 
that  it  has  not  been  the  last,  we  conscientiously  believe, 
though  no  immediate  example  may  present  itself  to  quote 
in  support  of  such  heretical  credulity. 

Ralph  appeared,  however,  perfectly  innocent  of  intend- 
ing to  utter  more  than  the  spirit  of  the  times  justified ,' 


344  LIONEL  LINCOLN. 

for,  when  left  to  his  own  pleasure,  he  pursued  his  way, 
muttering  rapidly  to  himself,  and  with  an  earnestness  that 
attested  his  sincerity.  When  they  had  turned  a  corner,  at 
a  little  distance  from  any  pressing  danger,  he  relaxed  in 
his  movements,  and,  suffering  his  eager  companions  to  ap- 
proach, he  stole  to  the  side  of  Lionel,  and,  clenching  his 
hand  fiercely,  he  whispered,  in  a  voice  half  choked  by  in- 
ward exultation — 

"  I  have  him  now  ;  he  is  no  longer  dangerous  !  Ay — ay 
—I  have  him  closely  watched  by  the  vigilance  of  three  in- 
corruptible patriots ! " 

"  Of  whom  speak  you  ? "  demanded  Lionel — "  what  is  his 
offence,  and  where  is  your  captive  ?" 

"  A  dog !  a  man  in  form,  but  a  tiger  in  heart !  Ay !  but  I 
have  him  !  "  the  old  man  continued,  with  a  hollow  laugh, 
that  seemed  to  heave  up  from  his  inmost  soul — "  a  dog ; 
a  veritable  dog !  I  have  him,  and  God  grant  that  he  may 
drink  of  the  cup  of  slavery  to  its  dregs  ! " 

"Old  man,"  said  Lionel,  firmly,  "that  I  have  followed 
you  thus  far  on  no  unworthy  errand,  you  best  may  testify 
— I  have  forgotten  the  oath  which,  at  the  altar,  I  had  sworn 
to,  to  cherish  this  sweet  and  spotless  being  at  my  side, 
at  your  instigation,  aided  by  the  maddening  circumstan- 
ces of  a  moment  ;  but  the  delusion  has  already  passed 
away  !  Here  we  part  forever,  unless  your  solemn  and  often- 
repeated  promises  are,  on  the  instant,  redeemed." 

The  high  exultation,  which  had  so  lately  rendered  the 
emaciated  countenance  of  Ralph  hideously  ghastly,  disap- 
peared like  a  passing  shadow  ;  and  he  listened  to  the 
words  of  Lionel  with  calm  and  settled  attention.  But  when 
he  would  have  answered,  he  was  interrupted  by  Cecil,  who 
uttered,  in  a  voice  nearly  suppressed  by  her  fears — 

"  Oh  !  delay  not  a  moment !  Let  us  proceed  anywhere, 
or  anyhow !  even  'now  the  pursuers  may  be  on  our  track. 
I  am  strong,  dearest  Lionel,  and  will  follow  to  the  ends  of 
the  earth,  so  you  but  lead  ! " 

"  Lionel  Lincoln,  I  have  not  deceived  thee  !  "  said  the 
old  man,  solemnly.  "Providence  has  already  led  us  on  our 
way,  and  a  few  minutes  will  bring  us  to  our  goal — suffer, 
then,  that  gentle  trembler  to  return  into  the  village,  and 
follow ! " 

"Not  an  inch!"  returned  Lionel,  pressing  Cecil  still 
closer  to  his  side — "  here  we  part,  or  your  promises  are 
fulfilled." 

"  Nay,  go  with  him — go,"  again  whispered  the  being  who 


LIONEL  LINCOLN.  345 

clung  to  him  in  trembling  dependence.  "This  very  con- 
troversy may  prove  your  ruin — did  I  not  say  I  would  ac- 
company you,  Lincoln  ? " 

"Lead  on,  then,"  said  her  husband,  motioning  Ralph  to 
proceed — "  once  again  will  I  confide  in  you  ;  but  use  the 
trust  with  discretion,  for  my  guardian  spirit  is  at  hand  ; 
and  remember,  thou  no  longer  leadest  a  lunatic  !" 

The  moon  fell  upon  the  wan  features  of  the  old  man, 
and  exhibited  their  contented  smile,  as  he  silently  turned 
away,  and  resumed  his  progress  with  his  wonted  rapid  and 
noiseless  tread.  Their  route  still  lay  towards  the  skirts  of 
the  village.  While  the  building;s  of  the  University  were 
yet  in  the  near  view,  and  the  loud  laugh  of  the  idlers 
about  the  inn,  with  the  frequent  challenges  of  the  senti- 
nels, were  still  distinctly  audible,  their  conductor  bent  his 
way  beneath  the  walls  of  a  church,  that  rose  in  solemn 
solitude  in  the  deceptive  light  of  the  evening.  Pointing 
upward  at  its  somewhat  unusual,  because  regular  architec- 
ture, Ralph  muttered,  as  he  passed — 

"Here,  at  least,  God  possesses  his  own,  without  insult !  " 

Lionel  and  Cecil  slightly  glanced  their  eyes  at  the  silent 
walls,  and  followed  into  a  small  enclosure,  through  a  gap 
in  its  humble  and  dilapidated  fence.  Here  the  former 
again  paused  and  spoke— 

"I  will  go  no  further,"  he  said,  unconsciously  strength- 
ening the  declaration  by  placing  his  foot  firmly  on  the 
frozen  earth,  in  an  attitude  of  resistance — "  'tis  time  to 
cease  thinking  of  self,  and  to  listen  to  the  weakness  of  her 
whom  I  support !" 

"Think  not  of  me,  dearest  Lincoln " 

Cecil  was  interrupted  by  the  voice  of  the  old  man,  who, 
raising  his  hat,  and  baring  his  gray  locks  to  the  mild  rays 
of  the  planet,  answered  with  tremulous  emotion — 

1  'Thy  task  is  already  ended  !  Thou  hast  reached  the 
spot,  where  moulder  the  bones  of  one  who  long  supported 
thee.  Unthinking  boy,  that  sacrilegious  foot  treads  on  thy 
mother's  grave  !" 


346  LIONEL  LINCOLN. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

"  Oh,  age  has  weary  days, 

And  nights  o'  sleepless  pain  ! 
Thou  golden  time  o'  youthful  prime, 
Why  com'st  thou  not  again  ?  " — BURNS. 

THE  stillness  that  succeeded  this  unexpected  annuncia- 
tion was  like  the  cold  silence  of  those  who  slumbered  on 
every  side  of  them.  Lionel  recoiled  a  pace,  in  horror; 
then,  imitating  the  action  of  the  old  man,  he  uncovered  his 
head,  in  pious  reverence  of  the  parent,  whose  form  floated 
dimly  in  his  imagination,  like  the  earliest  recollections  of 
infancy,  or  the  imperfect  fancies  of  some  dream.  When 
time  was  given  for  these  sudden  emotions  to  subside,  he 
turned  to  Ralph,  and  said — 

"  And  was  it  here  that  you  would  bring  me,  to  listen  to 
the  sorrows  of  my  family  ? " 

An  expression  of  piteous  anguish  crossed  the  features  of 
the  other,  as  he  answered,  in  a  voice  which  was  subdued  to 
softness — 

"  Even  here — here  in  the  presence  of  thy  mother's  grave, 
shalt  thou  hear  the  tale  ! " 

"  Then  let  it  be  here  !  "  said  Lionel,  whose  eye  was  al- 
ready kindling  with  a  wild  and  disordered  meaning,  that 
curdled  the  blood  of  the  anxious  Cecil,  who  watched  its 
expression  with  a  woman's  solicitude. — "  Here,  on  this 
hallowed  spot,  will  I. listen,  and  swear  the  vengeance  that 
is  due,  if  all  thy  previous  intimations  should  be  just — 

"No,  no,  no — listen  not — tarry  "not!"  said  Cecil,  cling- 
ing to  his  side  in  undisguised  alarm — "  Lincoln,  you  are 
not  equal  to  the  scene  !  " 

"  I  am  equal  to  anything,  in  such  a  cause." 

"  Nay,  Lionel,  you  overrate  your  powers  ! — Think  only 
of  your  safety,  now  ;  at  another,  and  happier  moment  you 
shall  know  all — yes — I — Cecil — thy  bride,  thy  wife,  prom- 
ise that  all  shall  be  revealed " 

"  Thou  ! " 

"  It  is  the  descendant  of  the  widow  of  John  Lechmere 
who  speaks,  and  thy  ears  will  not  refuse  the  sounds,"  said 
Ralph,  with  a  smile  that  acted  like  a  taunt  on  the  awakened 
impulses  of  the  young  man. — "  Go — thou  art  fitter  for  a 
bridal  than  a  church-yard  !  " 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  347 

UI  have  told  you  that  I  am  equal  to  anything,"  sternly 
answered  Lionel ;  "  here  will  I  sit,  on  this  humble  tablet, 
to  hear  all  that  you  can  utter,  though  the  rebel  legions  en- 
circle me  to  my  death  !  " 

"  What !  dar'st  brave  the  averted  eye  of  one  so  dear  to 
thy  heart  ? " 

"All,  or  anything,"  exclaimed  the  excited  youth,  "with 
so  pious  an  object." 

"  Bravely  answered  !  and  thy  reward  is  nigh — nay,  look 
not  on  the  siren,  or  thou  wilt  relent." 

"  My  wife  !  "  said  Lionel,  extending  his  hand,  kindly, 
towards  the  shrinking  form  of  Cecil. 

"Thy  mother!"  interrupted  Ralph,  pointing  with  his 
emaciated  hand  to  the  cold  residence  of  the  dead. 

Lionel  sunk  on  the  dilapidated  gravestone  to  which  he 
had  just  alluded,  and  gathering  his  coat  about  him,  he 
rested  an  arm  upon  his  knee,  while  its  hand  supported  his 
quivering  chin,  as  if  he  were  desperately  bent  on  his 
gloomy  purpose.  The  old  man  smiled  with  his  usual 
ghastly  expression,  as  he  witnessed  this  proof  of  his  suc- 
cess, and  he  took  a  similar  seat  on  the  opposite  -side  of  the 
grave,  which  seemed  the  focus  of  their  common  interest. 
Here  he  dropped  his  face  between  his  hands,  and  appeared 
to  muse,  like  one  who  was  collecting  his  thoughts  for  the 
coming  emergency.  During  this  short  and  impressive 
pause,  Lionel  felt  the  trembling  form  of  Cecil  drawing  to 
his  side  ;  and  before  his  aged  companion  spoke,  her  un- 
veiled and  pallid  countenance  was  once  more  watching  the 
changes  of  his  own  features,  in  submissive,  but  anxious  at- 
tention. 

"Thou  knowest  already,  Lionel  Lincoln,"  commenced 
Ralph,  slowly  raising  his  body  to  an  upright  attitude,  "  how, 
in  past  ages,  thy  family  sought  these  colonies,  to  find  re- 
ligious quiet,  and  the  peace  of  the  just.  And  thou  also 
knowest, — for  often  did  we  beguile  the  long  watches  of 
the  night  in  discoursing  of  these  things,  while  the  never- 
tiring  ocean  was  rolling  its  waters  unheeded  around, — how 
Death  came  into  its  elder  branch,  which  still  dwelt  amid 
the  luxury  and  corruption  of  the  English  court,  and  left 
thy  father  the  heir  of  all  its  riches  and  honors." 

"  How  much  of  this  is  unknown  to  the  meanest  gossip 
in  the  province  of  Massachusetts  Bay  ? "  interrupted  the 
impatient  Lionel. 

"  But  they  do  not  know,  that,  for  years  before  this  ac- 
cumulation of  fortune  actually  occurred,  it  was  deemed  to 


348  LIONEL  LINCOLN. 

be  inevitable  by  the  decrees  of  Providence  ;  they  do  not 
know  how  much  more  value  the  orphan  son  of  the  unpro- 
vided soldier  found  in  the  eyes  of  those  even  of  his  own 
blood,  by  the  expectation  ;  nor  do  they  know  how  the 
worldly-minded  Priscilla  Lechmere,  thy  father's  aunt,  would 
have  compassed  heaven  and  earth,  to  have  seen  that  wealth, 
and  those  honors,  to  which  it  was  her  greatest  boast  to 
claim  alliance,  descend  in  the  line  of  her  own  body." 

"  But  'twas  impossible  !  She  was  of  the  female  branch  ; 
neither  had  she  a  son  !  " 

"  Nothing  seems  impossible  to  those  on  whose  peace  of 
mind  the  worm  of  ambition  feeds — thou  knowest  well  she 
left  a  grandchild  ;  had  not  that  child  a  mother  ? " 

Lionel  felt  a  painful  conviction  of  the  connection,  as  the 
trembling  object  of  these  remarks  sunk  her  head  in  shame 
and  sorrow  on  his  bosom,  keenly  alive  to  the  justice  of  the 
character  drawn  of  her  deceased  relative,  by  the  mysterious 
being  who  had  just  spoken.  . 

"  God  forbid,  that  I,  a  Christian,  and  a  gentleman,"  con- 
tinued the  old  man,  a  little  proudly,  "  should  utter  a 
syllable  to"  taint  the  spotless  name  of  one  so  free  from 
blemish  as  she  of  whom  I  speak.  The  sweet  child  who 
clings  to  thee,  in  dread,  Lionel,  was  not  more  pure  and 
innocent  than  she  who  bore  her.  And  long  before  ambi- 
tion had  wove  its  toils  for  the  miserable  Priscilla,  the  heart 
of  her  daughter  was  the  property  of  the  gallant  and  honor- 
able Englishman,  to  whom  in  later  years  she  was  wedded." 

As  Cecil  heard  this  soothing  commendation  of  her  more 
immediate  parents,  she  again  raised  her  face  into  the  light 
of  the  moon,  and  remained,  where  she  was  already  kneel- 
ing, at  the  side  of  Lionel,  no  longer  an  uneasy,  but  a  deeply 
interested  listener  to  what  followed. 

"  As  the  wishes  of  my  unhappy  aunt  were  not  realized/' 
said  Major  Lincoln,  "in  what  manner  could  they  affect  the 
fortunes  of  my  father?" 

"Thou  shn.lt  hear.  In  the  same  dwelling  lived  another, 
even  fairer,  and,  to  the  eye,  as  pure  as  the  daughter  of 
Priscilla.  She  was  the  relative,  the  god-child,  and  the 
ward  of  that  miserable  woman.  The  beauty,  and  seeming 
virtues  of  this  apparent  angel  in  human  form,  caught  the 
young  eye  of  thy  father,  and,  in  defiance  of  arts  and 
schemes,  before  the  long-expected  title  and  fortune  came, 
they  were  wedded,  and  thou  wert  born,  Lionel,  to  render 
the  boon  of  Fate  doubly  welcome." 

"  And  then " 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  349 

"  And  then  thy  father  hastened  to  the  land  of  his  ances- 
tors, to  claim  his  own,  and  to  prepare  the  way  for  the 
reception  of  yourself,  and  his  beloved  Priscilla — for  then 
there  were  two  Priscillas  ;  and  now  both  sleep  with  the 
dead !  All  having  life  and  nature  can  claim  the  quiet  of 
the  grave,  but  I,"  continued  the  old  man,  glancing  his  hol- 
low eye  upward,  with  a  look  of  hopeless  misery, — "  I,  who 
have  seen  ages  pass  since  the  blood  of  youth  has  been 
chilled,  and  generation  after  generation  swept  away,  must 
stilJ  linger  in  the  haunts  of  men  !  but  'tis  to  aid  in  the 
great  work  which  commences  here,  but  which  shall  not  end 
until  a  continent  be  regenerate." 

Lionel  suffered  a  minute  to  pass  without  a  question,  in 
deference  to  this  burst  of  feeling  ;  but  soon,  making  an 
impatient  movement,  it  drew  the  eyes  of  Ralph  once  more 
upon  him,  and  the  old  man  continued — 

"  Month  after  month,  for  two  long  and  tedious  years,  did 
thy  father  linger  in  England,  struggling  for  his  own.  At 
length  he  prevailed.  He  then  hastened  hither ;  but  there 
was  no  wife — no  fond  and  loving  Priscilla,  like  that  ten- 
der flower  that  reposes  in  thy  bosom,  to  welcome  his  re- 
turn." 

"  I  know  it,"  said  Lionel,  nearly  choked  by  his  pious 
recollections — "  she  was  dead." 

"  She  was  more,"  returned  Ralph,  in  a  voice  so  deep, 
that  it  sounded  like  one  speaking  from  the  grave — "  she 
was  dishonored  !  " 

"  Tis  false  !  " 

"  'Tis  true  ;  true  as  that  holy  gospel  which  comes  to 
men  through  the  inspired  ministers  of  God  !  " 

"'Tis  false,"  repeated  Lionel  fiercely — "blacker  than 
the  darkest  thoughts  of  the  foul  spirit  of  evil ! " 

"  I  say,  rash  boy,  'tis  true  !  She  died  in  giving  birth  to 
the  fruits  of  her  infamy.  When  Priscilla  Lecbmere  met 
thy  heart-stricken  parent  with  the  damning  tale,  he  read 
in'her  exulting  eye  the  treason  of  her  mind,  and,  like  thee, 
he  dared  to  call  heaven  to  witness,  that  thy  mother  was 
defamed.  But  there  was  one  known  to  him,  under  cir- 
cumstances that  forbade  the  thoughts  of  deceit,  who  swore 
— ay,  took  the  blessed  name  of  Him,  who  reads  all  hearts, 
for  warranty  of  her  truth  ! — and  she  confirmed  it." 

"  The  infamous  seducer  !  "  said  Lionel,  hoarsely,  his 
body  turning  unconsciously  away  from  Cecil — "  does  he 
yet  live  ?  Give  him  to  my  vengeance,  old  man,  and  I  will 
yet  bless  you  for  your  accursed  history  ! " 


350  LIONEL  LINCOLN-. 

"  Lionel,  Lionel,"  said  the  soothing  voice  of  his  bride, 
"  do  you  credit  him  ?  " 

"  Credit  him  !  "  said  Ralph,  with  a  horrid,  inward  laugh, 
as  if  he  would  deride  the  idea  of  incredulity;  "all  this 
must  he  believe,  and  more  !  Once  again,  weak  girl,  did 
thy  grandmother  throw  out  her  lures  for  the  wealthy  bar- 
onet, and  when  he  would  not  become  her  son,  then  did  she 
league  with  the  spirits  of  hell  to  compass  his  ruin.  Re- 
venge took  place  of  ambition,  and  thy  husband's  father 
was  the  victim  !  " 

"  Say  on  !  "  cried  Lionel,  nearly  ceasing  to  breathe  in 
the  intensity  of  his  interest. 

11  The  blow  had  cut  him  to  the  heart  ;  and,  for  a  time, 
his  reason  was  crushed  beneath  its  weight.  Yet  'twas  but 
for  an  hour,  compared  to  the  eternity  a  man  is  doomed  to 
live  !  They  profited  by  the  temporary  derangement,  and 
when  his  wandering  faculties  were  lulled  to  quiet,  he 
found  himself  the  tenant  of  a  mad-house,  where,  for  twenty 
long  years,  was  he  herded  with  the  defaced  images  of  his 
Maker,  by  the  arts  of  the  base  widow  of  John  Lechmere." 

"  Can  this  be  true  !  Can  this  be  true  !  "  cried  Lionel, 
clasping  his  hands  wildly,  and  springing  to  his  feet,  with 
a  violence  that  cast  the  tender  form  that  still  clung  to  him, 
aside,  like  a  worthless  toy — "  Can  this  be  proved  ?  Flow 
knowest  thou  these  facts  ?  " 

The  calm,  but  melancholy  smile  that  was  wont  to  light 
the  wan  features  of  the  old  man,  when  he  alluded  to  his 
own  existence,  was  once  more  visible,  as  he  answered — 

"  There  is  but  little  hid  from  the  knowledge  acquired 
by  length  of  days  ;  besides,  have  I  not  secret  means  of  in- 
telligence that  are  unknown  to  tliee  ?  Remember  what, 
in  our  frequent  interviews,  I  have  revealed  ;  recall  the 
death-bed  scene  of  Priscilla  Lechmere,  and  ask  thyself  if 
there  be  not  truth  in  thy  aged  friend  ?" 

"  Give  me  all !  hold  not  back  a  tittle  of  thy  accursed 
tale — give  me  all — or  take  back  each  syllable  thou  hast 
uttered." 

"  Thou  shalt  have  all  thou  askest,  Lionel  Lincoln,  and 
more,"  returned  Ralph,  throwing  into  his  manner  and 
voice  its  utmost  powers  of  solemnity  and  persuasion — 
"provided  thou  wilt  swear  eternal  hatred  to  that  country 
and  those  laws,  by  which  an  innocent  and  unoffending 
man  can  be  levelled  with  the  beasts  of  the  field,  and  be 
made  to  rave  even  at  his  Makter,  in  the  bitterness  of  his 
sufferings." 


LIONEL   LINCOLN'.  35! 

"  More  than  that — ten  thousand  times  more  than  that, 
will  I  swear — I  will  league  with  this  rebellion — 

"  Lionel,  Lionel — what  is't  you  do  ?  "  interrupted  the 
heart-stricken  Cecil. 

But  her  voice  was  stilled  by  loud  and  busy  cries,  which 
broke  out  of  the  village,  above  the  hum  of  revelry,  and 
were  instantly  succeeded  by  the  trampling  of  footsteps,  as 
men  rushed  over  the  frozen  ground,  apparently  by  hun- 
dreds, and  with  headlong  rapidity.  Ralph,  who  was  not 
less  quick  to  hear  these  sounds  than  the  timid  bride,  glided 
from  the  grave,  and  approached  the  high-way,  whither  he 
was  slowly  followed  by  his  companions  ;  Lionel  utterly 
indifferent  whither  he  proceeded,  and  Cecil  trembling  in 
every  limb  with  terror  for  the  safety  of  him,  who  so  little 
regarded  his  own  danger. 

"  They  are  abroad,  and  think  to  find  an  enemy,"  said  the 
old  man,  raising  his  hand  with  a  gesture  to  command  at- 
tention ;  "  but  he  has  sworn  to  join  their  standards,  and 
gladly  will  they  receive  any  of  his  name  and  family !  " 

"  No,  no  — he  has  pledged  himself  to  no  dishonor,"  cried 
Cecil. — "  Fly,  Lincoln,  while  you  are  free,  and  leave  me  to 
meet  the  pursuers — they  will  respect  my  weakness." 

Fortunately,  the  allusion  to  herself  awakened  Lionel 
from  the  dull  forgetf ulness,  into  which  his  faculties  had 
fallen.  Encircling  her  slight  figure  with  his  arm,  he 
turned  swiftly  from  the  spot,  saying,  as  he  urged  her  for- 
ward— 

"  Old  man,  when  this  precious  charge  is  in  safety,  thy 
truth  or  falsehood  shall  be  proved." 

But  Ralph,  whose  unencumbered  person,  and  iron  frame, 
which  seemed  to  mock  the  ravages  of  time,  gave  a  vast 
superiority  over  the  impeded  progress  of  the  other,  moved 
swiftly  ahead,  waving  his  hand  on  high,  as  if  to  indicate 
his  intention  to  join  in  the  flight,  while  he  led  the  way 
into  the  fields  adjacent  to  the  church-yard  they  had  quitted. 

The  noise  of  the  pursuers  soon  became  more  distinct, 
and,  in  the  intervals  of  the  distant  cannonade,  the  cries  and 
directions  of  those  who  conducted  the  chase  were  distinctly 
audible.  Notwithstanding  the  vigorous  arm  of  her  sup- 
porter, Cecil  was  soon  sensible  that  her  delicate  frame  was 
unequal  to  continue  the  exertions  necessary  to  ensure  their 
safety.  They  had  entered  another  road,  which  lay  at  no 
great  distance  from  the  first,  when  she  paused,  and  re- 
luctantly declared  her  inability  to  proceed. 

"  Then,  here  will  we  await  our  captors,"  said  Lionel,  with 


352  LIONEL  LINCOLN. 

forced  composure — "  let  the  rebels  beware  how  they  abuse 
their  slight  advantage  !  " 

The  words  were  scarcely  uttered,  when  a  cart,  drawn  by 
a  double  team,  turned  an  angle  in  the  highway,  near  them, 
and  its  driver  appeared  within  a  few  feet  of  the  spot  where 
they  stood.  He  was  a  man  far  advanced  in  years,  but  still 
wielded  his  long  goad  with  a  dexterity,  which  had  been 
imparted  by  the  practice  of  more  than  half  a  century.  The 
sight  of  this  man,  alone,  and  removed  from  immediate  aid, 
suggested  a  desperate  thought  of  self-preservation  to  Lio- 
nel. Quitting  the  side  of  his  exhausted  companion,  he  ad- 
vanced upon  him  with  an  air  so  fierce,  that  it  might  have 
created  alarm  in  one  who  had  the  smallest  reason  to  ap- 
prehend any  danger. 

"Whither  go  you  with  that  cart?"  sternly  demanded 
the  young  man,  on  the  instant. 

"To  the  Point,"  was  the  ready  answer.  "  Yes,  yes — old 
and  young — big  and  little — men  and  cre'turs — four-wheels 
and  two-wheels — everything  goes  to  the  Point  to-night, 
as  you  can  guess,  fri'nd !  Why,"  he  continued,  dropping 
one  end  of  his  goad  on  the  ground,  and  supporting  him- 
self by  grasping  it  with  both  his  hands — "I  was  eighty- 
three  the  fourteenth  of  the  last  March,  and  I  hope,  God 
willing,  that  when  the  next  birth-day  comes,  there  won't  be 
a  red  coat  left  in  the  town  of  Boston.  To  my  notion,  fri'nd, 
they  have  held  the  place  long  enough,  and  it's  time  to 
quit.  My  boys  are  in  the  camp,  soldiering  a  turn — the  old 
woman  has  been  as  busy  as  a  bee,  sin'  sun-down,  helping 
me  to  load  up  what  you  see,  and  I  am  carrying  it  over  to 
Dorchester,  and  not  a  farthing  shall  it  ever  cost  the  con- 
gress !  " 

"  And  you  are  going  to  Dorchester  Neck  with  your  bun- 
dles of  hay  !  "  said  Lionel,  eying  both  him  and  his  pass- 
ing team,  in  hesitation  whether  to  attempt  violence  on  one 
so  infirm  and  helpless. 

"  Anan  !  you  must  speak  up,  soldier-fashion,  as  you  did 
at  first,  for  I  am  a  little  deaf,"  returned  the  carter.  "Yes, 
yes,  they  spared  me  in  the  press,  for  they  said  I  had  done 
enough ;  but  I  say  a  man  has  never  done  enough  for  his 
own  country,  when  anything  is  left  to  be  done.  I'm  told 
they  are  carrying  over  fashines,  as  they  call  'em,  and 
pressed-hay,  for  their  forts. — As  hay  is  more  in  my  fashion 
than  any  other  fashion,  I've  bundled  up  a  stout  pile  on't 
here  ;  and  if  that  won't  do,  why,  let  Washington  come  ;  he 
is  welcome  to  the  barn,  stacks  and  all .( " 


LIONEL  LINCOLN;  353 

"  While  you  are  so  liberal  to  the  congress,  can  you  help 
a  female  in  distress,  who  would  wish  to  go  in  the  direction 
of  your  route,  but  is  too  feeble  to  walk  ?" 

"With  all  my  heart,"  said  the  other,  turning  round  in 
quest  of  her  whom  he  was  desired  to  assist — "  I  hope  she 
is  handy;  for  the  night  wears  on,. and  I  shouldn't  like  to 
have  the  English  send  a  bullet  at  our  people  on  Dorches- 
ter hills,  before  my  hay  gets  there  to  help  stop  it." 

"She  shall  not  detain  you  an  instant,"  said  Lionel, 
springing  to  the  place  where  Cecil  stood,  partly  concealed 
by  the  fence,  and  supporting  her  to  the  side  of  the  rude 
vehicle — "you  shall  be  amply  rewarded  for  this  service." 

"  Reward  !  Perhaps  she  is  the  wife  or  daughter  of  a  sol- 
dier, in  which  case  she  should  be  drawn  in  her  coach  and 
four,  instead  of  a  cart  and  double  team." 

"  Yes,  yes — you  are  right,  she  is  both — the  wife  of  one, 
and  the  daughter  of  another  soldier." 

"Ay !  God  bless  her!  I  warrant  me  old  Put  was  more 
than  half  right,  when  he  said  the  women  would  stop  the 
two  ridgements,  that  the  proud  parliamenter  boasted  could 
inarch  through  the  colonies,  from  Hampshire  to  Georgi'. 
Well,  fri'nds,  are  ye  situated  ? " 

"  Perfectly,"  said  Lionel,  who  had  been  preparing  seats 
for  himself  and  Cecil  among  the  bundles  of  hay,  and  as- 
sisting his  companion  into  her  place  during  the  dialogue 
— "  we  will  detain  you  no  longer." 

The  carter,  who  was  no  less  than  the  owner  of  a  hun- 
dred acres  of  good  land  in  the  vicinity,  signified  his  readi- 
ness ;  and  sweeping  through  the  air  with  his  goad,  he 
brought  his  cattle  to  the  proper  direction,  and  slowly 
moved  on.  During  this  hurried  scene,  Ralph  had  con- 
tinued hid  by  the  shadows  of  the  fence.  When  the  cart 
proceeded,  he  waved  his  hand,  and  gliding  across  the  road, 
was  soon  lost  to  the  eye  in  the  misty  distance,  with  which 
his  gray  apparel  blended,  like  a  spectre  vanishing  in  air. 

In  the  meantime  the  pursuers  had  not  been  idle.  Voices 
were  heard  in  different  directions,  and  dim  forms  were  to 
be  seen  rushing  through  the  fields,  by  the  aid  of  the  de- 
ceptive light  of  the  moon.  To  add  to  the  embarrassment 
of  their  situation,  Lionel  found,  when  too  late,  that  the 
route  to  Dorchester  lay  directly  through  the  village  of 
Cambridge.  When  he  perceived  they  were  approaching 
the  streets,  he  would  have  left  the  cart,  had  not  the  exper- 
iment been  too  dangerous,  in  the  midst  of  the  disturbed 
soldiery,  who  now  flew  by  on  every  side  of  them.  In  such 


354  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

a  strait,  his  safest  course  was  to  continue  motionless  and 
silent,  secreting  his  own  form  and  that  of  Cecil,  as  much 
as  possible,  among  the  bundles  of  hay.  Contrary  to  all 
the  just  expectations,  which  the  impatient  patriotism  of 
the  old  yeoman  had  excited,  instead  of  driving  steadily 
through  the  place,  he  turned  his  cattle  a  little  from  the 
direct  route,  and  stopped  in  front  of  the  very  inn,  where 
Cecil  had  so  lately  been  conducted  by  her  guide  from  the 
point. 

Here  the  same  noisy  and  thoughtless  revelry  existed  as 
before.  The  arrival  of  such  an  equipage  at  once  drew  a 
crowd  to  the  spot,  and  the  uneasy  pair  on  the  top  of  the 
load  became  unwilling  listeners  to  the  conversation. 

"  What,  old  one,  hard  at  it  for  congress !  "  cried  a  man, 
approaching  with  a  mug  in  his  hand  ;  "  come,  wet  your 
throat,  my  venerable  father  of  Liberty,  for  you  are  too  old 
to  be  a  son  !  " 

"Yes,  yes,"  answered  the  exulting  farmer,  "  I  am  father 
and  son,  too  !  I  have  four  boys  in  camp,  and  seven  grand- 
'uns,  in  the  bargain  ;  and  that  would  be  eleven  good  triggers 
in  one  family,  if  five  good  muskets  had  so  many  locks — 
but  the  youngest  men  have  got  a  ducking-gun,  and  a 
double-barrel  atvveen  them,  howsomever  ;  and  Aaron,  the 
boy,  carries  as  good  a  horse-pistol,  I  calculate,  as  any  there 
is  going  in  the  Bay  !  But  what  an  uneasy  time  you  have 
on't  to-night  !  There's  more  powder  wasted  mocking  thun- 
der, than  would  fight  old  Bunker  over  again,  at  'white  o' 
the  eye '  distance  !  " 

"  Tis  the  way  of  war,  old  man  ;  and  we  want  to  keep  the 
reg'lars  from  looking  at  Dorchester." 

"  If  they  did,  they  couldn't  see  far  to-night.     But,  now, 
do  tell  me  ;  I  am  an  old  man,  and  have  a  grain  of  cur'osity 
in  the  flesh  ;  my  woman  says  that  Howe  casts  out  his  car 
casses  at  you  ;  which  I  hold  to  be  an  irreligious  deception.'9 

"  As  true  as  the  gospel." 

"Well,  there  is  no  calculating  on  the  wastefulness  of  an 
ungodly  spirit  !  "  said  the  worthy  yeoman,  shaking  his  head 
— "  I  could  believe  any  wickedness  of  him  but  that !  As 
cre'turs  must  be  getting  scarce  in  the  town,  I  conclude  he 
makes  use  of  his  own  slain  ! " 

"  Certain,"  answered  the  soldier,  winking  at  his  com- 
panions— "  Breed's  Hill  has  kept  him  in  ammunition  all 
winter." 

"  Tis  awful,  awful  !  to  see  a  fellow-cre'tur  flying  through 
the  air,  after  the  spirit  has  departed  to  judgment !  War  is 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  355 

a  dreadful  calling  ;  but,  then,  what  is  a  man  without  lib- 
erty !  " 

"  Hark  ye,  old  gentleman,  talking  of  flying,  have  you 
seen  anything  of  two  men  and  a  woman,  flying  up  the 
road  as  you  came  in  ?  " 

"  Anan  !  I'm  a  little  hard  o'  hearing — women,  too  !  do 
they  shoot  their  Jezebels  into  our  camp  ?  There  is  no 
wickedness  the  king's  ministers  wron't  attempt  to  circum- 
vent our  weak  naturs  !  " 

"Did  you  see  two  men  and  a  woman,  running  away  as 
you  came  down  the  road  ?"  bawled  the  fellow  in  his  ear. 

"Two!  did  you  say  two?"  asked  the  yeoman,  turning 
his  head  a  little  on  one  side,  in  an  attitude  of  sagacious 
musing. 

"Yes,  two  men." 

"No,  I  didn't  see  two.  Running  out  of  town,  did  you  say  ?" 

"  Ay,  running,  as  if  the  devil  was  after  them." 

"  No  ;  I  didn't  see  two  ;  nor  anybody  running  away — 
it's  a  sartain  sign  of  guilt  to  run  away — is  there  any  re- 
ward offered?"  said  the  old  man,  suddenly  interrupting 
himself,  and  again  communing  with  his  own  thoughts. 

"  Not  yet — they've  just  escaped." 

"The  surest  way  to  catch  a  thief  is  to  offer  a  smart  re- 
ward— no — I  didn't  see  two  men — you  are  sartain  there 
was  two  ? " 

"  Push  on  with  that  cart  !  drive  on,  drive  on,"  cried  a 
mounted  officer  of  the  quartermaster's  department,  who 
came  scouring  through  the  street,  at  that  moment,  awak- 
ening all  the  slumbering  ideas  of  haste,  which  the  old 
farmer  had  suffered  to  lie  dormant  so  long.  Once  more 
flourishing  his  goad,  he  put  his  team  in  motion,  wishing 
the  revellers  good-night  as  he  proceeded.  It  was,  how- 
ever, long  after  he  left  the  village,  and  crossed  the  Charles, 
before  he  ceased  to  make  frequent  and  sudden  halts  in  the 
highway,  as  if  doubtful  whether  to  continue  his  route,  or 
to  return..  At  length  he  stopped  the  cart,  and  clambering 
up  on  the  hay,  he  took  a  seat,  where  with  one  eye  he  could 
regulate  his  cattle,  and  with  the  other  examine  his  com- 
panions. This  investigation  continued  another  hour, 
neither  party  uttering  a  syllable,  when  the  teamster  ap- 
peared satisfied  that  his  suspicions  \vere  unjust,  and  aban- 
doned them.  Perhaps  the  difficulties  of  the  road  assisted 
in  dissipating  his  doubts  ;  for,  as  they  proceeded,  return 
carts  were  met,  at  every  few  rods,  rendering  his  undivided 
uttention  to  his  own  team  indispensable. 


356  LIONEL   LINCOLN'. 

Lionel,  whose  gloomy  thoughts  had  been  chased  from 
his  mind  by  the  constant  excitement  of  the  foregoing 
scenes,  now  felt  relieved  from  any  immediate  apprehen- 
sions. He  whispered  his  soothing  hopes  of  a  final  escape 
to  Cecil,  and  folding  her  in  his  coat,  to  shield  her  from  the 
night  air,  he  was  pleased  to  find,  ere  long,  by  her  gentle 
breathing,  that,  overcome  by  fatigue,  she  was  slumbering 
in  forgetfulness  on  his  bosom. 

Midnight  had  long  passed  when  they  came  in  sight  of 
the  eminences  beyond  Dorchester  Neck.  Cecil  had  awoke, 
and  Lionel  was  already  devising  some  plausible  excuse  for 
quitting  the  cart,  without  reviving  the  suspicions  of  the 
teamster.  At  length  a  favorable  spot  occurred,  where  they 
were  alone,  and  the  formation  of  the  ground  was  adapted 
to  such  a  purpose.  Lionel  was  on  the  point  of  speaking, 
when  the  cattle  stopped,  and  Ralph  suddenly  appeared  in 
the  highway,  at  their  heads. 

"Make  room,  fri'nd,  for  the  oxen,"  said  the  farmer — • 
"dumb  beasts  won't  pass  in  the  face  of  man." 

"  Alight,"  said  Ralph,  seconding  his  words  with  a  wide 
sweep  of  his  arm  toward  the  fields. 

Lionel  quickly  obeyed,  and,  by  the  time  the  driver  had 
descended  also,  the  whole  party  stood  together  in  the  road. 

"  You  have  conferred  a  greater  obligation  than  you  are 
aware  of,"  said  Lionel  to  the  driver.  "  Here  are  five 
guineas." 

"  For  what  ?  for  riding  on  a  load  of  hay  a  few  miles  ? — 
no,  no — kindness  is  no  such  boughten  article  in  the  Bay, 
that  a  man  need  pay  for  it !  But,  fri'nd,  money  seems 
plenty  with  you,  for  these  difficult  days ! " 

"  Then  thanks,  a  thousand  times — I  can  stay  to  offer  you 
no  more." 

He  was  yet  speaking,  when,  obedient  to  an  impatient 
gesture  from  Ralph,  he  lifted  Cecil  over  the  fence,  and 
in  a  moment  they  disappeared  from  the  eyes  of  the  aston- 
ished farmer. 

"  Halloo,  fri'nd  !  "  cried  the  worthy  advocate  for  his 
country,  running  after  them  as  fast  as  old  age  would  allow 
— "  were  there  three  of  you,  when  I  took  ye  up  ?  " 

The  fugitives  heard  the  call  of  the  simple  and  garrulous 
old  man,  but,  as  will  easily  be  imagined,  did  not  deem  it 
prudent  to  stop  and  discuss  the  point  in  question  between 
them.  Before  they  had  gone  far,  the  furious  cry  of  "  Take 
care  of  that  team  !  "  with  the  rattling  of  wheels,  announced 
that  their  pursuer  was  recalled  to  his  duty,  by  an  arrival 


LIONEL   LINCOLN'.  357 

of  empty  wagons  ;  and,  before  the  distance  rendered  sounds 
unintelligible,  they  heard  the  noisy  explanation,  which 
their  late  companion  was  giving  to  the  others,  of  the  whole 
transaction.  They  were  not,  however,  pursued  ;  the  team- 
sters having  more  pressing  objects  in  view  than  the  detec- 
tion of  thieves,  or  even  of  pocketing  a  reward. 

Ralph  led  his  companions,  after  a  brief  explanation,  by  a 
long  and  circuitous  path,  to  the  shores  of  the  bay.  Here 
they  found,  hid  in  the  rushes  of  a  shallow  inlet,  a  small 
boat,  that  Lionel  recognized  as  the  little  vessel  in  which 
Job  Pray  was  wont  to  pursue  his  usual  avocation  of  a  fish- 
erman. Entering  it  without  delay,  he  seized  the  oars,  and, 
aided  by  a  flowing  tide,  he  industriously  urged  it  toward 
the  distant  spires  of  Boston. 

The  parting  shades  of  the  night  were  yet  struggling  with 
the  advance  of  day,  when  a  powerful  flash  of  light  illumi- 
nated the  hazy  horizon,  and  the  roar  of  cannon,  which  had 
ceased  toward  morning,  was  again  heard.  But  this  time 
the  sounds  came  from  the  water,  and  a  cloud  rose  above 
the  smoking  harbor,  announcing  that  the  ships  were  again 
enlisted  in  the  contest.  This  sudden  cannonade  induced 
Lionel  to  steer  his  boat  between  the  islands  ;  for  the  cas- 
tle and  southern  batteries  of  the  town  were  all  soon  united 
in  pouring  out  their  vengeance  on  the  laborers,  who  still 
occupied  the  heights  of  Dorchester.  As  the  little  vessel 
glided  by  a  tall  frigate,  Cecil  saw  the  boy,  who  had  been 
her  first  escort  in  the  wanderings  of  the  preceding  night, 
standing  on  its  taffrail,  rubbing  his  eyes  with  wonder,  and 
staring  at  those  hills,  whose  possession  he  had  prophesied 
would  lead  to  such  bloody  results.  In  short,  while  he  la- 
bored at  the  oars,  Lionel  witnessed  the  opening  scene  of 
Breed's  acted  anew,  as  battery  after  battery,  and  ship  af- 
ter ship,  brought  their  guns  to  bear  on  the  hardy  country- 
men, who  had  once  more  hastened  a  crisis  by  their  daring 
enterprise.  Their  boat  passed  unheeded,  in  the  excite- 
ment and  bustle  of  the  moment,  and  the  mists  of  the  morn- 
ing had  not  yet  dissipated,  when  it  shot  by  the  wharves  of 
Boston,  and,  turning  into  the  narrow  entrance  of  the  Town 
dock,  it  touched  the  land,  near  the  warehouse,  where  it  had 
so  often  been  moored,  in  more  peaceable  times,  by  its 
pie  master. 


358  LION-EL  LINCOLN. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

"  Now  cracks  a  noble  heart  ; — good  night, 
Sweet  prince." — SHAKESPEARE. 

LIONEL  assisted  Cecil  to  ascend  the  difficult  water-stairs, 
and,  still  attended  by  their  aged  companion,  they  soon 
stood  on  the  drawbridge  that  connected  the  piers  which 
formed  the  mouth  of  the  narrow  basin. 

"  Here  we  again  part,"  he  said,  addressing  himself  to 
Ralph  ;  "at  another  opportunity  let  us  resume  your  mel- 
ancholy tale." 

"  None  so  fitting  as  the  present :  the  time,  the  place, 
and  the  state  of  the  town,  are  all  favorable." 

Lionel  cast  his  eyes  around  on  the  dull  misery  which 
pervaded  the  neglected  area.  A  few  half-dressed  soldiers 
and  alarmed  townsmen  were  seen,  by  the  gray  light  of  the 
morning,  rushing  across  the  square  towards  the  point 
whence  the  sounds  of  cannon  proceeded.  In  the  hurry 
of  the  moment,  their  own  arrival  was  not  noted. 

"  The  place — the  time  !  "  he  slowly  repeated. 

"  Ay,  both.  At  what  moment  can  the  friend  of  liberty 
pass  more  unheeded  amongst  these  miscreant  hirelings 
than  now,  when  fear  has  broken  their  slumbers  !  Yon  is 
the  place,"  he  said,  pointing  to  the  warehouse,  "where  all 
that  I  have  uttered  will  find  its  confirmation." 

Major  Lincoln  communed  momentarily  with  his 
thoughts.  It  is  probable,  that,  in  the  rapid  glances  of 
his  mind,  he  traced  the  mysterious  connection  between 
the  abject  tenant  of  the  adjacent  building,  and  the  de- 
ceased grandmother  of  his  bride,  whose  active  agency  in 
producing  the  calamities  of  his  family  had  now  been 
openly  acknowledged.  It  was  soon  apparent,  that  he 
wavered  in  his  purpose  ;  nor  was  he  slow  to  declare  it. 

"  I  will  attend  you,"  he  said  ;  "  for  who  can  say  what 
the  hardihood  of  the  rebels  may  next  attempt ;  and  future 
occasions  may  be  wanting.  I  will  first  see  this  gentle 
charge  of  mine " 

"  Lincoln,  I  cannot — must  not  leave  you,"  interrupted 
Cecil,  with  earnest  fervor — "  go,  listen,  and  learn  all ; 
surely  there  can  be  nothing  that  a  wife  may  not  know  !  " 

Without  waiting  for  further  objection,  Ralph  made  a 
hurried  gesture  of  compliance,  and,  turning,  he  led  the 
way,  with  his  usual  swift  footsteps,  into  the  low  and  dark 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  359 

tenement  of  Abigail  Pray.  The  commotion  of  the  town 
had  not  yet  reached  the  despised  and  neglected  building, 
which  was  even  more  than  ordinarily  gloomy  and  still. 
As  they  picked  their  way,  however,  among  the  scattered 
hemp,  across  the  scene  of  the  preceding  night's  riot,  a 
few  stifled  groans  proceeded  from  one  of  the  towers,  and 
directed  them  where  to  seek  its  abused  and  suffering  in- 
mates. On  opening  the  door  of  this  little  apartment,  not 
only  Lionel  and  Cecil  paused,  but  even  the  immovable 
old  man  appeared  to  hesitate,  in  wonder. 

The  heart-stricken  mother  of  the  simpleton  was  seated 
on  her  humble  stool,  busied  in  repairing  some  mean  and 
worthless  garments  which  had,  seemingly,  been  exposed 
to  the  wasteful  carelessness  of  her  reckless  child.  But 
while  her  fingers  performed  their  functions  with  mechani- 
cal skill,  her  contracted  brow,  working  muscles,  and  hard, 
dry  eyes,  betrayed  the  force  of  the  mental  suffering  that 
she  struggled  to  conceal.  Job  still  lay  stretched  on  his 
abject  pallet,  though  his  breathing  was  louder  and  more 
labored  than  when  we  last  left  him,  while  his  sunken 
features  indicated  the  slow,  but  encroaching  advances  of 
the  disease.  Polvvarth  was  seated  at  his  side,  holding  a 
pulse,  with  an  air  of  medical  deliberation  ;  and  attempt- 
ing, every  few  moments,  to  confirm  his  hopes  or  fears,  as 
each  preponderated  in  turn,  by  examining  the  glazed  eyes 
of  the  subject  of  his  care. 

Upon  a  party  thus  occupied,  and  with  feelings  so  much 
engrossed,  even  the  sudden  entrance  of  the  intruders  was 
not  likely  to  make  any  very  sensible  impression.  The 
languid  and  unmeaning  look  of  Job  wandered  momentarily 
towards  the  door,  and  then  became  again  fixed  on  vacancy. 
A  gleam  of  joy  shot  into  the  honest  visage  of  the  captain, 
when  he  first  beheld  Lionel,  accompanied  by  Cecil,  but 
it  was  instantly  chased  away  by  the  settled  meaning  of 
care,  which  had  gotten  the  mastery  of  his  usually  con- 
tented expression.  The  greatest  alteration  was  produced 
in  the  aspect  of  the  woman,  who  bowed  her  head  to  her 
bosom,  with  a  universal  shudder  of  her  frame,  as  Ralph 
stood  unexpectedly  before  her.  But  from  her,  also,  the 
sudden  emotion  passed  speedily  away,  her  hands  resuming 
their  humble  occupation,  with  the  same  mechanical  and 
involuntary  movements,  as  before. 

''Explain  this  scene  of  silent  sorrow !"  said  Lionel  to 
his  friend — "  how  came  you  in  this  haunt  of  wretchedness  ? 
and  who  has  harmed  the  lad  ? " 


360  LIONEL  LINCOLN*. 

"Your question  conveys  its  own  answer.  Major  Lincoln," 
returned  Polwarth,  with  a  manner  so  deliberate,  that  he 
refused  to  raise  his  steady  look  from  the  face  of  the  suf- 
ferer— "  I  am  here,  because  they  are  wretched  !  " 

"  The  motive  is  commendable  !  but  what  aileth  the 
youth  ? " 

"  The  functions  of  nature  seem  suspended  by  some  re- 
markable calamity  !  I  found  him  suffering  from  inanition, 
ajid  notwithstanding  I  applied  as  hearty  and  nutritious  a 
meal  as  the  strongest  man  in  the  garrison  could  require, 
the  symptoms,  as  you  see,  are  strangely  threatening ! " 

"  He  has  taken  the  contagion  of  the  town,  and  you 
have  fed  him,  when  his  fever  was  at  the  highest !  " 

"  Is  small-pox  to  be  considered  more  than  a  symptom, 
when  a  man  has  the  damnable  disease  of  starvation  !  go  to 
— go  to,  Leo  ;  you  read  the  Latin  poets  so  much  at  the 
schools,  that  no  leisure  is  left  to  bestow  on  the  philosophy 
of  nature.  There  is  an  inward  monitor,  that  teaches  every 
child  the  remedy  for  hunger." 

Lionel  felt  no  disposition  to  contend  with  his  friend  on 
a  point  \vhere  the  other's  opinions  were  so  dogmatical,  but, 
turning  to  the  woman,  he  said — 

"  The  experience  of  a  professional  nurse  should  have 
taught  you,  at  least,  more  care." 

"  Can  experience  steel  a  mother  to  the  yearnings  of  her 
offspring  for  food  ?  "  returned  the  forlorn  Abigail — "  no, 
no — the  ear  cannot  be  deaf  to  such  a  moaning,  and  wisdom 
is  as  folly  when  the  heart  bleeds." 

"Lincoln,  you  chide  unkindly/'  said  Cecil — "let  us 
rather  attempt  to  avert  the  danger,  than  quarrel  with  its 
cause." 

"  It  is  too  late — it  is  too  late,"  returned  the  disconsolate 
mother  ;  "  his  hours  are  already  numbered,  and  death  is  on 
him.  I  can  now  only  pray  that  God  will  lighten  his  curse 
and  suffer  the  parting  spirit  to  know  his  Almighty  power." 

"  Throw  aside  these  worthless  rags,"  said  Cecil,  gently 
attempting  to  take  the  clothes,  "  nor  fatigue  yourself 
longer,  at  such  a  sacred  moment  with  unnecessary  la- 
bor." 

"  Young  lady,  you  little  know  a  mother's  longings  ;  may 
you  never  know  her  sorrows  !  I  have  been  doing  for  the 
child  these  seven-and-twenty  years  ;  rob  me  not  of  the 
pleasure,  now  that  so  little  remains  to  be  done." 

"  Is  he  then  so  old  !  "  exclaimed  Lionel,  in  surprise. 

"  Old  as  he  is,  'tis  young  for  a  child  to  die  !     He  wants 


LIONEL  LINCOLN:  36i 

the  look  of  reason  ;  heaven  in  its  mercy  grant  that  he  may 
be  found  to  have  a  face  of  innocence  ! " 

Hitherto  Ralph  had  remained  where  he  first  stood,  as  U 
riveted  to  the  floor,  with  his  eyes  fastened  on  the  counte- 
nance of  the  sufferer.  He  now  turned  to  Lionel,  and, 
in  a  voice  rendered  even  plaintive  by  his  deep  emotion, 
he  asked  the  simple  question — 

''Will  he  die?" 

"I  fear  it — that  look  is  not  easily  to  be  mistaken." 

With  a  step  so  light  that  it  was  inaudible,  the  old  man 
moved  to  the  bed,  and  seated  himself  on  the  side,  opposite 
to  Polwarth.  Without  regarding  the  wondering  look  of 
the  captain,  he  waved  his  hand  on  high,  as  if  to  exhort  to 
silence,  and  then,  gazing  on  the  features  of  the  sick,  with 
melancholy  interest,  he  said — 

"  Here,  then,  is  death  again  !  None  are  so  young  as  to 
be  unheeded  ;  'tis  only  the  old  that  cannot  die.  Tell  me, 
Job,  what  seest  them  in  the  visions  of  thy  mind — the  un- 
known places  of  the  damned,  or  the  brightness  of  such  as 
stand  in  the  presence  of  their  God  ? " 

At  the  well-known  sound  of  his  voice,  the  glazed  eye  of 
the  simpleton  lighted  with  a  ray  of  reason,  and  was  turned 
toward  the  speaker,  once  more,  teeming  with  a  look  of 
meek  assurance.  The  rattling  in  his  throat,  for  a  moment, 
increased,  and  then  ceased  entirely  ;  when  a  voice  so  deep, 
that  it  appeared  to  issue  from  the  depths  of  his  chest,  was 
heard  saying — 

"  The  Lord  won't  harm  him  who  never  harm'd  the 
creatures  of  the  Lord  !  " 

"  Emperors  and  kings,  yea,  the  great  of  the  earth,  might 
envy  thee  thy  lot,  thou  unknown  child  of  wretchedness  !  " 
returned  Ralph.  "Not  yet  thirty  years  of  probation,  and 
already  thou  throwest  aside  the  clay  !  Like  thee  did  I 
grow  to  manhood,  and  learn  how  hard  it  is  to  live  ;  but 
like  thee  I  cannot  die  ! — Tell  me,  boy,  dost  thou  enjoy 
the  freedom  of  the  spirit,  or  hast  thou  still  pain  and  pleas- 
ure in  the  flesh  ?  Dost  see  beyond  the  tomb,  and  trace 
thy  route  through  the  pathless  air,  or  is  all  yet  hid  in  the 
darkness  of  the  grave  ? " 

"  Job  is  going  where  the  Lord  has  hid  his  reason,"  an- 
swered the  same  hollow  voice  as  before  ;  "  his  prayers 
won't  be  foolish  any  longer." 

"  Pray,  then,  for  one  aged  and  forlorn  ;  who  has  borne 
the  burden  of  life  till  Death  has  forgotten  him,  and  who 
wearies  of  the  things  of  earth,  where  all  is  treachery  ar  j 


362  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

sin.  But  stay  ;  depart  not  till  thy  spirit  can  bear  the 
signs  of  repentance  from  yon  sinful  woman  into  the  re- 
gions of  day." 

Abigail  groaned  aloud  ;  her  hands  again  refused  theii 
occupation,  and  her  head  once  more  sunk  on  her  bosom 
in  abject  misery.  From  this  posture  of  self-abasement  and 
grief,  the  woman  raised  herself  to  her  feet,  and,  putting 
aside  the  careless  tresses  of  dark  hair,  which,  though  here 
and  there  streaked  with  gray,  retained  much  of  their 
youthful  gloss,  she  looked  about  her  with  a  face  so  hag- 
gard, and  eyes  so  full  of  meaning,  that  common  attention 
was  instantly  attracted  to  her  movements. 

"  The  time  has  come,  and  neither  fear  nor  shame  shall 
longer  tie  my  tongue,"  she  said.  "  The  hand  of  Providence 
is  too  manifest  in  this  assemblage  around  the  death-bed  of 
that  boy,  to  be  unheeded.  Major  Lincoln,  in  that  stricken 
and  helpless  child,  you  see  one  who  shares  your  blood, 
though  he  has  ever  been  a  stranger  to  your  happiness.  Job 
is  your  brother  !  " 

"  Grief  has  maddened  her ! "  exclaimed  the  anxious 
Cecil — "she  knows  not  what  she  utters." 

"  Tis  true  ! "  said  the  calm  tones  of  Ralph. 

"  Listen,"  continued  Abigail ;  "  a  terrible  witness,  sent 
hither  by  heaven,  speaks  to  attest  I  tell  no  lie.  The  secret 
of  my  transgression  is  known  to  him,  when  I  had  thought 
it  buried  in  the  affection  of  one  only  who  owed  me  every- 
thing." 

"  Woman  !  "  said  Lionel,  "  in  attempting  to  deceive  me, 
you  deceive  yourself.  Though  a  voice  from  heaven  should 
declare  the  truth  of  thy  damnable  tale,  still  would  I  deny 
that  foul  object  being  the  child  of  my  beauteous  mother." 

"  Foul  and  wretched  as  you  see  him,  he  is  the  offspring 
of  one  not  less  fair,  though  far  less  fortunate,  than  thy  own 
boasted  parent,  proud  child  of  prosperity !  Call  on  heaven 
as  thou  wilt,  with  that  blasphemous  tongue,  he  is  no  less 
thy  brother,  and  the  elder  born." 

"  Tis  true — 'tis  true — 'tis  most  solemnly  a  truth  !  "  re- 
peated the  unmoved  and  aged  stranger. 

"  It  cannot  be  ! "  cried  Cecil — "  Lincoln,  credit  them 
not ;  they  contradict  themselves." 

"  Out  of  thy  own  mouth  will  I  find  reasons  to  convince 
you,"  said  Abigail.  "  Hast  thou  not  owned  the  influence 
of  the  son  at  the  altar  ?  Why  should  one,  vain,  ignorant, 
and  young  as  I  was,  be  insensible  to  the  seductions  of  the 
father ! " 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  363 

"The  child  is,  then,  thine!"  exclaimed  Lionel,  once 
more  breathing  with  freedom — "  proceed  with  thy  tale  ; 
you  confide  it  to  friends!" 

"  Yes — yes,"  cried  Abigail,  clasping  her  hands,  and  speak- 
ing with  bitter  emphasis  ;  "  you  have  all  the  consolation 
of  proving  the  difference  between  the  guilt  of  woman  and 
that  of  man  !  Major  Lincoln,  accursed  and  polluted  as 
you  see  me,  thy  own  mother  was  not  more  innocent  nor 
fair,  when  my  youthful  beauty  caught  thy  father's  eye.  He 
was  great  and  powerful,  and  I  unknown  and  frail — yon 
miserable  proof  of  our  transgression  did  not  appear,  until 
he  had  met  your  happier  mother  !  " 

"Can  this  be  so?" 

"The  holy  Gospels  are  not  more  true!"  murmured 
Ralph. 

"  And  my  father !  did  he — could  he  desert  thee  in  thy 
need  ? " 

"  Shame  came  when  virtue  and  pride  had  been  long  for- 
gotten. I  was  a  dependent  of  his  own  proud  race,  and  op- 
portunities were  not  wanting  to  mark  his  wandering  looks 
and  growing  love  for  the  chaste  Priscilla.  He  never  knew 
my  state.  While  I  was  stricken  to  the  earth  by  the  fruits 
of  guilt,  he  proved  how  easy  it  is  for  us  to  forget,  in  the 
days  of  prosperity,  the  companions  of  our  shame.  At 
length,  you  were  born  ;  and,  unknown  to  him,  I  received 
his  new-born  heir  from  the  hands  of  his  jealous  aunt. 
What  accursed  thoughts  beset  me  at  that  bitter  moment  ! 
But,  praised  be  God  in  heaven,  they  passed  away,  and  I 
was  spared  the  sin  of  murder !  " 

"Murder!" 

"  Even  of  murder.  You  know  not  the  desperate  thoughts 
the  wretched  harbor  for  relief  !  But  opportunity  was  not 
long  wanting,  and  I  enjoyed  the  momentary,  hellish 
pleasure  of  revenge.  Your  father  went  in  quest  of  his 
rights,  and  disease  attacked  his  beloved  wife.  Yes,  foul 
and  unseemly  as  is  my  wretched  child,  the  beauty  of  thy 
mother  was  changed  to  a  look  still  more  hideous  !  Such  as 
Job  now  seems,  was  the  injured  woman  on  her  death-bed.  I 
feel  all  thy  justice,  Lord  of  power,  and  bow  before  thy  will !" 

"  Injured  woman  !  "  repeated  Lionel,  "  say  on,  and  I  will 
bless  thee  !  " 

Abigail  gave  a  groan,  so  deep  and  hollow,  that,  for  a 
moment,  the  listeners  believed  it  was  the  parting  struggle 
of  the  spirit  of  her  son,  and  she  sunk,  helplessly,  into  hel 
seat,  again  concealing  her  features  in  her  dress. 


364  LIONEL   LINCOLN-. 

"  Injured  woman  !  "  slowly  repeated  Ralph,  with  tha 
most  taunting  contempt  in  his  accents  —  "what  punish- 
ment does  not  a  wanton  merit  ?  " 

"  Ay,  injured  !  "  cried  the  awakened  son — "  my  life  on  it, 
thy  tale,  at  least,  is  false." 

The  old  man  was  silent,  but  his  lips  moved  rapidly,  as  if 
he  muttered  an  incredulous  reply  to  himself,  while  a  scorn- 
ful smile  cast  its  bright  and  peculiar  meaning  across  the 
wasted  lineaments  of  his  face. 

"  I  know  not  what  you  may  have  heard  from  others," 
continued  Abigail,  speaking  so  low  that  her  words  were 
nearly  lost  in  the  difficult  and  measured  breathing  of  Job — 
"  but  I  call  heaven  to  witness,  that  you,  now,  shall  hear  no 
lie.  The  laws  of  the  province  commanded  that  the  victims 
of  the  foul  distemper  should  be  kept  apart,  and  your 
mother  was  placed  at  the  mercy  of  myself,  and  one  other, 
who  loved  her  still  less  than  I." 

"  Just  Providence  !  you  did  no  violence  ?  " 

"  The  disease  spared  us  such  a  crime.  She  died  in  her 
new  deformity,  while  I  remained  a  looker-on,  if  not  in  the 
beauty  of  my  innocence,  still  free  from  the  withering 
touch  of  scorn  and  want.  Yes,  I  found  a  sinful,  but  flatter- 
ing consolation  in  that  thought !  Vain,  weak,  and  foolish 
as  I  had  been,  never  did  I  regard  my  own  fresh  beauty 
with  half  the  inward  pleasure  that  I  looked  upon  the  foul- 
ness of  my  rival  Your  aunt,  too — she  was  not  without  the 
instigations  of  the  worker  of  mischief." 

" "Speak  only  of  my  mother,"  interrupted  the  impatient 
Lionel — "  of  my  aunt  I  already  know  the  whole." 

"  Unmoved  and  calculating  as  she  was,  how  little  did  she 
understand  good  from  evil !  She  even  thought  to  crack 
the  heart-strings,  and  render  whole,  by  her  weak  inven- 
tions, that  which  the  power  of  God  could  only  create. 
The  gentle  spirit  of  thy  mother  had  hardly  departed,  be- 
fore a  vile  plot  was  hatched  to  destroy  the  purity  of  her 
fame.  Blinded  fools  that  we  were  !  She  thought  to  lead 
by  her  soothing  arts,  aided  by  his  wounded  affections,  the 
husband  to  the  feet  of  her  own  daughter,  the  innocent 
mother  of  her  who  stands  beside  thee  ;  and  I  was  so  vain 
as  to  hope,  that,  in  time,  justice  and  my  boy  might  plead 
with  the  father  and  seducer,  and  raise  me  to  the  envied 
station  of  her  whom  I  hated." 

"  And  this  foul  calumny  you  repeated,  with  all  its  basest 
coloring,  to  my  abused  father  ?" 

"  We  did — we  did  ;  yes,  God,  he  knows  we  did !  and  when 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  36$ 

he  hesitated  to  believe,  I  took  the  holy  Evangelists  as  wit- 
nesses of  my  truth  !  " 

"And  he,"  said  Lionel,  nearly  choked  by  his  emotions 
— "  he  believed  it !  " 

"When  he  heard  the  solemn  oath  of  one,  whose  whole 
guilt,  he  thought,  lay  in  her  weakness  to  himself,  he  did. 
As  we  listened  to  his  terrible  denunciations,  and  saw  the 
frown  which  darkened  his  manly  beauty,  we  both  thought 
we  had  succeeded.  But  how  little  did  we  know  the  differ- 
ence between  rooted  passion  and  passing  inclination  !  The 
heart  we  thought  to  alienate  from  its  dead  partner,  we 
destroyed  ;  and  the  reason  we  conspired  to  deceive,  was 
maddened  ! " 

When  her  voice  ceased,  so  profound  a  silence  reigned  in 
the  place,  that  the  roar  of  the  distant  cannonade  sounded 
close  at  hand,  and  even  the  low  murmurs  of  the  excited 
town  swept  by,  like  the  whisperings  of  the  wind.  Job  sud- 
denly ceased  to  breathe,  as  though  his  spirit  had  only  lin- 
gered to  hear  the  confession  of  his  mother,  and  Polwarth 
dropped  the  arm  of  the  dead  simpleton,  unconscious  of 
the  interest  he  had  so  lately  taken  in  his  fate.  In  the  midst 
of  this  death-like  stillness,  the  old  man  stole  from  the  side 
of  the  body,  and  stood  before  the  self-condemned  Abigail, 
whose  form  was  writhing  under  her  mental  anguish. 
Crouching  more  like  a  tiger  than  a  man,  he  sprang  upon 
her,  with  a  cry  so  sudden,  so  wild,  and  so  horrid,  that  it 
caused  all  within  its  hearing  to  shudder  with  instant  dread. 

"  Beldame ! "  he  shouted,  "  I  have  thee  now  !  Bring 
hither  the  book  !  the  blessed,  holy  word  of  God  !  Let  her 
swear,  let  her  swear  !  Let  her  damn  her  perjured  soul,  in 
impious  oaths " 

"  Monster  !  release  the  woman  !  "  cried  Lionel,  advancing 
to  the  assistance  of  the  struggling  penitent ;  "  thou,  too, 
hoary-headed  wretch,  hast  deceived  me  ! " 

"Lincoln!  Lincoln!"  shrieked  Cecil,  "  stay  that  unnat- 
ural hand  !  you  raise  it  on  thy  father  !  " 

Lionel  staggered  back  to  the  wall,  where  he  stood  mo- 
tionless, and  gasping  for  breath.  Left  to  work  his  own 
frantic  will,  the  maniac  would  speedily  have  terminated 
the  sorrows  of  the  wretched  woman,  had  not  the  door  been 
burst  open  with  a  crash,  and  the  stranger,  who  was  left,  by 
the  cunning  of  the  madman,  in  the  custody  of  the  Ameri- 
cans, rushed  to  the  rescue. 

"  I  know  your  yell,  my  gentle  baronet ! "  cried  the 
aroused  keeper,  for  such  in  truth  he  was,  "  and  I  have  a 


366  LIONEL   LINCOLN 

mark  for  your  malice,  which  would  have  gladly  had  me 
hung  !  But  I  have  not  followed  you  from  kingdom  to 
kingdom — from  Europe  to  America,  to  be  cheated  by  a 
lunatic  ! " 

It  was  apparent,  by  the  lowering  look  of  the  fellow,  ho\V 
deeply  he  resented  the  danger  he  had  just  escaped,  as  he 
sprang  forward  to -seize  his  prisoner.  Ralph  abandoned 
his  hold  the  instant  this  hated  object  appeared,  and  he 
darted  upon  the  breast  of  the  other  with  the  undaunted 
fury  that  a  lion,  at  bay,  would  turn  upon  its  foe.  The 
struggle  was  fierce  and  obstinate.  Hoarse  oaths,  and  the 
most  savage  execrations  burst  from  the  incensed  keeper, 
and  were  blended  with  the  wildest  ravings  of  madness  from 
Ralph.  The  excited  powers  of  the  maniac  at  length  pre- 
vailed, and  his  antagonist  fell  under  their  irresistible  im- 
pulse. Quicker  than  thought,  Ralph  was  seen  hovering 
on  the  chest  of  his  victim,  while  he  grasped  his  throat  with 
fingers  of  iron. 

"  Vengeance  is  holy  !  "  cried  the  maniac,  bursting  into 
a  shout  of  horrid  laughter,  at  his  triumph,  arid  shaking  his 
gray  locks  till  they  flowed  in  wild  confusion  around  his 
glowing  eye-balls  ;  "  Urim  and  Thummin  are  the  words  of 
glory !  Liberty  is  the  shout !  Die,  damned  dog-!  die  like 
the  fiends  in  darkness,  and  leave  freedom  to  the  air  !  " 

By  a  mighty  effort  the  gasping  man  released  his  throat 
a  little  from  the  gripe  that  nearly  throttled  him,  and  cried, 
with  difficulty — 

"For  the  love  of  heavenly  justice,  come  to  my  aid  I—- 
will you  see  a  man  thus  murdered  ? " 

But  he  addressed  himself  to  the  sympathies  of  the  lis- 
teners in  vain.  The  females  had  hid  their  faces,  in  nat- 
ural horror  ;  the  maimed  Pohvarth  was  yet  without  his 
artificial  limb  ;  and  Lionel  still  looked  upon  the  savage 
fray  with  a  vacant  eye.  At  this  moment  of  despair,  the 
hand  of  the  keeper  was  seen  plunging  with  violence  into 
the  side  of  Ralph,  who  sprang  upon  his  feet  at  the  third 
blow,  laughing  immoderately,  but  with  sounds  so  wild  and 
deep  that  they  seemed  to  shake  his  inmost  soul.  His  an- 
tagonist profited  by  the  occasion,  and  darted  from  the 
room  with  the  headlong  precipitation  of  guilt. 

The  countenance  of  the  maniac,  as  he  now  stood,  strug- 
gling between  life  and  death,  changed  with  each  fleeting 
impulse.  The  blood  flowed  freely  from  the  wounds  in  hi? 
side,  and,  as  the  fatal  tide  ebbed  away,  a  ray  of  passing 
reason  lighted  his  pallid  and  ghastly  features.  His  inwarc. 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  367 

laugh  entirely  ceased.  The  glaring  eyeballs  became  sta- 
tionary ;  and  his  look,  gradually  softening,  settled  on  the 
appalled  pair,  who  took  the  deepest  interest  in  his  wel- 
fare. A  calm  and  decent  expression  possessed  those  linea- 
ments, which  had  just  exhibited  the  deepest  marks  of  the 
wrath  of  God.  His  lips  moved  in  a  vain  effort  to  speak  ; 
and,  stretching  forth  his  arms  in  the  attitude  of  benedic- 
tion, like  the  mysterious  shadow  of  the  chapel,  he  fell 
backward  on  the  body  of  the  lifeless  and  long-neglected 
Job,  himself  perfectly  dead. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

*'  I  saw  an  aged  man  upon  his  bier, 

His  hair  was  thin  and  white,  and  on  his  brow 
A  record  of  the  cares  of  many  a  year ; 
Cares  that  were  ended  and  forgotten  now. 
And  there  was  sadness  round,  and  faces  bow'd, 
And  woman's  tears  fell  fast,  and  children  wail'd  aloud." 

— BRYANT. 

As  the  day  advanced,  the  garrison  of  Boston  was  put  in 
motion.  The  same  bustle,  the  same  activity,  the  same 
gallant  bearing  in  some,  and  dread  reluctance  in  others, 
were  exhibited  as  on  the  morning  of  the  fight  of  the  pre- 
ceding summer.  The  haughty  temper  of  the  royal  com- 
mander could  ill  brook  the  bold  enterprise  of  the  colo- 
nists ;  and,  at  an  early  hour,  orders  were  issued  to  prepare 
to  dislodge  them.  Every  gun  that  could  be  brought  to 
bear  upon  the  hills,  was  employed  to  molest  the  Ameri- 
cans, who  calmly  continued  their  labors,  while'  shot  were 
whistling  around  them  on  every  side.  Towards  evening 
a  large  force  was  embarked  and  conveyed  to  the  castle. 
Washington  appeared  on  the  heights,  in  person,  and  every 
military  evidence  of  the  intention  of  a  resolute  attack  on 
one  part,  and  of  a  stout  resistance  on  the  other,  became 
apparent. 

But  the  fatal  experience  of  Breed's  had  taught  a  lesson 
that  was  still  remembered.  The  same  leaders  were  to  be 
the  principal  actors  in  the  coming  scene,  and  it  was  neces- 
sary to  use  the  remnants  of  many  of  the  very  regiments 
which  had  bled  so  freely  on  the  former  occasion.  The 
half-trained  husbandmen  of  the  colonies  were  no  longer 
despised  ;  and  the  bold  operations  of  the  past  winter  had 


368  ^IONEL  LINCOLN; 

taught  the  English  generals  that,  as  subordination  increased 
among  their  foes,  their  movements  were  conducted  with 
a  more  vigorous  direction  of  their  numbers.  The  day  was 
accordingly  wasted  in  preparations.  Thousands  of  men 
slept  on  their  arms  that  night,  in  either  army,  in  the  ex- 
pectation of  rising,  on  the  following  morning,  to  be  led 
to  the  field  of  slaughter. 

It  is  not  improbable  from  the  tardiness  of  their  move- 
ments, that  a  large  majority  of  the  royal  forces  did  not  re- 
gret the  providential  interposition,  which  certainly  saved 
them  torrents  of  blood,  and  not  improbably  the  ignominy 
of  a  defeat.  One  of  the  sudden  tempests  of  the  climate  arose 
in  the  darkness,  driving  before  it  men  and  beasts,  to  seek 
protection,  in  their  imbecility,  from  the  more  powerful 
warring  of  the  elements.  The  golden  moments  were 
lost ;  and,  after  enduring  so  many  privations,  and  expend- 
ing so  many  lives,  in  vain,  Howe  sullenly  commenced  his 
arrangements  to  abandon  a  town,  on  which  the  English 
ministry  had,  for  years,  lavished  their  indignation,  with  all 
the  acrimony,  and,  as  it  now  seemed,  with  the  impotency 
of  a  blind  revenge. 

To  carry  into  effect  this  sudden  and  necessary  determi- 
nation, was  not  the  work  of  an  hour.  As  it  was  the  de- 
sire of  the  Americans,  however,  to  receive  their  town  back 
again  as  little  injured  as  possible,  they  forbore  to  push  the 
advantage  they  possessed,  by  occupying  those  heights, 
which,  in  a  great  measure,  commanded  the  anchorage,  as 
well  as  a  new  and  vulnerable  face  of  the  defences  of  the 
king's  army.  While  the  semblance  of  hostilities  was  main- 
tained by  an  irregular  and  impotent  cannonade,  conducted 
with  so  little  spirit  as  to  wear  the  appearance  of  being  in- 
tended only  to  amuse,  one  side  was  diligently  occupied  in 
preparing  to  depart,  and  the  other  was  passively  awaiting 
the  moment  when  they  might  peaceably  repossess  their 
own.  It  is  unnecessary  to  remind  the  reader,  that  the  en- 
tire command  of  the  sea,  by  the  British,  would  have  ren- 
dered any  serious  attempt  to  arrest  their  movements,  per- 
fectly futile. 

In  this  manner  a  week  was  passed,  after  the  tempest  had 
abated — the  place  exhibiting,  throughout  this  period,  alj 
the  hurry  and  bustle,  the  joy  and  distress,  that  such  an  un- 
looked-for event  was  likely  to  create. 

Towards  the  close  of  one  of  those  busy  and  stirring 
days,  a  short  funeral  train  was  seen  issuing  from  a  build- 
ing, which  had  long  been  known  as  the  residence  of  one 


LIONEL  LINCOLN.  369 

of  the  proudest  families  in  the  province.  Above  the  outer 
door  of  the  mansion  was  suspended  a  gloomy  hatchment, 
charged  with  the  "courant"  deer  of  Lincoln,  encircled  by 
the  usual  mementos  of  mortality,  and  bearing  the  rare 
symbol  of  the  "  bloody-hand."  -—This  emblem  of  heraldic 
prief,  which  was  never  adopted  in  the  provinces,  except 
at  the  death  of  one  of  high  importance,  a  custom  that  has 
long  since  disappeared  with  the  usages  of  the  monarchy, 
had  caught  the  eyes  of  a  few  idle  boys,  who  alone  were  suf- 
ficiently unoccupied,  at  that  pressing  moment,  to  note 
its  exhibition.  With  the  addition  of  these  truant  urchins 
the  melancholy  procession  took  its  way  toward  the  neigh- 
boring church-yard  of  the  King's  Chapel. 

The  large  bier  was  covered  by  a  pall  so  ample,  that  it  swept 
the  stones  of  the  threshold,  while  entering  into  the  body 
of  the  church.  Here  it  was  met  by  the  divine  we  have  had 
occasion  to  mention  more  than  once,  who  gazed,  with  a 
look  of  strange  interest,  at  the  solitary  and  youthful 
mourner,  that  closely  followed  in  his  dark  weeds.  The 
ceremony,  however,  proceeded  with  the  usual  solemnity, 
and  the  attendants  slowly  moved  deeper  into  the  sacred 
edifice.  Next  to  the  young  man,  came  the  well-known 
persons  of  the  British  commander-in-chief,  and  of  his  quick- 
witted and  favorite  lieutenant.  Between  them  walked  an 
officer  of  inferior  rank,  who,  notwithstanding  his  maimed 
condition,  had  been  able,  by  the  deliberation  of  the  march, 
to  beguile  the  ears  of  his  companions,  to  the  very  moment 
of  meeting  the  clergyman,  with  some  tale  of  no  little  in- 
terest, and  great  apparent  mystery.  The  remainder  of  the 
train,  which  consisted  only  of  the  family  of  the  two  gen- 
erals, and  a  few  menials,  came  last,  if  we  except  the  idlers, 
who  stole  curiously  in  their  footsteps. 

When  the  service  was  ended,  the  same  private  commu- 
nication was  resumed  between  the  two  chieftains  and  their 
companion,  and  continued  until  they  arrived  at  the  open 
vault,  in  a  distant  corner  of  the  enclosure.  Here  the  low 
conversation  ended  ;  and  the  eye  of  Howe,  which  had 
hitherto  been  riveted  in  deep  attention  on  the  speaker, 
began  to  wander  in  the  direction  of  the  dangerous  hills 
occupied  by  his  enemies.  The  interruption  seemed  to 
have  broken  the  charm  of  the  secret  conversation  ;  and  the 
anxious  countenances  of  both  the  leaders  betrayed  how 
soon  their  thoughts  had  wandered  from  a  tale  of  great 
private  distress  to  their  own  heavier  cares  and  duties. 

The  bier  was  placed  before  the  opening,  and  the  assist- 


370  LIONEL  LINCOLN. 

ants  of  the  sexton  advanced  to  perform  their  office. 
When  the  pall  was  removed,  to  the  evident  amazement  of 
most  of  the  spectators,  two  coffins  were  exposed  to  view. 
One  was  clothed  in  black  velvet,  studded  with  silver  nails, 
and  ornamented  after  the  richest  fashions  of  human  pride, 
while  the  other  lay  in  the  simple  nakedness  of  the  clouded 
wood.  On  the  breast  of  the  first  rose  a  heavy  silver  plate, 
bearing  a  long  inscription,  and  decorated  with  the  usual 
devices  of  heraldry  ;  and  on  the  latter  were  simply  carved 
on  the  lid  the  two  initial  letters  J.  P. 

The  impatient  looks  of  the  English  generals  intimated 
to  Dr.  Liturgy  the  value  of  every  moment,  and  in  less 
time  than  we  consume  in  relating  it,  the  bodies  of  the 
high-descended  man  of  wealth,  and  of  his  nameless  com- 
panion, were  lowered  into  the  vault,  and  left  to  decay,  in 
silent  contact,  with  that  of  the  woman  who,  in  life,  had 
been  so  severe  a  scourge  to  both.  After  a  hesitation  of  a 
single  moment,  in  deference  to  the  young  mourner,  the. 
gentlemen  present,  perceiving  that  he  manifested  a  wish 
to  remain,  quitted  the  place  in  a  body,  with  the  exception 
of  the  maimed  officer,  already  mentioned,  whom  the  reader 
has  at  once  recognized  to  be  Polwarth.  When  the  men 
had  replaced  the  stone  above  the  mouth  of  the  vault,  se- 
curing it  by  a  stout  bar  of  iron,  and  a  heavy  lock,  they  de- 
livered the  key  to  the  principal  actor  in  the  scene.  He 
received  it  in  silence,  and,  dropping  gold  into  their  hands, 
motioned  to  them  to  depart. 

In  another  instant,  a  careless  observer  would  have 
thought,  that  Lionel  and  his  friend  were  the  only  living 
possessors  of  the  church-yard.  But  under  the  adjoining 
wall,  partly  hid  from  observation  by  the  numerous  head- 
stones, was  the  form  of  a  woman,  bowed  to  the  earth,  while 
her  figure  was  concealed  by  the  cloak  she  had  gathered 
shapelessly  about  her.  As  soon  as  the  gentlemen  per- 
ceived they  were  alone,  they  slowly  advanced  to  the  side 
of  this  desolate  being. 

Their  approaching  footsteps  were  not  unheeded,  though, 
instead  of  facing  those  who  so  evidently  wished  to  address 
her,  she  turned  to  the  wall,  and  began  to  trace,  with  un- 
conscious fingers,  the  letters  of  a  tablet  in  slate,  which  was 
let  into  the  brickwork,  to  mark  the  position  of  the  tomb 
of  the  Lechmeres. 

"We  can  do  no  more,1'  said  the  young  mourner — ''all 
now  rest  with  a  mightier  hand  than  any  of  earth." 

The  squalid  limb,  that  was  thrust  from  beneath  the  red 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  371 

garment,  trembled,  but  it  still  continued  its  unmeaning 
employment 

"  Sir  Lionel  Lincoln  speaks  to  you,"  said  Polwarth,  on 
whose  arm  the  youthful  baronet  leaned. 

"  Who  !  "  shrieked  Abigail  Pray,  casting  aside  her  cover* 
ing,  and  baring  those  sunken  features,  on  which  misery 
had  made  terrible  additional  inroads,  within  a  few  days — • 
"  I  had  forgotten — I  had  forgotten  !  the  son  succeeds  the 
father  ;  but  the  mother  must  follow  her  child  to  the  grave  ! " 

"  He  is  honorably  interred  with  those  of  his  blood,  and 
by  the  side  of  one  who  loved  his  simple  integrity  !  " 

"  Yes,  he  is  better  lodged  in  death  than  he  was  in  life ! 
Thank  God  !  he  can  never  know  cold  nor  hunger  more  !  " 

"  You  will  find  that  I  have  made  a  provision  for  your 
future  comfort  ;  and  I  trust  that  the  close  of  your  life  will 
be  happier  than  its  prime." 

"  I  am  alone,"  said  the  woman,  hoarsely.  '*  The  old  will 
avoid  me,  and  the  young  will  look  upon  me  in  scorn  !  Per- 
jury and  revenge  lie  heavy  on  my  soul !  " 

The  young  baronet  was  silent,  but  Polwarth  assumed 
the  right  to  reply — 

"  I  will  not  pretend  to  assert,"  said  the  worthy  captain, 
"that  these  are  not  both  wicked  companions  ;  but  I  have 
no  doubt  you  will  find,  somewhere  in  the  Bible,  a  suitable 
consolation  for  each  particular  offence.  Let  me  recom- 
mend to  you  a  hearty  diet,  and  I'll  answer  for  an  easy  con- 
science. I  never  knew  the  prescription  fail.  Look  about 
you  in  the  world — does  your  well-fed  villain  feel  remorse ! 
No  ;  it's  only  when  his  stomach  is  empty,  that  he  begins 
to  think  of  his  errors !  I  would  also  suggest  the  expedi- 
ency of  commencing  soon,  with  something  substantial,  as 
you  show  altogether  too  much  bone,  at  present,  for  a 
thriving  condition.  I  would  not  wish  to  say  anything  dis- 
tressing, but  we  both  of  us  may  remember  a  case  where 
the  nourishment  came  too  late." 

"  Yes,  yes,  it  came  too  late  !  "  murmured  the  conscience- 
stricken  woman — "all  comes  too  late  !  even  the  penitence, 
I  fear  ! " 

"  Say  not  so,"  observed  Lionel  ;  "you  do  outrage  to  the 
promises  of  One  who  never  spoke  false." 

Abigail  stole  a  fearful  glance  at  him,  which  expressed 
all  the  secret  terror  of  her  soul,  as  she  half  whispered — 

"  Who  witnessed  the  end  of  Madam  Lechmere  !  did  her 
spirit  pass  in  peace  ? " 

Sir  Lionel  again  remained  profoundly  silent. 


$72  LIONEL   LINCOLN. 

"I  thought  it,"  she  continued — "'tis  not  a  sin  to  be  for- 
gotten on  a  death-bed  !  To  plot  ^vil,  and  call  on  God, 
aloud,  to  look  upon  it  !  Ay!  and  to  madden  a  brain,  and 
strip  a  soul  like  his  to  nakedness  !  Go,"  she  added,  beck- 
oning them  away  with  earnestness — "ye  are  young  and 
happy  ;  why  should  ye  linger  near  the  grave  !  Leave  me, 
that  I  may  pray  among  the  tombs  !  If  anything  can  smooth 
the  bitter  moment,  it  is  prayer." 

Lionel  dropped  the  key  he  held  in  his  hand  at  her  feet, 
and  said,  before  he  left  her — 

"  Yon  vault  is  closed  forever,  unless,  at  your  request,  it 
should  be  opened,  at  some  future  time,  to  place  you  by  the 
side  of  your  son.  The  children  of  those  who  built  it  are 
already  gathered  there,  with  the  exception  of  two,  who  go 
to  the  other  hemisphere  to  leave  their  bones.  Take  it,  and 
may  Heaven  forgive  you,  as  I  do." 

He  let  fall  a  heavy  purse  by  the  side  of  the  key,  and, 
without  uttering  more,  he  again  took  the  arm  of  Polwarth, 
and  together  they  left  the  place. 

As  they  turned  through  the  gate-way,  'into  the  street, 
each  stole  a  glance  at  the  distant  woman.  She  had  risen 
to  her  knees  ;  her  hands  had  grasped  a  head-stone,  and  her 
face  was  bowed  nearly  to  the  earth,  while,  by  the  writhing 
of  her  form,  and  the  humility  of  her  attitude,  it  was  appar- 
ent that  her  spirit  struggled  powerfully  with  the  Lord  for 
mercy. 

Three  days  afterwards  the  Americans  entered,  triumph- 
antly, on  the  retiring  footsteps  of  the  royal  army.  The 
first  among  them,  who  hastened  to  visit  the  graves  of  their 
fathers,  found  the  body  of  a  woman,  who  had,  seemingly, 
died  under  the  severity  of  the  season.  She  had  unlocked 
the  vault,  in  a  vain  effort  to  reach  her  child,  and  there  her 
strength  had  failed  her.  Her  limbs  were  decently  stretched 
on  the  faded  grass,  while  her  features  were  composed,  ex- 
hibiting in  death  the  bland  traces  of  that  remarkable  beauty 
which  had  distinguished  and  betrayed  her  youth.  The 
gold  still  lay  neglected,  where  it  had  fallen. 

The  amazed  townsmen  avoided  this  spectacle  with  hor- 
ror, rushing  into  other  places  to  gaze  at  the  changes  and 
the  destruction  of  their  beloved  birthplace.    But  a  follower 
of  the  royal  army,  who  had  lingered  to  plunder,  and  who 
had  witnessed  the  interview  between  the  officers  and  Abi 
gail,  shortly  succeeded  them.     He  lifted  the  flag,  and,  low 
ering  the   body,  closed  the  vault ;  then  hurling  away  the 
key,  he  seized  the  money,  and  departed. 


LIONEL  LINCOLN.  373 

The  slate  has  long  since  mouldered  from  the  wall  ;  the 
sod  has  covered  the  stone,  and  few  are  left  who  can  desig- 
nate the  spot  where  the  proud  families  of  Lech  mere  and 
Lincoln  were  wont  to  inter  their  dead. 

Sir  Lionel  and  Polvvarth  proceeded,  in  the  deepest 
silence,  to  the  Long-wharf,  where  a  boat  received  them. 
They  were  rowed  to  the  much  admired  frigate,  that  was 
standing  off-and-on,  under  easy  sail,  waiting  their  arrival. 
On  her  decks  they  met  Agnes  Danforth,  with  her  eyes 
softened  by  tears,  though  a  rich  flush  mantled  on  her 
cheeks,  at  witnessing  the  compelled  departure  of  those  in- 
vaders she  had  never  loved. 

"  I  have  only  remained  to  give  you  a  parting  kiss,  cousin 
Lionel,"  said  the  frank  girl,  affectionately  saluting  him, 
"  and  now  shall  take  my  leave,  without  repeating  those 
wishes  that  you  know  are  so  often  conveyed  in  my  pray- 
ers." 

"  You  will  then  leave  us  ?  "  said  the  young  baronet,  smil- 
ing for  the  first  time  in  many  a  day.  "  You  know  that  this 
cruelty " 

He  was  interrupted  by  a  loud  hem  from  Polwarth,  who 
advanced,  and,  taking  the  hand  of  the  lady,  repeated  his 
wish  to  retain  it  forever,  for  at  least  the  fiftieth  time.  She 
heard  him,  in  silence,  and  with  much  apparent  respect, 
though  an  arch  smile  stole  upon  her  gravity,  before  he 
had  ended.  She  then  thanked  him  with  suitable  grace, 
and  gave  a  final  and  decided  refusal.  The  captain  sustained 
the  repulse  like  one  who  had  seen  much  similar  service, 
and  politely  lent  his  assistance  to  help  the  obdurate  girl 
into  her  boat.  Here  she  was  received  by  a  young  man, 
who  was  apparelled  like  an  American  officer.  Sir  Lionel 
thought  the  bloom  on  her  cheek  deepened,  as  her  compan- 
ion assiduously  drew  a  cloak  around  her  form  to  protect 
her  from  the  chill  of  the  water.  Instead  of  returning  to 
the  town,  the  boat,  which  bore  a  flag,  pulled  directly  for 
the  shore  occupied  by  the  Americans.  The  "following 
week,  Agnes  was  united  to  this  gentleman,  in  the  bosom 
of  her  own  family.  They  soon  after  took  quiet  possession 
of  the  house  in  Tremont  Street,  and  of  all  the  large  real 
estate  left  by  Mrs.  Lechmere,  which  had  been  previously 
bestowed  on  her,  by  Cecil,  as  a  dowry. 

As  soon  as  his  passengers  appeared,  the  captain  of  the 
frigate  communicated  with  his  admiral,  by  signal,  and  re- 
ceived, in  return,  the  expected  order  to  proceed  in  the 
execution  of  his  trust.  In  a  few  minutes  the  swift  vessel 


374  LIONEL   LINCOLN". 

was  gliding  by  the  heights  of  Dorchester,  training  het 
guns  on  the  adverse  hills,  and  hurriedly  spreading  her 
canvas  as  she  passed.  The  Americans,  however,  looked 
on  in  sullen  silence,  and  she  was  suffered  to  gain  the  open 
ocean,  unmolested,  when  she  made  the  best  of  her  way  to 
England,  with  the  important  intelligence  of  the  intended 
evacuation. 

She  was  speedily  followed  by  the  fleet,  since  which  pe- 
riod, the  long-oppressed  and  devoted  town  of  Boston  has 
never  been  visited  by  an  armed  enemy. 

During  their  passage  to  England,  sufficient  time  was  al- 
lowed Lionel  and  his  gentle  companion,  to  reflect  on  all 
that  had  occurred.  Together,  and  in  the  fullest  confidence, 
they  traced  the  wanderings  of  intellect  which  had  so  close- 
ly and  mysteriously  connected  the  deranged  father  with 
his  impotent  child  ;  and,  as  they  reasoned,  by  descending 
to  the  secret  springs  of  his  disordered  impulses,  they  were 
easily  enabled  to  divest  the  incidents  we  have  endeavored 
to  relate  of  all  their  obscurity  and  doubt.  . 

The  keeper,  who  had  been  sent  in  quest  of  the  fugitive 
madman,  never  returned  to  his  native  land.  No  offers 
of  forgiveness  could  induce  the  unwilling  agent  in  the 
death  of  the  baronet  to  trust  his  person,  again,  within  the 
influence  of  the  British  laws.  Perhaps  he  was  conscious 
of  a  motive,  that  none  but  an  inward  monitor  might  de- 
tect. Lionel,  tired  at  length  with  importuning  without 
success,  commissioned  the  husband  of  Agnes  to  place 
him  in  a  situation,  where,  by  industry,  his  future  comfort 
was  amply  secured. 

Polwarth  died  quite  lately.  Notwithstanding  his  maimed 
limb,  he  contrived,  by  the  assistance  of  his  friend,  to  as- 
cend the  ladder  of  promotion,  by  regular  gradations,  near-; 
ly  to  its  summit.  At  the  close  of  his  long  life,  he  wrote 
Gen.,  Bart.,  and  M.  P.  after  his  name.  When  England 
was  threatened  with  the  French  invasion,  the  garrison  he 
commanded  was  distinguished  for  being  better  provisioned 
than  any  other  in  the  realm,  and  no  doubt  it  would  have 
made  a  resistance  equal  to  its  resources.  In  Parliament, 
where  he  sat  for  one  of  the  Lincoln  boroughs,  he  was 
chiefly  distinguished  for  the  patience  with  which  he  lis- 
tened to  the  debates,  and  for  the  remarkable  cordiality  of 
the  "ay"  that  he  pronounced  on  every  vote  for  supplies. 
To  the  day  of  his  death,  he  was  a  strenuous  advocate  for 
the  virtues  of  a  rich  diet,  in  all  cases  of  physical  suffer- 
ing, "  especially,"  as  he  would  add,  with  an  obstinacy  that 


LIONEL   LINCOLN.  375 

fed  itself,  "in  instances  of  debility  from  febrile  symp- 
toms." 

Within  a  year  of  their  arrival,  the  uncle  of  Cecil  died, 
having  shortly  before  followed  an  only  son  to  the  grave. 
By  this  unlooked-for  event,  Lady  Lincoln  became  the 
possessor  of  his  large  estates,  as  well  as  of  an  ancient  bar- 
ony, that  descended  to  the  heirs  general.  From  this  time 
until  the  eruption  of  the  French  revolution,  Sir  Lionel 
Lincoln,  and  Lady  Cardonnell,  as  Cecil  was  now  styled, 
lived  together  in  sweetest  concord  ;  the  gentle  influence  of 
her  affection  moulding  and  bending  the  feverish  tempera- 
ment of  her  husband,  at  will.  The  heirloom  of  the  fami- 
ly, that  distempered  feeling  so  often  mentioned,  was  for- 
gotten, in  the  even  tenor  of  their  happiness.  When  the 
heaviest  pressure  on  the  British  constitution  was  appre- 
hended, and  it  became  the  policy  of  the  minister  to  enlist 
the  wealth  and  talent  of  his  nation  in  its  support,  by  prop- 
ping the  existing  administration,  the  rich  baronet  received 
a  peerage  in  his  own  person.  Before  the  end  of  the  cen- 
tury, he  was  further  advanced  to  a  dormant  earldom,  that 
had,  in  former  ages,  been  one  of  the  honors  of  an  elder 
branch  of  his  family. 

Of  all  the  principal  actors  in  the  foregoing  tale,  not  one 
is  now  living.  Even  the  roses  of  Cecil  and  Agnes  have 
long  since  ceased  to  bloom,  and  Death  has  gathered  them 
in  peace  and  innocence,  with  all  that  had  gone  before.  The 
historical  facts  of  our  legend  are  beginning  to  be  obscured 
by  time  ;  and  it  is  more  than  probable,  that  the  prosperous 
and  affluent  English  peer,  who  now  enjoys  the  honors  of 
the  house  of  Lincoln,  never  knew  the  secret  history  of  his 
family  while  it  sojourned  in.  a  remote  province  of  the  Brit- 
ish empire. 


THE   END. 


rt,"T?Je  Ir^dia"  lad/ose  deliberately  to  his  feet,  and  stood  before  them  in 
tne  sullen  dignity  of  a  captured  warrior." 

—The  Wept  of  Wish-ton-  Wish,  page  54. 


THE 


WEPT  OF  WISH-TON-WISH 


A  TALE 


BY 

J.   FENIMORE    COOPER 


But  she  is  dead  to  him,  to  all 

Her  lute  hangs  silent  on  the  wall 

And  on  the  stairs,  and  at  the  door 

Her  fairy  step  is  heard  no  more." — ROGERS 


THE    REV.    J.    R.    C., 

OF 

******  PENNSYLVANIA. 

THE  kind  and  disinterested  manner  in  which  you  have  furnished  the 
materials  of  the  following  tale,  merits  a  public  acknowledgment.  As  your 
reluctance  to  appear  before  the  world,  however,  imposes  a  restraint,  you 
must  receive  such  evidence  of  gratitude  as  your  own  prohibition  will  allow. 

Notwithstanding  there  are  so  many  striking  and  deeply  interesting  events 
in  the  early  history  of  those  from  whom  you  derive  your  being,  yet  are  there 
hundreds  of  other  families  in  this  country,  whose  traditions,  though  less 
accurately  and  minutely  preserved  than  the  little  narrative  you  have  sub- 
mitted to  my  inspection,  would  supply  the  materials  of  many  moving  tales. 
You  have  every  reason  to  exult  in  your  descent,  for,  surely,  if  any  man 
may  claim  to  be  a  citizen  and  a  proprietor  in  the  Union,  it  is  one,  that, 
like  yourself,  can  point  to  a  line  of  ancestors,  whose  origin  is  lost  in  the 
obscurity  of  time.  You  are  truly  an  American.  In  your  eyes,  we  of  a 
brief  century  or  two  must  appear  as  little  more  than  denizens  quite  re- 
cently admitted  to  the  privilege  of  a  residence.  That  you  may  continue 
to  enjoy  peace  and  happiness,  in  that  land  where  your  fathers  so  long 
flourished,  is  the  sincere  wish  of  your  obliged  friend. 


PREFACE. 


AT  this  distant  period,  when  Indian  traditions  are  lis- 
tened to  with  the  interest  that  we  lend  to  the  events  of  a 
dark  age,  it  is  not  easy  to  convey  a  vivid  image  of  the 
dangers  and  privations  that  our  ancestors  encountered,  in 
preparing  the  land  we  enjoy  for  its  present  state  of  secu- 
rity and  abundance.  It  is  the  humble  object  of  the  tale 
that  will  be  found  in  the  succeeding  pages,  to  perpetuate 
the  recollection  of  some  of  the  practices  and  events  pe- 
culiar to  the  early  days  of  our  history. 

The  general  character  of  the  warfare  pursued  by  the 
natives  is  too  w7ell  known  to  require  any  preliminary  obser- 
vations ;  but  it  may  be  advisable  to  direct  the  attention  of 
the  reader,  for  a  few  moments,  to  those  leading  circum- 
stances in  the  history  of  the  times,  that  may  have  some 
connection  with  the  principal  business  of  the  legend. 

The  territory  which  now  composes  the  three  states  of 
Massachusetts,  Connecticut,  and  Rhode  Island,  is  said,  by 
the  best-informed  of  our  annalists,  to  have  been  formerly 
occupied  by  four  great  nations  of  Indians,  who  were,  as 
usual,  subdivided  into  numberless  dependent  tribes.  Of 
these  people,  the  Massachusetts  possessed  a  large  portion 
of  the  land  which  now  composes  the  state  of  that  name  ; 
the  Wampanoags  dwelt  in  what  was  once  the  Colony  of 
Plymouth,  and  in  the  northern  districts  of  the  Providence 
Plantations  ;  the  Narragansetts  held  the  well-known  islands 
of  the  beautiful  bay  which  receives  its  name  from  their 
nation,  and  the  more  southern  counties  of  the  Plantations; 
while  the  Pequots,  or,  as  it  is  ordinarily  written  and  pro- 
nounced, the  Pequods,  were  masters  of  a  broad  region 
that  lay  along  the  western  boundaries  of  the  three  other 
districts. 

There  is  great  obscurity  thrown  around  the  polity  of  the 
Indians  who  usually  occupied  the  country  lying  near  the 
sea. 


6  PREFA  CE. 

The  Europeans,  accustomed  to  despotic  governments, 
very  naturally  supposed  that  the  chiefs,  found  in  posses- 
sion  of  power,  were  monarchs  to  whom  authority  had  been 
transmitted  in  virtue  of  their  birthrights.  They  conse- 
quently gave  them  the  name  of  kings. 

How  far  this  opinion  of  the  governments  of  the  aborig- 
ines was  true  remains  a  question,  though  there  is  certainly 
reason  to  think  it  less  erroneous  in  respect  to  the  tribes  of 
the  Atlantic  states,  than  to  those  who  have  since  been 
found  further  west,  where  it  is  sufficiently  known  that 
institutions  exist  which  approach  much  nearer  to  republics 
than  to  monarchies.  It  may,  however,  have  readily  hap- 
pened that  the  son,  profiting  by  the  advantages  of  his 
situation,  often  succeeded  to  the  authority  of  the  father, 
by  the  aid  of  influence,  when  the  established  regulations 
of  the  tribe  acknowledged  no  hereditary  claim.  Let  the 
principle  of  the  descent  of  power  be  what  it  would,  it  is 
certain  the  experience  of  our  ancestors  proves,  that,  in 
very  many  instances,  the  child  was  seen  to  occupy  the 
station  formerly  filled  by  the  father ;  and  that  in  most  of 
those  situations  of  emergency,  in  which  a  people  so  vio- 
lent were  often  placed,  the  authority  he  exercised  was  as 
summary  as  it  was  general.  The  appellation  of  Uncas 
came,  like  those  of  the  Caesars  and  Pharaohs,  to  be  a  sort 
of  synonyme  for  chief  with  the  Mohegans,  a  tribe  of  the 
Pequods,  among  whom  several  warriors  of  this  name  were 
known  to  govern  in  due  succession.  The  renowned  Met- 
acom,  or,  as  he  is  better  known  to  the  whites,  King  Philip, 
was  certainly  the  son  of  Massasoit,  the  Sachem  of  the 
Wampanoags  that  the  emigrants  found  in  authority  when 
they  landed  on  the  rock  of  Plymouth.  Miantonimoh,  the 
daring  but  hapless  rival  of  that  Uncas  who  ruled  the  whole 
of  the  Pequod  nation,  was  succeeded  in  authority  among 
the  Narragan setts,  by  his  not  less  heroic  and  enterprising 
son,  Conanchet  ;  and,  even  at  a  much  later  day,  we  find 
instances  of  this  transmission  of  power,  which  furnish 
strong  reasons  for  believing  that  the  order  of  succession 
was  in  the  direct  line  of  blood. 

The  early  annals  of  our  history  are  not  wanting  in  touch' 
ing  and  noble  examples  of  savage  heroism.  Virginia  has 
its  legend  of  the  powerful  Powhatan  and  his  magnanimous 
daughter,  the  ill-requited  Pocahontas  ;  and  the  chronicles 
of  New  England  are  filled  with  the  bold  designs  and  dar- 
ing enterprises  of  Miantonimoh,  of  Metacom,  and  of  Con- 
anchet. All  the  last-named  warriors  proved  themselves 


PREFA  CE.  7 

worthy  of  better  fates,  dying  in  a  cause  and  in  a  manner 
that,  had  it  been  their  fortune  to  have  lived  in  a  more  ad« 
vanced  state  of  society,  would  have  enrolled  their  names 
among  the  worthies  of  the  age. 

The  first  serious  war  to  which  the  settlers  of  New  Eng- 
land were  exposed,  was  the  struggle  with  the  Pequods. 
This  people  were  subdued  after  a  fierce  conflict  ;  and 
from  being  enemies,  all  who  were  not  either  slain  or  sent 
into  distant  slavery,  were  glad  to  become  the  auxiliaries 
of  their  conquerors.  This  contest  occurred  within  less 
than  twenty  years  after  the  Puritans  had  sought  refuge  in 
America. 

There  is  reason  to  believe  that  Metacom  foresaw  the 
fate  of  his  own  people,  in  the  humbled  fortune  of  the  Pe- 
quods. Though  his  father  had  been  the  earliest  and  con- 
stant friend  of  the  whites,  it  is  probable  that  the  Purjtans 
owed  some  portion  of  this  amity  to  a  dire  necessity.  We 
are  told  that  a  terrible  malady  had  raged  among  the  Wam- 
panoags  but  a  short  time  before  the  arrival  of  the  emi- 
grants, and  that  their  numbers  had  been  fearfully  reduced 
by  its  ravages.  Some  authors  have  hinted  at  the  proba- 
bility of  this  disease  having  been  the  yellow  fever,  whose 
visitations  are  known  to  be  at  uncertain,  and,  apparently, 
at  very  distant  intervals.  Whatever  might  have  been  the 
cause  of  this  destruction  of  his  people,  Massasoit' is  be- 
lieved to  have  been  induced,  by  the  consequences,  to  cul- 
tivate the  alliance  of  a  nation  who  could  protect  him 
against  the  attacks  of  his  ancient  and  less  afflicted  foes. 
But  the  son  appears  to  have  viewed  the  increasing  influ- 
ence of  the  whites  with  eyes  more  jealous  than  those  of 
the  father.  He  passed  the  morning  of  his  life  in  maturing 
his  great  plan  for  the  destruction  of  the  strange  race,  and 
his  later  years  were  spent  in  abortive  attempts  to  put  this 
bold  design  in  execution.  His  restless  activity  in  plotting 
the  confederation  against  the  English,  his  fierce  and  ruth- 
less manner  of  waging  the  war,  his  defeat,  and  his  death, 
are  too  well  known  to  require  repetition. 

There  is  also  a  wild  and  romantic  interest  thrown  about 
the  obscure  history  of  a  Frenchman  of  that  period.  This 
man  is  said  to  have  been  an  officer  of  rank  in  the  service 
of  his  king,  and  to  have  belonged  to  the  privileged  class 
which  then  monopolized  all  the  dignities  and  emoluments 
of  the  kingdom  of  France.  The  traditions,  and  even  the 
written  annals  of  the  first  century  of  our  possession  of 
America,  connect  the  Baron  de  la  Castine  with  the  Jesuits, 


8  PREFA  CE. 

who  were  thought  to  entertain  views  of  converting  the 
savages  to  Christianity,  not  unmingled  with  the  desire  of 
establishing  a  more  temporal  dominion  over  their  minds. 
It  is,  however,  difficult  to  say  whether  taste,  or  religion, 
or  policy,  or  necessity,  induced  this  nobleman  to  quit  the 
saloons  of  Paris  for  the  wilds  of  the  Penobscot.  It  is 
merely  known  that  he  passed  the  greater  part  of  his  life 
on  that  river,  in  a  rude  fortress  that  was  then  called  a 
palace  ;  that  he  had  many  wives,  a  numerous  progeny,  and 
that  he  possessed  a  great  influence  over  most  of  the  tribes 
that  dwelt  in  his  vicinity.  He  is  also  believed  to  have 
been  the  instrument  of  furnishing  the  savages  who  were 
hostile  to  the  English,  with  ammunition,  and  with  weapons 
of  a  more  deadly  character  than  those  used  in  their  earlier 
wars.  In  whatever  degree  he  may  have  participated  in 
the  plan  to  exterminate  the  Puritans,  death  prevented  him 
from  assisting  in  the  final  effort  of  Metacom. 

The  Narragansetts  are  often  mentioned  in  these  pages. 
A  few  years  before  the  period  at  which  the  tale  commences, 
Miantonimoh  had  waged  a  ruthless  war  against  Uncas, 
the  Pequod  or  Mohegan  chief.  Fortune  favored  the  latter, 
who,  probably  assisted  by  his  civilized  allies,  not  only 
overthrew  the  bands  of  the  other,  but  succeeded  in  capt- 
uring the  person  of  his  enemy.  The  chief  of  the  Nar- 
ragansetts lost  his  life,  through  the  agency  of  the  whites, 
on  the  place  that  is  now  known  by  the  appellation  of  "  the 
Sachem's  .plain." 

It  remains  only  to  throw  a  little  light  on  the  leading  in- 
cidents of  the  war  of  King  Philip.  The  first  blow  was 
struck  in  June,  1675,  rather  more  than  half  a  century  after 
the  English  first  landed  in  New  England,  and  just  a 
century  before  blood  was  drawn  in  the  contest  which  sepa- 
rated the  colonies  from  the  mother  country.  The  scene  was 
a  settlement  near  the  celebrated  Mount  Hope,  in  Rhode 
Island,  where  Metacom  and  his  father  had  both  long  held 
their  councils.  From  this  point,  bloodshed  and  massacre 
extended  along  the  whole  frontier  of  New  England.  Bodies 
of  horse  and  foot  were  enrolled  to  meet  the  foe,  and  towns 
were  burnt,  and  lives  were  taken  by  both  parties,  with 
little,  and  often  with  no  respect  for  age,  condition  or  sex. 

In  no  struggle  with  the  native  owners  of  the  soil  was  the 
growing  power  of  the  whites  placed  in  so  great  jeopardy, 
as  in  this  celebrated  contest  with  King  Philip.  The  vener- 
able historian  of  Connecticut  estimates  the  loss  of  lives  at 
nearly  one-tenth  of  the  whole  number  of  the  fighting  men, 


PREFACE.  9 

and  the  destruction  of  houses  and  other  edifices  to  have 
been  in  an  equal  proportion.  One  family  in  every  eleven, 
throughout  all  New  England,  was  burnt  out.  As  the  col- 
onists nearest  the  sea  were  exempt  from  the  danger,  an 
idea  may  be  formed,  from  this  calculation,  of  the  risk  and 
sufferings  of  those  who  dwelt  in  more  exposed  situations. 
The  Indians  did  not  escape  without  retaliation.  The  prin- 
cipal nations,  already  mentioned,  were  so  much  reduced  as 
never  afterward  to  offer  any  serious  resistance  to  the. 
whites,  who  have  since  converted  the  whole  of  their  an- 
cient hunting  grounds  into  the  abodes  of  civilized  man. 
Metacom,  Miantonimoh,  and  Conanchet,  with  their  war- 
riors, have  become  the  heroes  of  song  and  legend,  while 
the  descendants  of  those  who  laid  waste  their  dominions, 
and  destroyed  their  race,  are  yielding  a  tardy  tribute  to 
the  high  daring  and  savage  grandeur  of  their  characters. 


THE  WEPT  OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 


CHAPTER  I. 

"  I  may  disjoin  my  hand,  but  not  my  faith." — SHAKESPEARE. 

THE  incidents  of  this  tale  must  be  sought  in  a  remote 
period  of  the  annals  of  America.  A  colony  of  self-devoted 
and  pious  refugees  from  religious  persecution  had  landed 
on  the  rock  of  Plymouth,  less  than  half  a  century  before 
the  time  at  which  the  narrative  commences  ;  and  they,  and 
their  descendants,  had  already  transformed  many  a  broad 
waste  of  wilderness  into  smiling  fields  and  cheerful  vil- 
lages. The  labors  of  the  emigrants  had  been  chiefly 
limited  to  the  country  on  the  coast,  which,  by  its  proxim- 
ity to  the  waters  that  rolled  between  them  and  Europe, 
afforded  a  semblance  of  a  connection  with  the  land  of  their 
forefathers  and  the  distant  abodes  of  civilization.  But  en- 
terprise, and  a  desire  to  search  for  still  more  fertile 
domains,  together  with  the  temptation  offered  by  the  vast 
and  unknown  regions  that  lay  along  their  western  and 
northern  borders,  had  induced  many  bold  adventurers  to 
penetrate  more  deeply  into  the  forests.  The  precise  spot 
to  which  we  desire  to  transport  the  imagination  of  the 
reader,  was  one  of  these  establishments  of  what  may,  not 
inaptly,  be  called  the  forlorn-hope  in  the  march  of  civili- 
zation through  the  country. 

So  little  was  then  known  of  the  great  outlines  of  the 
American  continent,  that,  when  the  Lords  Say  and  Seal, 
and  Brooke,  connected  with  a  few  associates,  obtained  a 
grant  of  the  territory  which  now  composes  the  state  of 
Connecticut,  the  King  of  England  affixed  his  name  to  a 
patent  which  constituted  them  proprietors  of  a  country 
that  should  extend  from  the  shores  of  the  Atlantic  to 
those  of  the  South  Sea.  Notwithstanding  the  apparent 


12  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

hopelessness  of  ever  subduing,  or  of  even  occupying  a 
territory  like  this,  emigrants  from  the  mother  colony  of 
Massachusetts  were  found  ready  to  commence  the  Hercu- 
lean labor  within  fifteen  years  from  the  day  -when  they 
had  first  put  foot  upon  the  well-known  rock  itself.  The 
fort  of  Say-Brooke,  the  towns  of  Windsor,  Hartford,  and 
New  Haven,  soon  sprang  into  existence,  and  from  that 
period  to  this,  the  little  community  which  then  had  birth 
has  been  steadily,  calmly,  and  prosperously  advancing  in 
its  career,  a  model  of  order  and  reason,  and  the  hive  from 
whicli  swarms  of  industrious,  hardy,  and  enlightened  yeo- 
men have  since  spread  themselves  over  a  surface  so  vast  as 
to  create  an  impression  that  they  still  aspire  to  the  posses- 
sion of  the  immense  regions  included  in  their  original 
grant. 

Among  the  religionists  whom  disgust  of  persecution  had 
early  driven  into  the  voluntary  exile  of  the  colonies,  was 
more  than  a  usual  proportion  of  men  of  character  and 
education.  The  reckless  and  the  gay  younger  sons,  soldiers 
unemployed,  and  students  from  the  Inns  of  Court,  early 
sought  advancement  and  adventure  in  the  more  southern 
provinces,  where  slaves  offered  immunity  from  labor,  and 
where  war,  with  a  bolder  and  more  stirring  policy,  oftener 
gave  rise  to  scenes  of  excitement,  and  of  course,  to  the 
exercise  of  the  faculties  best  suited  to  their  habits  and  dis- 
positions. The  .more  grave,  and  the  religiously-disposed, 
found  refuge  in  the  colonies  of  New  England.  Thither  a 
multitude  of  private  gentlemen  transferred  their  fortunes 
and  their  families,  imparting  a  character  of  intelligence 
and  a  moral  elevation  to  the  country,  which  it  has  nobly 
sustained  to  the  present  hour. 

The  nature  of  the  civil  wars  in  England  had  enlisted 
many  men  of  deep  and  sincere  piety  into  the  profession  of 
arms.  Some  of  them  had  retired  to  the  colonies  before  the 
troubles  of  the  mother  country  reached  their  crisis,  and 
others  continued  to  arrive,  throughout  the  whole  period  of 
their  existence,  until  the  Restoration  ;  when  crowds  of  those 
who  had  been  disaffected  to  the  house  of  Stuart  sought  the 
security  of  these  distant  possessions. 

A  stern,  fanatical  soldier,  of  the  name  of  Heathcote,  had 
been  among  the  first  of  his  class  to  throw  aside  the  sword 
for  the  implements  of  industry  peculiar  to  the  advance- 
ment of  a  newly-established  country.  How  far  the  in- 
fluence of  a  young  wife  may  have  affected  his  decision,  it 
is  not  germane  to  our  present  object  to  consider ;  though 


THE   WEPT   OF  WI SIf -TON-WISH.  13 

the  records,  from  which  the  matter  we  are  about  to  relate 
is  gleaned,  give  reason  to  suspect  that  he  thought  his 
domestic  harmony  would  not  be  less  secure  in  the  wilds 
of  the  new  world,  than  among  the  companions  with  whom 
his  earlier  associations  would  naturally  have  brought  him 
in  communion. 

Like  himself,  his  consort  was  born  of  one  of  those  fami- 
lies, which,  taking  their  rise  in  the  franklins  of  the  times 
of  the  Edwards  and  the  Henrys,  had  become  possessors 
of  hereditary  landed  estates,  that,  by  their  gradually- 
increasing  value,  had  elevated  them  to  the  station  of  small 
country  gentlemen.  In  most  other  nations  of  Europe, 
they  would  have  been  rated  in  the  class  of  \\\Q  petite  noblesse. 
But  the  domestic  happiness  of  Capt.  Heathcote  was 
doomed  to  receive  a  fatal  blow  from  a  quarter. where  cir- 
cumstances had  given  him  but  little  reason  to  apprehend 
danger.  The  very  day  he  landed  in  the  long-wished-for 
asylum,  his  wife  made  him  the  father  of  a  noble  boy,  a  gift 
that  she  bestowed  at  the  melancholy  price  of  her  own  ex- 
istence. Twenty  years  the  senior  of  the  woman  who  had 
followed  his  fortunes  to  these  distant  regions,  the  retfred 
warrior  had  always  considered  it  to  be  perfectly  and  abso- 
lutely within  the  order  of  things,  that  he  himself  was  to  be 
the  first  to  pay  the  debt  of  nature.  While  the  visions 
which  Captain  Heathcote  entertained  of  a  future  world 
were  sufficiently  vivid  and  distinct,  there  is  reason  to  think 
they  were  seen  through  a  tolerable  long  vista  of  quiet  and 
comfortable  enjoyment  in  this.  Though  the  calamity  cast 
an  additional  aspect  of  seriousness  over  a  character  that 
was  already  more  than  chastened  by  the  subtleties  of  sec- 
tarian doctrines,  he  was  not  of  a  nature  to  be  unmanned 
by  any  vicissitude  of  human  fortune.  He  lived  on,  useful 
and  unbending  in  his  habits,  a  pillar  of  strength  in  the  way 
of  wisdom  and  courage  to  the  immediate  neighborhood 
among  whom  he  resided,  but  reluctant  from  temper,  and 
from  a  disposition  which  had  been  shadowed  by  withered 
happiness,  to  enact  .that  part  in  the  public  affairs  of  the 
little  state,  to  which  his  comparative  wealth  and  previous 
habits  might  well  have  entitled  him  to  aspire.  He  gave 
his  son  such  an  education  as  his  own  resources  and  those 
of  the  infant  colony  of  Massachusetts  afforded,  and,  by  a 
sort  of  delusive  piety,  into  whose  merits  we  have  no  desire 
to  look,  he  thought  he  had  also  furnished  a  commendable 
evidence  of  his  own  desperate  resignation  to  the  will  of 
Providence,  in  causing  him  to  be'  publicly  christened  by 


14  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-IVISH. 

the  name  of  Content.  His  own  baptismal  appellation  was 
Mark  ;  as  indeed  had  been  that  of  most  of  his  ancestors, 
for  two  or  three  centuries.  When  the  world  was  a  little 
uppermost  in  his  thoughts,  as  sometimes  happens  with  the 
most  humbled  spirits,  he  had  even  been  heard  to  speak 
of  a  Sir  Mark  of  his  family,  who  had  ridden  a  knight  in 
the  train  of  one  of  the  more  warlike  kings  of  his  native 
land. 

There  is  some  ground  for  believing  that  the  great  parent 
of  evil  early  looked  with  a  malignant  eye  on  the  example 
of  peacefulness,  and  of  unbending  morality,  that  the  colo- 
nists of  New  England  were  setting  to  the  rest  of  Christen- 
dom. At  any  rate,  come  from  what  quarter  they  might, 
schisms  and  doctrinal  contentions  arose  among  the  emi- 
grants themselves  ;  and  men,  who  together  had  deserted 
the  firesides  of  their  forefathers  in  quest  of  religious  peace, 
were  ere  long  seen  separating  their  fortunes,  in  order  that 
each  might  enjoy,  unmolested,  those  peculiar  shades  of 
faith,  which  all  had  the  presumption,  no  less  than  the 
folly,  to  believe  were  necessary  to  propitiate  the  omnipo- 
tent and  merciful  father  of  the  universe.  If  our  task  were 
one  of  theology,  a  wholesome  moral  on  the  vanity,  no  less 
than  on  the  absurdity  of  the  race,  might  be  here  intro- 
duced to  some  advantage. 

When  Mark  Heathcote  announced  to  the  community,  in 
which  he  had  now  sojourned  more  than  twenty  years,  that 
he  intended  for  a  second  time  to  establish  his  altars  in  the 
wilderness,  in  the  hope,  that  he.  and  his  household  might 
worship  God  as  to  them  seemed  most  right,  the  intelligence 
was  received  with  a  feeling  allied  to  awe.  Doctrine  and 
zeal  were  momentarily  forgotten,  in  the  respect  and  attach 
ment  which  had  been  unconsciously  created  by  the  united 
influence  of  the  stern  severity  of  his  air,  and  of  the  unde- 
niable virtues  of  his  practice.  The  elders  of  the  settlement 
communed  with  him  freely  and  in  charity  ;  but  the  voice 
of  conciliation  and  alliance  came  too  late.  He  listened  to 
the  reasonings  of  the  ministers,  who  w.ere  assembled  from 
all  the  adjoining  parishes,  in  sullen  respect  :  and  he  joined 
in  the  petitions  for  light  and  instruction  that  were  offered 
up  on  the  occasion,  with  the  deep  reverence  with  which  he 
ever  drew  near  to  the  footstool  of  the  Almighty  ;  but  he 
did  both  in  a  temper,  into  which  too  much  positiveness  of 
spiritual  pride  had  entered,  to  open  his  heart  to  that  sym- 
pathy and  charity,  which,  as  they  are  the  characteristics  of 
our  mild  and  forbearing  doctrines,  should  be  the  study  of 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TOK-WISH.  15 

those  who  profess  to  follow  their  precepts.  All  that  was 
seemly,  and  all  that  was  usual,  were  done  ;  but  the  purpose 
of  the  stubborn  sectarian  remained  unchanged.  His  final 
decision  is  worthy  of  being  recorded. 

"  My  youth  wras  wasted  in  ungodliness  and  ignorance," 
he  said,  "  but  in  my  manhood  have  I  known  the  Lord. 
Near  two-score  years  have  I  toiled  for  the  truth,  and  all. 
that  weary  time  have  I  passed  in  trimming  my  lamps,  lest, 
like  the  foolish  virgins,  I  should  be  caught  unprepared  ; 
and  now,  when  my  loins  are  girded  and  my  race  is  nearly 
run,  shall  I  become  a  backslider  and  falsifier  of  the  word  ? 
Much  have  I  endured,  as  you  know,  in  quitting  the  earthly 
mansions  of  my  fathers,  and  in  encountering  the  dangers 
of  sea  and  land  for  the  faith  ;  and,  rather  than  let  go  its 
hold,  will  I  once  more  cheerfully  devote  to  the  howling 
wilderness,  ease,  offspring,  and,  should  it  be  the  will  of 
Providence,  life  itself  !  " 

The  day  of  parting  was  one  of  unfeigned  and  general 
sorrow.  Notwithstanding  the  austeTity  of  the  old  man's 
character,  and  the  nearly -unbending  severity  of  his  brow, 
the  milk  of  human  kindness  had  often  been  seen  distilling 
from  his  stern  nature  in  acts  that  did  not  admit  of  misin- 
terpretation. There  was  scarcely  a  young  beginner  in  the 
laborious  and  ill-requited  husbandry  of  t^e  township  he 
inhabited,  a  district  at  no  time  considered  either  profitable 
or  fertile,  who  could  not  recall  some  secret  and  kind  aid 
which  had  flowed  from  a  hand  that,  to  the  world,  seemed 
clenched  in  cautious  and  reserved  frugality  ;  nor  did  any 
of  the  faithful  of  his  vicinity  cast  their  fortunes  together  in 
wedlock,  without  receiving  from  him  evidence  of  an  inter- 
est in  their  worldly  happiness,  that  was  far  more  substan- 
tial than  words. 

On  the  morning  when  the  vehicles,  groaning  with  the 
household  goods  of  Mark  Heathcote,  were  seen  quitting  his 
door,  and  taking  the  road  which  led  to  the  seaside,  not  a 
human  being  of  sufficient  age,  within  many  miles  of  his 
residence,  was  absent  from  the  interesting  spectacle.  The 
leave-taking,  as  usual  on  all  serious  occasions,  was  pre- 
ceded by  a  hymn  and  prayer,  and  then  the  sternly-minded 
adventurer  embraced  his  neighbors,  with  a  mien,  in  which 
a  subdued  exterior  struggled  fearfully  and  strangely  with 
emotions  that  more  than  once  threatened  to  break  through 
even  the  formidable  barriers  of  his  acquired  manner.  The 
inhabitants  of  every  bunding  on  the  road  were  in  the  open 
air,  to  receive  and  to  return  the  parting  benediction.  More 


10  THE   WEPT   OF  IVISII-TON-lVISIf. 

than  once,  they  who  guided  his  teams  were  commanded  tci 
halt,  and  all  near,  possessing  human  aspirations  and  human 
responsibility,  were  collected  to  offer  petitions  in  favor  of 
him  who  departed  and  of  those  who  remained.  The  re- 
quests for  mortal  privileges  were  somewhat  light  and  hasty, 
but  the  askings  in  behalf  of  intellectual  and  spiritual  light 
were  long,  fervent,  and  oft-repeated,  In  this  characteris- 
tic manner  did  one  of  the  first  of  the  emigrants  to  the  new 
world  make  his  second  removal  into  scenes  of  renewed 
bodily  suffering,  privation  and  danger. 

Neither  person  nor  property  was  transferred  from  place 
to  place,  in  this  country,  at  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth 
century,  with  the  dispatch  and  with  the  facilities  of  the 
present  time.  The  roads  were  necessarily  few  and  short, 
and  communication  by  water  was  irregular,  tardy,  and  far 
from  commodious.  A  wide  barrier  of  forest  lying  between 
that  portion  of  Massachusetts  Bay  from  which* Mark 
Heathcote  emigrated,  and  the  spot,  near  the  Connecticut 
River,  to  which  it  wa's  his  intention  to  proceed,  he  was  in- 
duced to  adopt  the  latter  mode  of  conveyance.  But  a  long 
delay  intervened  between  the  time  when  he  commenced 
his  short  journey  to  the  coast,  and  the  hour  when  he  was 
finally  enabled  to  embark.  During  this  detention  he  and 
his  household  •ojourned  among  the  godly-minded  of  the 
narrow  peninsula,  where  there  already  existed  the  germ  of 
a  flourishing  town,  and  where  the  spires  of  a  noble  and 
picturesque  city  now  elevate  themselves  above  so  many 
thousand  roofs. 

The  son  did  not  leave  the  colony  of  his  birth  and  the 
haunts  of  his  youth,  with  the  same  unwavering  obedience 
to  the  call  of  duty  as  the  father.  There  was  a  fair,  a 
youthful,  and  a  gentle  being  in  the  recently-established 
town  of  Boston,  of  an  age,  station,  opinions,  fortunes, 
and,  what  was  of  still  greater  importance,  of  sympathies 
suited  to  his  own.  Her  form  had  long  mingled  with  those 
holy  images,  which  his  stern  instruction  taught  him  to 
keep  most  familiarly  before  the  mirror  of  his  thoughts. 
It  is  not  surprising,  then,  that  the  youth  hailed  the  delay 
as  propitious  to  his  wishes,  or  that  he  turned  it  to  the  ac- 
count which  the  promptings  of  a  pure  affection  so  natu- 
rally suggested.  He  was  united  to  the  gentle  Ruth  Hard- 
ing only  a  week  before  the  father  sailed  on  his  second 
pilgrimage. 

It  is  not  our  intention  to  dwell  on  the  incidents  of  the 
voyage.  Though  the  genius  of  an  extraordinary  man  had 


THE  WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISIf.  I? 

discovered  the  world  which  was  now  beginning  to  fill  with 
civilized  men,  navigation  at  that  day  was  not  brilliant  in 
accomplishments.  A  passage  among  the  shoals  of  Nan- 
tucket  must  have  been  one  of  actual  danger,  no  less  than 
of  terror ;  and  the  ascent  Of  the  Connecticut  itself  was  an 
exploit  worthy  of  being  mentioned.  In  due  time  the  ad- 
venturers arrived  at  the  English  fort  of  Hartford,  where 
they  tarried  for  the  season,  in  order  to  obtain  rest  and 
spiritual  comfort.  But  the  peculiarity  of  doctrine,  on 
which  Mark  Heathcote  laid  so  much  stress,  was  one  that 
rendered  it  advisable  for  him  to  retire  still  further  from  the 
haunts  of  men.  Accompanied  by  a  few  followers,  he  pro- 
ceeded on  an  exploring  expedition,  and  the  end  of  the 
summer  found  him  once  more  established  on  an  estate 
that  he  had  acquired  by  the  usual  simple  forms  practised 
in  the  colonies,  and  at  the  trifling  cost  for  which  extensive 
districts  were  then  set  apart  as  the  property  of  individuals. 

The  love  of  the  things  of  this  life,  while  it  certainly  ex- 
isted, was  far  from  being  predominant  in  the  affections  of 
the  Puritan.  He  was  frugal  from  habit  and  principle,  more 
than  from  an  undue  longing  after  worldly  wealth.  He 
contented  himself,  therefore,  with  acquiring  an  estate  that 
should  be  valuable,  rather  from  its  quality  and  beauty, 
than  from  its  extent.  Many  such  places  offered  them- 
selves, between  the  settlements  of  Weathersfield  and  Hart- 
ford and  that  imaginary  line  which  separated  the  posses- 
sions of  the  colony  he  had  quitted,  from  those  of  the  one 
he  joined.  He  made  his  location,  as  it  is  termed  in  the 
language  of  the  country,  near  the  northern  boundary  of 
the  latter.  This  spot,  by  the  aid  of  an  expenditure  that 
might  have  been  considered  lavish  for  the  country  and  the 
age  ;  of  some  lingering  of  taste,  which  even  the  self-deny- 
ing and  subdued  habits  of  his  later  life  had  not  entirely 
extinguished ;  and  of  great  natural  beauty  in  the  distribu- 
tion of  land,  water,  and  wood,  the  emigrant  contrived  to 
convert  into  an  abode  that  was  not  more  desirable  for  its 
retirement  from  the  temptations  of  the  world,  than  for  its 
rural  loveliness. 

After  this  memorable  act  of  conscientious  self-devotion, 
years  passed  away  in  quiet,  amid  a  species  of  negative 
prosperity.  Rumors  from  the  old  world  reached  the  ears 
of  the  tenants  of  this  secluded  settlement,  months  after  the 
events  to  which  they  referred  were  elsewhere  forgotten,  and 
tumults  and  wars  in  the  sister  colonies  came  to  their  knowl- 
edge only  at  distant  and  tardy  intervals.  In  the  mean- 


1 8  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

time,  the  limits  of  the  colonial  establishments  were  gradu 
ally  extending  themselves,  and  valleys  were  beginning  to  be 
cleared  nearer  and  nearer  to  their  own.  Old  age  had  now 
begun  to  make  some  visible  impression  on  the  iron  frame 
of  the  captain  ;  and  the  fresh  color  of  youth  and  health, 
with  which  his  son  had  entered  the  forest,  was  giving  way 
to  the  brown  covering  produced  by  exposure  and  toil.  We 
say  of  toil,  for,  independently  of  the  habits  and  opinions  of 
the  country,  which  strongly  reprobated  idleness,  even  in 
those  most  gifted  by  fortune,  the  daily  difficulties  of  their 
situation,  the  chase,  and  the  long  and  intricate  passages 
that  the  veteran  himself  was  compelled  to  adventure  in  the 
surrounding  forest,  partook  largely  of  the  nature  of  the 
term  we  have  used.  Ruth  continued  blooming  and  youth- 
ful, though  maternal  anxiety  was  soon  added  to  her  other 
causes  of  care.  Still,  for  a  long  season,  naught  occurred  to 
excite  extraordinary  regrets  for  the  step  they  had  taken,  or 
to  create  particular  uneasiness  in  behalf  of  the  future.  The 
borderers,  for  such  by  their  frontier  position  they  had  in 
truth  become,  heard  the  strange  and  awful  tidings  of  the 
dethronement  of  one  king,  of  the  interregnum,  as  a  reign 
of  more  than  usual  vigor  and  prosperity  is  called,  and  of 
the  restoration  of  the  son  of  him  who  is  strangely  enough 
termed  a  martyr.  To  all  these  eventful  and  unwonted 
chances  in  the  fortunes  of  kings,  Mark  Heathcote  listened 
with  deep  and  reverential  submission  to  the  will  of  Him  in 
whose  eyes  crowns  and  sceptres  are  merely  the  more  costly 
bawbles  of  the  world.  Like  most  of  his  contemporaries,  who 
had  sought  shelter  in  the  western  continent,  his  political 
opinions,  if  not  absolutely  republican,  had  a  leaning  to 
liberty  that  was  strongly  in  opposition  to  the  doctrine  of 
the  divine  rights  of  the  monarch,  while  he  had  been  too  far 
removed  from  the  stirring  passions  which  had  gradually 
excited  those  nearer  to  the  throne,  to  lose  their  respect  for 
its  sanctity,  and  to  sully  its  brightness  with  blood.  When 
the  transient  and  straggling  visitors  that,  at  long  intervals, 
visited  his  settlement,  spoke  of  the  Protector,  who  for  so 
many  years  ruled  England  with  an  iron  hand,  the  eyes  of 
the  old  man  would  gleam  with  sudden  and  singular  interest ; 
and  once,  when  commenting  after  evening  prayer  on  the 
vanity  and  the  vicissitudes  of  this  life,  he  acknowledged 
that  the  extraordinary  individual,  who  was,  in  substance  if 
not  in  name,  seated  on  the  throne  of  the  Plantagenets,  had 
been  the  boon  companion  and  ungodly  associate  of  many 
of  his  youthful  hours.  Then  would  follow  a  long,  whole- 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  19 

some,  extemporaneous  homily  on  the  idleness  of  setting  the 
affections  on  the  things  of  life,  and  a  half-suppressed,  but 
still  intelligible  commendation  of  the  wiser  course  which 
had  led  him  to  raise  his  own  tabernacle  in  the  wilderness, 
instead  of  weakening  the  chances  of  eternal  glory  by  striv- 
ing too  much  for  the  possession  of  the  treacherous  vanities 
of  the  world. 

But  even  the  gentle  and  ordinarily  little  observant  Ruth 
might  trace  the  kindling  of  the  eye,  the  knitting  of  the 
brow,  and  the  flushings  of  his  pale  and  furrowed  cheek,  as 
the  murderous  conflicts  of  the  civil  wars  became  the  themes 
of  the  ancient  soldier's  discourse.  There  were  moments 
when  religious  submission,  and  we  had  almost  said  relig- 
ious precepts,  were  partially  forgotten,  as  he  explained  to 
his  attentive  son  and  listening  grandchild,  the  nature  of 
the  onset,  or  the  quality  and  dignity  of  the  retreat.  At 
such  times,  his  still  nervous  hand  wrould  even  wield  the 
blade,  in  order  to  instruct  the  latter  in  its  uses,  and  many 
a  long  winter  evening  was  passed  in  thus  indirectly  teach- 
ing an  art  that  was  so  much  at  variance  with  the  mandates 
of  his  divine  master.  The  chastened  soldier,  however, 
never  forgot  to  close  his  instruction  with  a  petition  extra- 
ordinary, in  the  customary  prayer,  that  no  descendant  of 
his  should  ever  take  life  from  a  being  unprepared  to  die, 
except  in  justifiable  defence  of  his  faith,  his  person,  or  his 
lawful  rights.  It  must  be  admitted,  that  a  liberal  con- 
struction of  the  reserved  privileges  would  leave  sufficient 
matter  to  exercise  the  subtlety  of  one  subject  to  any  extra- 
ordinary propensity  to  arms. 

Few  opportunities  were,  however,  offered,  in  their  re- 
mote situation  and  with  their  peaceful  habits,  for  the 
practice  of  a  theory  that  had  been  taught  in  so  many  les- 
sons. Indian  alarms,  as  they  were  termed,  twere  not  un- 
frequent,  but,  as  yet,  they  had  never  produced  more  than 
terror  in  the  bosoms  of  the  gentle  Ruth  and  her  young 
offspring.  It  is  true,  they  had  heard  of  travellers  massa- 
cred, and  of  families  separated  by  captivity,  but,  either  by 
a  happy  fortune,  or  by  more  than  ordinary  prudence  in 
the  settlers  who  were  established  along  that  immediate 
frontier,  the  knife  and  the  tomahawk  had  as  yet  been  spar- 
ingly used  in  the  colony  of  Connecticut.  A  threatening 
and  dangerous  struggle  with  the  Dutch,  in  the  adjoining 
province  of  New-Netherlands,  had  been  averted  by  the 
foresight  and  moderation  of  the  rulers  of  the  new  planta- 
tions ;  and  though  a  warlike  and  powerful  native  chief 


20.  THE   IVETT   OF  WISH-TOX-WISH. 

kept  the  neighboring  colonies  of  Massachusetts  and  Rhode 
Island  in  a  state  of  constant  watchfulness,  from  the  cause 
just  mentioned  the  apprehension  of  danger  was  greatly 
weakened  in  the  breasts  of  those  so  remote  as  the  individ- 
uals who  composed  the  family  of  our  emigrant. 

In  this  quiet  manner  did  years  glide  by,  the  surround- 
ing wilderness  slowly  retreating  from  t'he  habitations  of 
the  Heathcotes,  until  they  found  themselves  in  possession 
of  as  many  of  the  comforts  of  life  as  their  utter  seclusion 
from  the  rest  of  the  world  could  give  them  reason  to  ex- 
pect. 

With  this  preliminary  explanation  we  shall  refer  the 
reader  to  the  succeeding  narrative  for  a  more  minute,  and 
we  hope  for  a  more  interesting  account  of  the  incidents 
of  a  legend  that  may  prove  too  homely  for  the  tastes  of 
those  whose  imaginations  seek  the  excitement  of  scenes 
more  stirring,  or  of  a  condition  of  life  less  natural. 


CHAPTER    II. 

"  Sir,  I  do  know  you  ; 
And  dare,  upon  the  warrant  of  my  art, 
Commend  a  dear  thing  to  you." — King  Lear. 

AT  the  precise  time  when  the  action  of  our  piece  com- 
mences, a  fine  and  fruitful  season  was  drawing  to  a  close. 
The  harvests  of  hay  and  of  the  smaller  corns  had  long 
been  over,  and  the  younger  Heathcote,  with  his  laborers, 
had  passed  a  day  in  depriving  the  luxuriant  maize  of  its 
tops,  in  order  to  secure  the  nutritious  blades  for  fodder, 
and  to  admit, the  sun  and  air  to  harden  a  grain,  that  is 
almost  considered  the  staple  production  of  the  region  he 
inhabited.  The  veteran  Mark  had  ridden  among  the  work- 
men during  their  light  toil,  as  well  to  enjoy  a  sight  which 
promised  abundance  to  his  flocks  and  herds,  as  to  throw 
in,  on  occasion,  some  wholesome  spiritual  precept,  in 
which  doctrinal  subtlety  was  far  more  prominent  than  the 
rules  of  practice.  The  hirelings  of  his  son,  for  he  had  long 
since  yielded  the  management  of  the  estate  to  Content, 
were,  without  an  exception,  young  men  born  in  the  coun- 
try, and  long  use  and  much  training  had  accustomed  them 
to  a  blending  of  religious  exercises  with  most  of  the  em- 
ployments of  life.  They  listened,  therefore,  with  respect, 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON- WISH.  21 

nor  did  an  impious  smile  or  an  impatient  glance  escape 
the  lightest-minded  of  their  number  during  his  exhorta- 
tions, though  the  homilies  of  the  old  man  were  neither 
very  brief,  nor  particularly  original.  But  devotion  to  the 
one  great  cause  of  their  existence,  austere  habits,  and  un- 
relaxed  industry  in  keeping  alive  a  flame  of  zeal  that  had 
been  kindled  in  the  other  hemisphere,  to  burn  longest  and 
brightest  in  this,  had  interwoven  the  practice  mentioned 
with  most  of  the  opinions  and  pleasures  of  these  meta- 
physical, though  simple-minded  people.  The  toil  went 
on  none  the  less  cheerily  for  the  extraordinary  accompa- 
niment, and  Content  himself,  by  a  certain  glimmering  of 
superstition,  which  appears  to  be  the  concomitant  of  ex- 
cessive religious  zeal,  was  fain  to  think  that  the  sun  shone 
more*  brightly  en  their  labors,  and  that  the  earth  gave 
forth  more  of  its  fruits  while  these  holy  sentiments  were 
flowing  from  the  lips  of  a  father  whom  he  piously  loved 
and  deeply  reverenced. 

But  when  the  sun,  usually  at  that  season,  in  the  climate 
of  Connecticut,  a  bright  unshrouded  orb,  fell  towards  the 
tree-tops  wThich  bounded  the  western  horizon,  the  old  man 
began  to  grow  weary  with  his  own  well-doing.  He  there- 
fore finished  his  discourse  with  a  wholesome  admonition 
to  the  youths  to  complete  their  tasks  before  they  quitted 
the  field  ;  and,  turning  the  head  of  his  horse,  he  rode 
slowly,  and  with  a  musing  air,  toward  the  dwellings.  It 
is  probable  that  for  some  time  the  thoughts  of  Mark  were 
occupied  with  the  intellectual  matter  he  had  just  been 
handling  with  so  much  power ;  but  when  his  little  nag 
stopped  of  itself  on  a  small  eminence,  which  the  crooked 
cow-path  he  was  following  crossed,  his  mind  yielded  to  the 
impression  of  more  worldly  and  more  sensible  objects.  As 
the  scene  that  drew  his  contemplations  from  so  many  ab- 
stract theories  to  the  realities  of  life  was  peculiar  to  the 
country,  and  is  more  or  less  connected  with  the  subject  of 
our  tale,  we  shall  endeavor  briefly  to  describe  it. 

A  small  tributary  of  the  Connecticut  divided  the  view 
into  two  nearly  equal  parts.  The  fertile  flats  that  ex- 
tended on  each  of  its  banks  for  more  than  a  mile,  had  been 
early  stripped  of  their  burden  of  forest,  and  they  now  lay 
in  placid  meadows,  or  in  fields  from  which  the  grain  of  the 
season  had  lately  disappeared,  and  over  which  the  plough 
had  already  left  the  marks  of  recent  tillage.  The  whole 
of  the  plain,  which  ascended  gently  from  the  rivulet  to* 
ward  the  forest,  was  subdivided  into  inclosures  by  number- 


22  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

less  fences,  constructed  in  the  rude  but  substantial  manner 
of  the  country.  Rails,  in  which  lightness  and  economy 
of  wood  had  been  but  little  consulted,  lying  in  zigzag 
lines,  like  the  approaches  which  the  besieger  makes  in  his 
cautious  advance  to  the  hostile  fortress,  were  piled  on  each 
other,  until  barriers  seven  or  eight  feet  in  height  were  in- 
terposed  to  the  inroads  of  vicious  cattle.  In  one  spot,  a 
large  square  vacancy  had  been  cut  into  the  forest,  and 
though  numberless  stumps  of  trees  darkened  its  surface, 
as  indeed  they  did  many  of  the  fields  on  the  flats  them- 
selves, bright,  green  grain  was  sprouting  forth  luxuriantly 
from  the  rich  ^ud  virgin  soil.  High  against  the  side  of  an 
adjacent  hill,  that  might  aspire  to  be  called  a  low  rocky 
mountain,  a  similar  invasion  had  been  made  on  the  domain 
of  the  trees  ;  but  caprice  or  convenience  had  induced  an 
abandonment  of  the  clearing,  after  it  had  ill  requited  the 
toil  of  felling  the  timber*  by  a  single  crop.  In  this  spot, 
straggling,  girdled,  and  consequently  dead  trees,  piles  of 
logs,  and  black  and  charred  stumps  were  seen,  deforming 
the  beauty  of  a  field  that  would  otherwise  have  been  strik- 
ing from  its  deep  setting  in  the  woods.  Much  of  the  sur- 
face of  this  opening,  too,  was  now  concealed  by  bushes,  of 
what  is  termed  the  second  growth,  though  here  and  there 
places  appeared  in  which  the  luxuriant  white  clover,  nat- 
ural to  the  country,  had  followed  the  close  grazing  of  the 
flocks.  The  eyes  of  Mark  were  bent  inquiringly  on  this 
clearing,  which  by  an  air  line  might  have  been  half  a  mile 
from  the  place  where  his  horse  had  stopped,  for  the  sounds 
of  a  dozen  differently  toned  cow-bells  were  brought  on  the 
still  air  of  the  evening  to  his  ears,  from  among  its  bushes. 
The  evidences  of  civilization  were  the  least  equivocal, 
however,  on  and  around  a  natural  elevation  in  the  land, 
which  arose  so  suddenly  on  the  very  bank  of  the  stream  as 
to  give  to  it  the  appearance  of  a  work  of  art.  Whether 
these  mounds  once  existed  everywhere  on  the  face  of  the 
earth,  and  have  disappeared  before  long  tillage  and  labor, 
we  shall  not  presume  to  conjecture  ;  but  we  have  reason  to 
think  that  they  occur  much  more  frequently  in  certain  parts 
of  our  own  country  than  in  any  other  familiarly  known  to 
ordinary  travellers,  unless,  perhaps,  it  may  be  in  some  of 
the  valleys  of  Switzerland.  The  practised  veteran  had 
chosen  the  summit  of  this  flattened  cone  for  the  establish- 
ment of  that  species  of  military  defence  which  the  situa- 
tion of  the  country,  and  the  character  of  the  enemy  he  had 
to  guard  against,  rendered  advisable,  as  well  as  customary. 


THE   WEPT   OF  M'lSII-TON-lVlSH.  23 

• 

The  dwelling  was  of  wood,  and  constructed  of  the  ordi- 
nary frame-work,  with  its  thin  covering  of  boards.  It 
was  long,  low,  and  irregular,  bearing  marks  of  having  been 
reared  at  different  periods,  as  the  wants  of  an  increasing 
family  had  required  additional  accommodation.  It  stood 
near  the  verge  of  the  natural  declivity,  and  on  that  side  of 
the  hill  where  its  base  was  washed  by  the  rivulet,  a  rude 
piazza  stretching  along  the  whole  of  its  front, -and  over- 
hanging the  stream.  Several  large,  irregular,  and  clumsy 
chimneys  rose  out  of  different  parts  of  the  roofs,  another 
proof  that  comfort  rather  than  taste  had  been  consulted  in 
the  disposition  of  the  buildings.  There  were  also  two  or 
three  detached  offices  on  the  summit  of  the  hill,  placed 
near  the  dwellings,  and  at  points  most  convenient  for  their 
several  uses.  A  stranger  might  have  remarked  that  they 
were  so  disposed  as  to  form,  as  far  as  they  went,  the  differ- 
ent sides  of  a  hollow  square.  Notwithstanding  the  great 
length  of  the  principal  building,  and  the  disposition  of  the 
more  minute  and  detached  parts,  this  desirable  formation 
would  not,  however,  have  been  obtained,  if  it  were  not 
that  two  rows  of  rude  constructions  in  logs,  from  which 
the  bark  had  not  even  been  stripped,  served  to  eke  out 
the  parts  that  had  been  deficient.  These  primeval  edifices 
were  used  to  contain  various  domestic  articles,  no  less  than 
provisions  ;  they  also  furnished  numerous  lodging- rooms 
for  the  laborers  and  the  inferior  dependents  of  the  farm. 
By  the  aid  of  a  few  strong  and  high  gates  of  hewn  timber 
those  parts  of  the  building  which  had  not  been  made  to 
unite  in  the  original  construction,  were  sufficiently  con- 
nected to  oppose  so  many  barriers  against  admission  into 
the  inner  court. 

But  the  building  which  was  most  conspicuous  by  its 
position,  no  less  than  by  the  singularity  of  its  construction, 
stood  on  alow,  artificial  mound,  in  the  centre  of  the  quad- 
rangle. It  was  high,  hexagonal  in  shape,  and  crowned 
with  a  roof  that  came  to  a  point,  and  from  whose  peak  rose 
a,  towering  flagstaff.  The  foundation  was  of  stone  ;  but,  at 
the  height  of  a  man  above  the  earth,  the  sides  were  made 
of  massive,  squared  logs,  firmly  united  by  an  ingenious 
combination  of  their  ends,  as  well  as  by  perpendicular 
supporters  pinned  closely  into  their  sides.  In  this  citadel, 
or  block-house,  as  from  its  materials  it  was  technically 
called,  there  were  two  different  tiers  of  long,  narrow  loop- 
holes, but  no  regular  windows.  The  rays  of  the  setting 
sun,  however,  glittering  on  one  or  two  small  openings  in 


24  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON- WISH. 

the  roof,  in  which  glass  had  been  set,  furnished  evidence 
that  the  summit  of  the  building  was  sometimes  used  fol 
other  purposes  than  those  of  defence. 

About  half-way  up  the  sides  of  the  eminence  on  which 
the  building  stood,  was  an  unbroken  line  of  high  palisa- 
cloes,  made  of  the  bodies  of  young  trees,  firmly  knitted  to- 
gether by  braces  and  horizontal  pieces  of  timber,  and  evi- 
dently kept  in  a  state  of  jealous  and  complete  repair.  The 
air  of  the  whole  of  this  frontier  fortress  was  neat  and  com- 
fortable, and,  considering  that  the  use  of  artillery  was 
unknown  to  those  forests,  not  unmilitary. 

At  no  great  distance  from  the  base  of  the  hill,  stood  the 
barns  and  the  stables.  They  were  surrounded  by  a  vast 
range  of  rude  but  warm  sheds,  beneath  which  sheep  and 
horned  cattle  were  usually  sheltered  from  the  storms  of 
the  rigorous  winters  of  the  climate.  The  surfaces  of  the 
meadows  immediately  around  the  out-buildings,  were  of  a 
smoother  and  richer  sward  than  those  in  the  distance,  and 
the  fences  were  on  a  far  more  artificial,  and  perhaps  dur- 
able, though  scarcely  on  a  more  serviceable  plan.  A  large 
orchard  of  some  ten  or  fifteen  years'  growth,  too,  added 
greatly  to  the  air  of  improvement,  which  put  this  smiling 
valley  in  such  strong  and  pleasing  contrast  to  the  endless 
and  nearly  untenanted  woods  by  which  it  was  environed. 

Of  the  interminable  forest,  it  is  not  necessary  to  speak. 
With  the  solitary  exception  on  the  mountain-side,  and  of 
here  and  there  a  windrow,  along  which  the  trees  had  been 
uprooted  by  the  furious  blasts  which  sometimes  sweep  off 
acres  of  our  trees  in  a  minute,  the  eye  could  find  no  other 
object  to  study  in  the  vast  setting  of  this  quiet  rural  pict- 
ure but  the  seemingly  endless  maze  of  wilderness.  The 
broken  surface  of  the  land,  however,  limited  the  view  to  a 
horizon  of  no  great  extent,  though  the  art  of  man  could 
scarcely  devise  colors  so  vivid  or  so  gay  as  those  which 
were  afforded  by  the  brilliant  hues  of  the  foliage.  The 
keen,  biting  frosts,  known  at  the  close  of  a  New  England 
autumn,  had  already  touched  the  broad  and  fringed  leaves 
of  the  maples,  and  the  sudden  and  secret  process  had  been 
wrought  upon  all  the  other  varieties  of  the  forest,  produc- 
ing that  magical  effect  which  can  be  nowhere  seen  except  in 
regions  in  which  nature  is  so  bountiful  and  luxuriant  in 
summer,  and  so  sudden  and  so  stern  in  the  change  of  the 
seasons. 

Over  this  picture  of  prosperity  and  peace,  the  eye  of  old 
Mark  Heathcote  wandered  with  a  keen  degree  of  worldly 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TO. V- WISH.  2\ 

prudence.  The  melancholy  sounds  of  the  various  toned 
bells,  ringing  hollow  and  plaintively  among  the  arches  of 
the  woods,  gave  him  reason  to  believe  that  the  herds  of  the 
family  were  returning  voluntarily  from  their  unlimited 
forest  pasturage.  His  grandson,  a  fine,  spirited  boy  of 
some  fourteen  years,  was  approaching  through  the  fields. 
The  youngster  drove  before  him  a  small  flock,  which  do- 
mestic necessity  compelled  the  family  to  keep  at  great 
occasional  loss,  and  a  heavy  expense  of  time  and  trouble; 
both  of  which  could  alone  protect  them  from  the  ravages 
of  the  beasts  of  prey.  A  species  of  half-witted  serving-lad, 
whom  charity  had  induced  the  old  man  to  harbor  among 
his  dependents,  was  seen  issuing  from  the  woods,  nearly 
in  a  line  with  the  neglected  clearing  on  the  mountain-side. 
The  latter  advanced,  shouting  and  urging  before  him  a 
drove  of  colts,  as  shaggy,  as  wayward,  and  nearly  as  un- 
tamed as  himself. 

"  How  now,  weak  one,"  said  the  Puritan,  with  a  severe  eye, 
as  the  two  lads  approached  him  with  their  several  charges 
from  different  directions,  and  nearly  at  the  same  in- 
stant ;  "  how  now,  sirrah  !  dost  worry  the  cattle  in  this  gait 
when  the  eyes  of  the  prudent  are  turned  from  thee  ?  Do 
as  thou  wouldst  be  done  by,  is  a  just  and  healthful  ad- 
monition, that  the  learned  and  the  simple,  the  weak  and 
the  strong  of  mind,  should  alike  recall  to  their  thoughts 
and  their  practice.  I  do  not  know  that  an  over-driven  colt 
will  be  at  all  more  apt  to  make  a  gentle  and  useful  beast 
in  its  prime,  than  one  treated  with  kindness  and  care." 

"  I  believe  the  evil  one  has  got  into  all  the  kine,  no  less 
than  into  the  foals,"  sullenly  returned  the  lad ;  "  I've 
called  to  them  in  anger,  and  I've  spoken  to  them  as  if  they 
had  been  my  natural  kin,  and  yet  neither  fair  word  nor 
foul  tongue  will  bring  them  to  hearken  to  advice.  There 
is  something  frightful  in  the  woods  this  very  sundown, 
master  ;  or  colts  that  I  have  driven  the  summer  through, 
would  not  be  apt  to  give  this  unfair  treatment  to  one  they 
ought  to  know  to  be  their  friend." 

"Thy  sheep  are  counted,  Mark  ?"  resumed  the  grand- 
father, turning  toward  his  descendant  with  a  less  austere, 
but  always  an  authoritative  brow  ;  "  thy  mother  hath  need 
of  every  fleece  to  provide  covering  for  thee  and  others 
like  thee  ;  thou  knowest,  child,  that  the  creatures  are  few, 
and  our  winters  weary  and  cold." 

"  My  mother's  loom  shall  never  be  idle  from  carelessness 
of  mine,"  returned  the  confident  boy  ;  "  but  counting 


26  THE   WEPT  OF  WISH-TON- WISH* 

wishing  cannot  make  seven-and-thirty  fleeces,  where  ther€ 
are  only  six-and-thirty  backs  to  carry  them.  I  have  been 
an  hour  among  the  briers  and  bushes  of  the  hill  logging, 
looking  for  the  lost  wether,  and  yet  neither  lock,  hoof, 
hide,  nor  horn,  is  there  to  say  what  hath  befallen  the  ani- 
mal. " 

"Thou  hast  lost  a  sheep!  this  carelessness  will  cause  thy 
mother  to  grieve." 

"  Grandfather,  I  have  been  no  idler.  Since  the  last 
hunt,  the  flock  hath  been  allowed  to  browse  the  woods ;  for 
no  man,  in  all  that  week,  saw  wolf,  panther,  or  bear, 
though  the  country  was  up,  from  the  great  river  to  the 
outer  settlements  of  the  colony.  The  biggest  four-footed 
animal  that  lost  its  hide  in  the  muster  was  a  thin-ribbed 
deer ;  and  the  stoutest  battle  given,  was  between  wild 
Whittal  Ring,  here,  and  a  woodchuck  that  kept  him  at 
arm's-length  for  the  better  part  of  an  afternoon." 

"  The  tale  may  be  true,  but  it  neither  finds  that  which  is 
lost,  nor  completeth  the  number  of  thy  .mother's  flock. 
Hast  thou  ridden  carefully  throughout  the  clearing?  It  is 
not  long  since  I  saw  the  animal  grazing  in  that  quarter. 
What  hast  thou  twisting  in  thy  fingers,  in  that  wasteful 
and  unthankful  manner,  Whittal?" 

"What  would  make  a  winter  blanket,  if  there  was 
enough  of  it  !  wool !  and  wool,  too,  that  came  from  the 
thigh  of  old  Straight-Horns  ;  else  have  I  forgotten  a  leg 
that  gives  the  longest  and  coarsest  hair  at  the  shearing." 

"that  truly  seemeth  a  lock  from  the  animal  that  is 
wanting,"  exclaimed  the  other  boy.  "There  is  no  other 
creature  in  the  flock  with  fleece  so  coarse  and  shaggy. 
Where  found  you  the  handful,  Whittal  Ring?" 

"  Growing  on  the  branch  of  a  thorn.  Queer  fruit 
this,  masters,  to  be  seen  where  young  plums  ought  to 
ripen  !" 

"  Go,  go,"  interrupted  the  old  man  ;  "  thou  idlest,  and 
misspendest  the  time  in  vain  talk.  Go,  fold  thy  flock, 
Mark  ;  and  do  thou,  weak  one,  house  thy  charge  with  less 
uproar  than  is  wont.  We  should  remember  that  the  voice 
is  given  to  man,  firstly,  that  he  may  improve  the  blessing 
in  thanksgivings  and  petitions  ;  secondly,  to  communicate 
such  gifts  as  may  be  imparted  to  himself,  and  which  it  is 
his  bounden  duty  to  attempt  to  impart  to  others  ;  and 
then,  thirdly,  to  declare  his  natural  wants  and  inclina*. 
tions." 

With  this  admonition,  which  probably  proceeded  from  3 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  27 

secret  consciousness  in  the  Puritan  that  he  had  permitted 
a  momentary  cloud  of  selfishness  to  obscure  the  brightness 
of  his  faith,  the  party  separated.  The  grandson  and  the 
hireling  took  their  several  ways  to  the  folds,  while  old 
Mark  himself  slowly  continued  his  course  toward  the 
dwellings.  It  was  near  enough  to  the  hours  of  darkness 
to  render  the  preparations  we  have  mentioned  prudent 
still,  no  urgency  called  for  particular  haste,  in  the  return 
of  the  veteran  to  the  shelter  and  protection  of  his  own 
comfortable  and  secure  abode.  .  He  therefore  loitered 
along  the  path,  occasionally  stopping  to  look  into  the 
prospects  of  the  young  crops  that  were  beginning  to 
spring  up  in  readiness  for  the  coming  year,  and  at  times 
bending  his  gaze  around  the  whole  of  his  limited  hori- 
zon, like  one  who  had  the  habit  of  exceeding  and  unre- 
mitted  care. 

One  of  these  numerous  pauses  promised  to  be  much 
longer  than  usual.  Instead  of  keeping  his  understanding 
eye  on  the  grain,  the  look  of  the  old  man  appeared  fast 
ened,  as  by  a  charm,  on  some  distant  and  obscure  object. 
Doubt  and  uncertainty,  for  many  minutes,  seemed  to 
mingle  in  his  gaze.  But  all  hesitation  had  apparently 
disappeared,  as  his  lips  severed,  and  he  Spoke,  perhap's 
unconsciously  to  himself,  aloud. 

"  It  is  no  deception,"  were  the  low  words,  "but  a  living 
and  an  accountable  creature  of  the  Lord's.  Many  a  day 
has  passed  since  such  a  sight  hath  been  witnessed  in  this 
vale  ;  but  my  eye  greatly  deceives  me,  or  yonder  cometh 
one  ready  to  ask  for  hospitality,  and,  peradventure,  for 
Christian  and  brotherly  communion." 

The  sight  of  the  aged  emigrant  had  not  deceived  him. 
One,  who  appeared  a  wayworn  and  weary  traveller,  had 
indeed  ridden  out  of  the  forest,  at  a  point  where  a  path, 
that  was  easier  to  be  traced  by  the  blazed  trees  that  lay 
along  its  route  than  by  any  marks  on  the  earth  itself,  is- 
sued into  the  cleared  land.  The  progress  of  the  stranger 
had  at  first  been  so  wary  and  slow,  as  to  bear  the  manner 
of  exceeding  and  mysterious  caution.  The  blind  road, 
along  which  he  must  have  ridden  not  only  far  but  hard, 
or  night  had  certainly  overtaken  him  in  the  woods,  led  to 
one  of  the  distant  settlements  that  lay  near  to  the  fertile 
banks  of  the  Connecticut.  Few  ever  followed  its  wind- 
ings but  they  who  had  especial  affairs,  or  extraordinary 
communion  in  the  way  of  religious  friendships,  with  the 
proprietors  of  the  Wish-Ton-Wish,  as,  in  commemoration 


28  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TO N- 

of  the  first  bird  that  had  been  seen  by  the  emigrants,  tha 
valley  of  the  Heathcotes  was  called. 

Once  fairly  in  view,  any  doubt  or  apprehension  that  the 
stranger  might  at  first  have  entertained,  disappeared.  He 
rode  boldly  and  steadily  forward,  until  he  drew  a  rein  that 
his  impoverished  and  weary  beast  gladly  obeyed  within  a 
few  feet  of  the  proprietor  of  the  valley,  whose  gaze  had 
never  ceased  to  watch  his  movements,  from  the  instant 
when  the  other  first  came  within  view.  Before  speaking, 
the  stranger,  a  man  whose  head  was  getting  gray,  appar- 
ently as  much  with  hardship  as  with  time,  and  one  whose 
great  weight  would  have  proved  a  grievous  burden,  in  a 
long  ride,  to  even  a  better-conditioned  beast  than  the  ill- 
favored  provincial  hack  he  had  ridden,  dismounted,  and 
threw  the  bridle  loose  upon  the  drooping  neck  of  the 
animal.  The  latter,  without  a  moment's  delay,  and  with  a 
greediness  that  denoted  long  abstinence,  profited  by  its 
liberty,  to  crop  the  herbage  where  it4  stood. 

"  I  cannot  be  mistaken,  when  I  suppose  that  I  have  at 
length  reached  the  valley  of  the  Wish-Ton-Wish,"  the  visit- 
or said,  touching  a  soiled  and  slouched  beaver  that  more 
than  half  concealed  his  features.  The  question  was  put  in 
an  English  that  bespoke  a  descent  from  those  who  dwell  in 
the  midland  counties  of  the  mother  country,  rather  than  in 
that  intonation  which  is  still  to  be  traced,  equally  in  the 
western  portions  of  England  and  in  the  eastern  states  of 
the  Union.  Notwithstanding  the  purity  of  his  accent, 
there  was  enough  in  the  form  of  his  speech  to  denote  a 
severe  compliance  with  the  fashion  of  the  religionists  of 
the  times.  He  used  that  measured  and  methodical  tone, 
which  was,  singularly  enough,  believed  to  distinguish  an 
entire  absence  of  affectation  in  language. 

"  Thou  hast  reached  the  dwelling  of  him  them  seekest ; 
one  who  is  a  submissive  sojourner  in  the  wilderness  of  the 
world,  and  an  humble  servitor  in  the  outer  temple." 

"  This  then  is  Mark  Heathcote  !  "  repeated  the  stranger 
in  tones  of  interest,  regarding  the  other  with  a  look  of 
long,  and,  possibly,  of  suspicious  investigation. 

<k  Such  is  the  name  I  bear.  A  fitting  confidence  in  Him 
who  knows  so  well  how  to  change  the  wilds  into  the  haunts 
of  men,  and  much  suffering,  have  made  me  the  master  of 
what  thou  seest.  Whether  thou  comest  to  tarry  a  night,  a 
week,  a  month,  or  even  for  a  still  longer  season,  as  a  brother 
in  care,  and  I  doubt  not  one  who  striveth  for  the  right,  J 
bid  thee  welcome." 


THE    IVEPT   OF  WISH-TO.\r- >VISH.  2$ 

The  stranger  thanked  his  host  by  a  slow  inclination  of 
ihe  head  ;  but  the  gaze,  which  began  to  partake  a  little  of 
the  look  of  recognition,  was  still  too  earnest  and  engross- 
ing to  admit  of  verbal  reply.  On  the  other  hand,  though 
the  old  man  had  scanned  the  broad  and  rusty  beaver,  the 
coarse  and  well-worn  doublet,  the  heavy  boots,  and,  in 
short,  the  whole  attire  of  his  visitor,  m  which  he  saw  no 
vain  conformity  to  idle  fashions  to  condemn,  it  was  evident 
that  personal  recollection  had  not  the  smallest  influence  in 
quickening  his  hospitality. 

"Thou  hast  arrived  happily,"  continued  the  Puritan  ; 
"  had  night  overtaken  thee  in  the  forest,  unless  much  prac- 
tised in  the  shifts  of  our  young  woodsmen,  hunger,  frost, 
and  a  supperless  bed  of  "brush,  would  have  given  thee 
motive  to  think  more  of  the  body  than  is  either  profitable 
or  seemly." 

The  stranger  might  possibly  have  known  the  embarrass- 
ment of  these  several  hardships;  for  the  quick  and  uncon- 
scious glance  he  threw  over  his  soiled  dress  should  have 
betrayed  some  familiarity,  already,  with  the  privations  to 
which  his  host  alluded.  As  neither  of  them,  however, 
seemed  disposed  to  waste  further  time  on  matters  of  such 
light  moment,  the  traveller  put  an  arm  through  the  bridle 
of  his  horse,  and,  in  obedience  to  an  invitation  from  the 
owner  of  the  dwelling,  they  took  their  way  toward  the 
fortified  edifice  on  the  natural  mound. 

The  task  of  furnishing  litter  and  provender  to  the  jaded 
beast  was  performed  by  Whittal  Ring,  under  the  inspection, 
and  at  times  under  the  instructions,  of  its  owner  and  his 
host,  both  of  whom  appeared  to  take  a  kind  and  commend- 
able interest  in  the  comfort  of  a  faithful  hack,  that  had 
evidently  suffered  long  and  much  in  the  service  of  its 
master.  When  this  duty  was  discharged,  the  old  man  and 
his  unknown  guest  entered  the  house  together;  the  frank 
and  unpretending  hospitality  of  a  country  like  that  they 
were  in,  rendering  suspicion  or  hesitation  qualities  that 
were  unknown  to  the  reception  of  a  man  of^arhite  blood; 
more  especially  if  he  spoke  the  language  of  the  island, 
which  was  then  first  sending  out  its' swarms  to  subdue  and 
possess  so  large  a  portion  of  a  continent  that  nearly  divides 
the  earth  in  moieties. 


THE    WEPT  OF  WISH-TON- WISH. 


CHAPTER  III. 

' '  This  is  most  strange  ;  your  father's  in  some  passion 
That  works  him  strongly." — Tempest. 

A  FEW  hours  made  a  great  change  in  the  occupations  of 
the  different  members  of  our  simple  and  secluded  family. 
The  kine  had  yielded  their  nightly  tribute  ;  the  oxen  had 
been  released  from  the  yoke,  and  were  now  secure  beneath 
their  sheds  ;  the  sheep  were  in  their  folds,  safe  from  the 
assaults  of  the  prowling  wolf  ;  and  care  had  been  taken  to 
see  that  everything  possessing  life  was  gathered  within  the 
particular  defences  that  were  provided  for  its  security  and 
comfort.  But  while  all  this  caution  was  used  in  behalf  of 
living  things,  the  utmost  indifference  prevailed  on  the  sub- 
ject of  that  species  of  movable  property  which  elsewrhere 
would  have  been  guarded  with  at  least  an  equal  jealousy. 
The  homely  fabrics  of  the  looms  of  Ruth  lay  on  their 
bleaching-ground,  to  drink  in  the  night-dew  ;  and  ploughs, 
harrows,  carts,  saddles,  and  other  similar  articles,  were  left 
in  situations  so  exposed  as  to  prove  that  the  hand  of  man 
had  occupations  so  numerous  and  so  urgent  as  to  render  it 
inconvenient  to  bestow  labor  where  it  was  not  considered 
absolutely  necessary. 

Content  himself  was  the  last  to  quit  the  fields  and  the 
out-buildings.  When  he  reached  the  postern  in  the  palisa- 
does,  he  stopped  to  call  to  those  above  him,  in  order  to 
learn  if  any  yet  lingered  without  the  wooden  barriers.  The 
answer  being  in  the  negative,  he  entered,  and  drawing-to 
the  small  but  heavy  gate,  he  secured  it  with  bar,  bolt,  and 
lock,  carefully  and  jealously,-  with  his  own  hand.  As  this 
was  no  more  than  a  nightly  and  necessary  precaution,  the 
affairs  of  the  family  received  no  interruption.  The  meal  of 
the  hour  was  soon  ended  ;  and  conversation,  with  those  light 
toils  which  «re  peculiar  to  the  long  evenings  of  the  fall  and 
winter  in  families  on  the  frontier,  succeeded  as  fitting  em- 
ployments to  close  the  business  of  a  laborious  and  well 
spent  day. 

Notwithstanding  the  entire  simplicity  which  marked  the 
opinions  and  usages  of  the  colonists  at  that  period,  and  the 
great  equality  of  condition  which  even  to  this  hour  distin- 
guishes the  particular  community  of  which  we  write,  choice 
and  inclination  drew  some  natural  distinctions  in  the  ordi- 


THE  WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WJSIJ.  31 

nary  intercourse  of  the  inmates  of  the  Her-.thcote  family. 
A  fire  so  bright  and  cheerful  blazed  on  an  enormous  hearth 
in  a  sort  of  upper  kitchen,  as  to  render  candles  or  torches 
unnecessary.  Around  it  were  seated  six  or  seven  hardy 
and  athletic  young  men,  some  drawing  coarse  tools  care- 
fully through  the  curvatures  of  ox-bows,  others  scraping 
down  the  helves  of  axes,  or  perhaps  fashioning  sticks  of 
birch  into  homely  but  convenient  brooms.  A  demure, 
side-looking  young  woman  kept  her  great  wheel  in  motion, 
while  one  or  two  others  were  passing  from  room  to  room, 
with  the  notable  and  stirring  industry  of  handmaidens 
busied  in  the  more*  familiar  cares  of  the  household.  A  door 
communicated  with  an  inner  and  superior  apartment.  Here 
was  a  smaller  but  an  equally  cheerful  fire,  a  floor  which 
had  recently  been  swept,  while  that  without  had  been 
freshly  sprinkled  with  river  sand  ;  candles  of  tallow,  on  a 
table  of  cherry-wood  from  the  neighboring  forest ;  walls 
that  were  wrainscoted  in  the  black  oak  of  the  country,  and 
a  few  other  articles  of  a  fashion  so  antique,  and  of  orna- 
ments so  ingenious  and  rich,  as  to  announce  that  they  had 
been  transported  from  beyond  sea.  Above  the  mantle 
were  suspended  the  armorial  bearings  of  the  Heathcotes 
and  the  Hardings,  elaborately  emblazoned  in  tent-stitch. 

The  principal  personages  of  the  family  were  seated 
around  the  latter  hearth,  while  a  straggler  from  the  other 
room  of  more  than  usual  curiosity  had  placed  himself  among 
them,  marking  the  distinction  in  ranks,  or  rather  in  situa- 
tion, merely  by  the  extraordinary  care  which  he  took  that 
none  of  the  scrapings  should  litter  the  spotless  oaken  floor. 

Until  this  period  of  the  evening,  the  duties  of  hospitality 
and  the  observances  of  religion  had  prevented  familiar  dis- 
course. But  the  offices  of  the  housewife  were  now  ended 
for  the  night,  the  handmaidens  had  all  retired  to  their 
wheels,  and,  as  the  bustle  of  a  busy  and  more  stirring  do- 
mestic industry  ceased,  the  cold  and  self-restrained  silence 
which  had  hitherto  only  been  broken  by  distant  and  brief 
observations  of  courtesy,  or  by  some  wholesome  allusion 
to  the  lost  and  probationary  condition  of  man,  seemed  to 
invite  an  intercourse  of  a  more  general  character. 

"  You  entered  my  clearing  by  the  southern  path,"  com- 
menced Mark  Heathcote,  addressing  himself  to  his  guest 
with  sufficient  courtesy,  "and  needs  must  bring  tidings 
from  the  towns  on. the  river  side.  Has  aught  been  done 
by  our  councillors  at  home,  in  the  matter  that  pertainetb 
so  closely  to  the  well-being  Of  this  colony  ?" 


32  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

u  You  would  have  me  say  whether  he  that  now  sitteth 
on  the  throne  of  England  hath  listened  to  the  petitions  of 
his  people  in  this  province,  and  hath  granted  them  protec- 
tion against  the  abuses  which  might  so  readily  flow  out  of 
his  own  ill-advised  will,  or  out  of  the  violence  and  injus- 
tice of  his  successors  ? " 

"We  will  render  unto  Caesar  the  things  that  are  Caesar's, 
and  speak  reverently  of  men  having  authority.  I  would 
fain  know  whether  the  agent  sent  by  our  people  hath 
gained  the  ears  of  those  who  counsel  the  prince,  and  ob- 
tained that  which  he  sought  ?  " 

"  He  hath  done  more,"  returned  the*  stranger,  with  sin- 
gular asperity  ;  "  he  hath  even  gained  the  ear  of  the  Lord's 
Anointed." 

"  Then  is  Charles  of  better  mind  and  of  stronger  justice 
than  report  hath  spoken.  We  were  told  that  light  manners 
and  unprofitable  companions  had  led  him  to  think  more  of 
the  vanities  of  the  world  and  less  of  the  wants  of  those  over 
whom  he  hath  been  called  by  Providence,  to  rule,  than  is 
meet  for  one  that  sitteth  on  a  high  place.  I  rejoice  that 
the  arguments  of  the  man  we  sent  have  prevailed  over 
more  evil  promptings,  and  that  peace  and  freedom  of  con- 
science are  likely  to  be  the  fruits  of  the  undertaking.  In 
what  manner  hath  he  seen  fit  to  order  the  future  govern- 
ment of  this  people  ? " 

**  Much  as  it  hath  ever  stood — by  their  own  ordinances. 
Winthrop  hath  returned,  and  is  the  bearer  of  a  Royal 
Charter  which  granteth  all  the  rights  long  claimed  and 
practised.  None  now  dwell  under  the  Crown  of  Britain 
with  fewer  offensive  demands  on  their  consciences,  or  with 
lighter  calls  on  their  political  duties,  than  the  men  of  Con-, 
necticut." 

"  It  is  fitting  that  thanks  should  be  rendered  therefor 
where  thanks  are  most  due,"  said  the  Puritan,  folding  his 
hands  on  his  bosom,  and  sitting  for  a  moment  with  closed 
eyes,  like  one  who  communed  with  an  unseen  being.  "  Is 
it  known  by  what  mariner  of  argunjent  the  Lord  moved 
the  heart  of  the  Prince  to  hearken  to  our  wants  ;  or  was  it 
an  open  and  manifest  token  of  his  power  ? " 

"  I  think  it  must  needs  have  been  the  latter,"  rejoined 
the  visitor,  with  a  manner  that  grew  still  more  caustic  and 
emphatic.  "The  bawble,  that  was  the  visible  agent,  could 
not  have  weighed  greatly  with  one  so  proudly  seated  be- 
fore the  eyes  of  men." 

Until  this  point  in  the.  discourse,  Content  and   Ruth, 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISII-TOK-WISII.  33 

with  their  offspring,  and  two  or  three  other  individuals 
who  composed  the  audience,  had  listened  with  the  demure 
gravity  which  characterized  the  manners  of  the  country. 
The  language,  united  with  the  ill-concealed  sarcasm  con- 
veyed by  the  countenance,  no  less  than  the  emphasis  of 
the  speaker,  caused  them  now  to  raise  their  eyes,  as  by  a 
common  impulse.  The  word  "  bawble  "  was  audibly  and 
curiously  repeated.  But  the  look  of  cold  irony  had  already 
passed  from  the  features  of  the  stranger,  and  it  had  given 
place  to  a  stern  and  fixed  austerity  that  imparted  a  char- 
acter of  grimness  to  his  hard  and  sunburnt  visage.  Still 
he  betrayed  no  disposition  to  shrink  from  the  subject ;  but, 
after  regarding  his  auditors  with  a  glance  in  w7hich  pride 
and  suspicion  were  strongly  blended,  he  resumed  the  dis- 
course. 

"It  is  known,"  he  added,  "  that  the  grandfather  of  him 
the  good  people  of  these  settlements  have  commissioned 
to  bear  their  wants  over  sea,  lived  in  the  favor  of  the  man 
who  last  sat  upon  the  throne  of  England  ;  and  a  rumor 
goeth  forth,  that  the  Stuart,  in  a  moment  of  princely  con- 
descension, once  decked  the  finger  of  his  subject  with  a 
ring  wrought  in  a  curious  fashion.  It  was  a  token  of  the 
love  which  a  monarch  may  bear  a  man." 

"  Such  gifts  are  beacons  of  friendship,  but  may  not  be 
used  as  gay  and  sinful  ornaments,"  observed  Mark,  while 
the  other  paused  like  one  who  wished  none  of  the  bitter- 
ness of  his  allusions  to  be  lost. 

"It  matters  not  whether  the  bawble  lay  in  the  coffers  of 
the  Winthrops,  or  has  long  been  glittering  before  the 
eyes  of  the  faithful,  in  the  Bay,  since  it  hath  finally  proved 
to  be  a  jewel  of  price,"  continued  the  stranger.  "  It  is 
said  in  secret  that  this  ring  hath  returned  to  the  finger  of 
a  Stuart,  and  it  is  openly  proclaimed  that  Connecticut  hath 
a  Charter  !  " 

Content  and  his  wife  regarded  each  other  in  melancholy 
amazement.  Such  an  evidence  of  wanton  levity  and  of 
unworthiness  of  motive,  in  one  who  was  intrusted  with  the 
gift  of  earthly  government,  pained  their  simple  and  up- 
right minds,  while  old  Mark,  of  still  more  decided  and  ex- 
aggerated ideas  of  spiritual  perfection,  distinctly  groaned 
aloud.  The  stranger  took  a  sensible  pleasure  in  this  testi- 
mony of  their  abhorrence  of  so  gross  and  so  unworthy  .a 
venality,  though  he  saw  no  occasion  to  heighten  its  effect 
by  further  speech.  When  his  host  stood  erect,  and  in  a 
voice  that  was  accustomed  to  obedience  called  on  his  fain- 


34  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TO^- WISH. 

ily  to  join,  in  behalf  of  the  reckless  ruler  of  the  land  of 
their  fathers,  in  a  petition  to  Him  who  alone  could  soften 
the  hearts  of  princes,  he  also  arose  from  his  seat.  But 
even  in  this  act  of  devotion,  the  stranger  bore  the  air  of 
one  who  wished  to  do  pleasure  to  his  entertainers,  rather 
than  to  obtain  that  which  was  asked. 

The  prayer,  though  short,  was  pointed,  fervent,  and  suf- 
ficiently personal.  The  wheels  in  the  outer  room  ceased 
their  hum,  and  a  general  movement  denoted  that  all  there 
had  arisen  to  join  in  the  office  ;  while  one  or  two  of  their 
number,  impelled  by  deeper  piety  or  stronger  interest,  drew 
near  to  the  open  door  between  the  rooms,  in  order  to  lis- 
ten. %  With  this  singular  but  characteristic  interruption, 
that  particular  branch  of  the  discourse,  which  had  given 
rise  to  it,  altogether  ceased. 

"And  'have  we  reason  to  dread  a  rising  of  the  savages 
on  the  borders  ?  "  asked  Content,  when  he  found  that  the 
moved  spirit  of  his  father  was  not  yet  sufficiently  calmed 
to  return  to  the  examination  of  temporal  things;  "one 
who  brought  wares  from  the  towns  below,  a  few  months 
since,  recited  reasons  to  fear  a  movement  among  the  red 
men." 

The  subject  had  not  sufficient  interest  to  open  the  ears 
of  the  stranger.  He  was  deaf,  or  he  chose  to  affect  deaf- 
ness, to  the  interrogatory.  Laying  his  two  large  and  weath- 
er-worn, though  still  muscular  hands,  on  a  visage  that  was 
much  darkened  by  exposure,  he  appeared  to  shut  out  the 
objects  of  the  world,  while  he  communed  deeply,  and,  as 
would  seem  by  a  slight  tremor,  that  shook  even  his  power- 
ful frame,  terribly,  with  his  own  thoughts. 

"  We  have  many  to  whom  our  hearts  strongly  cling,  to 
heighten  the  smallest  symptom  of  alarm  from  that  quarter," 
added  the  tender  and  anxious  mother,  her  eye  glancing  at 
the  uplifted  countenances  of  two  little  girls,  who,  busied 
with  their  light  needle-work,  sat  on  stools  at  her  feet. 
"  But  I  rejoice  to  see  that  one,  who  hath  journeyed  from 
parts  where  the  minds  of  the  savages  must  be  better  under- 
stood, hath  not  feared  to  do  it  unarmed." 

The  traveller  slowly  uncovered  his  features,  and  the 
glance  that  his  eye  shot  over  the  face  of  the  last  speaker  was 
not  without  a  gentle  and  interested  expression.  Instantly 
recovering  his  composure,  he  arose,  and,  turning  to  the 
double  leathern  sack,  which  had  been  borne  on  the  crup- 
per of  his  nag,  and  which  now  lay  at  no  great  distance 
from  his  seat,  he  drew  a  pair  of  horseman's  pistols  from 


THE   WEPT   OF   \VISH-TOX-WISIT.  35 

two  well  contrived  pockets  in  its  sides,  and  laid  them  de- 
liberately on  the  table. 

"  Though  little  disposed  to  seek  an  encounter  with  any 
bearing  the  image  of  man,"  he  said,  "I  have  not  neglected 
the  usual  precautions  of  those  who  enter  the  wilderness. 
Here  are  weapons  that,  in  steady  hands,  might  easily  take 
life,  or,  at  need,  preserve  it." 

The  young  Mark  drew  near  with  boyish  curiosity,  and 
while  one  finger  ventured  to  touch  a  lock,  as  he  stole  a 
conscious  glance  of  wrong-doing  towards  his  mother,  he 
said,  with  as  much  of  contempt  in  his  air  as  the  schooling 
of  his  manners  would  allow — 

"An  Indian  arrow  would  make  a  surer  aim  than  a  bore 
as  short  as  this  !  When  the  trainer  from  the  Hartford  town 
struck  the  wild-cat  on  the  hill  clearing,  he  sent  the  bullet 
from  a  five-foot  barrel ;  besides,'  this  short-sighted  gun 
would  be  a  dull  weapon  in  a  hug  against  the  keen-edged 
knife  that  the  wicked  Wampanoag  is  known  to  carry." 

"  Boy,  thy  years  are  few,  and  thy  boldness  of  speech 
marvellous,"  sternly  interrupted  his  parent  in  the  second 
degree. 

The  stranger  manifested  no  displeasure  at  the  confident 
language  of  the  lad.  Encouraging  him  with  a  look,  which 
plainly  proclaimed  that  martial  qualities  in  no  degree  les- 
sened the  stripling  in  his  favor,  he  observed  that — 

"  The  youth  who  is  not  afraid  to  think  of  the  fight,  or  to 
reason  on  its  chances,  will  lead  to  a  manhood  of  spirit  and 
independence.  A  hundred  thousand  striplings  like  this 
might  have  spared  Winthrop  his  jewel,  and  the  Stuart  the 
shame  of  yielding  to  so  vain  and  so  trivial  a  bribe.  But 
thou  mayst  also  see,  child,  that  had  we  come  to  the  death- 
hug,  the  wicked  Wampanoag  might  have  found  a  blade  as 
keen  as  his  own." 

The  stranger,  while  speaking,  loosened  a  few  strings  of 
his  doublet,  and  thrust  a  hand  into  his  bosom.  The  action 
enabled  more  than  one  eye  to  catch  a  momentary  glimpse 
of  a  weapon  of  the  same  description,  but  of  a  size  much 
smaller  than  those  he  had  already  so  freely  exhibited.  As 
he  immediately  withdrew  the  member,  and  again  closed 
the  garment  with  studied  care,  no  one  presumed  to  advert 
to  the  circumstance,  but  all  turned  their  attention  to  the 
long  sharp  hunting  knife  that  he  deposited  by  the  side  of 
the  pistols,  as  he  concluded.  Mark  ventured  to  open  its 
blade,  but  he  turned  away  with  sudden  consciousness, 
when  he  found  that  a  few  fibres  of  coarse,  shaggy  wool, 


36  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

that  were  drawn  from  the  loosened  joint,  adhered  to  his 
lingers. 

"  Straight-Horns  has  been  against  a  bush  sharper  than 
the  thorn  ! "  exclaimed  Whittal  Ring,  who  had  been  at 
hand,  and  who  watched  with  childish  admiration  the  small- 
cst  proceedings  of  the  different  individuals.  "  A  steel  for 
the  back  of  the  blade,  a  few  dried  leaves  and  broken  sticks, 
with  §uch  a  carver,  would  soon  make  roast  and  broiled  of 
the  old  bell-wether  himself.  I  know  that  the  hair  of  all  my 
colts  is  sorrel,  and  I  counted  five  at  sundown,  which  is  just 
as  many  as  went  loping  through  the  underbrush  when  I 
loosened  them  from  the  hopples  in  the  morning  ;  but  six- 
and-thirty  backs  can  never  carry  seven-and-thirty  growjng 
ileeces  of  unsheared  wool.  Master  knows  that,  for  he  is  a 
scholar  and  can  count  a  hundred  !  " 

The  allusion  to  the  fate  of  the  lost  sheep  was  so  plain,  as 
to  admit  of  no  interpretation  of  the  meaning  of  the  witless 
speaker.  Animals  of  that  class  were  of  the  last  importance 
to  the  comforts  of  the  settlers,  and  there  was  not  probably 
one  within  hearing  of  Whittal  Ring  that  was  at  all  igno- 
rant of  the  import  of  his  words.  Indeed,  the  loud  chuckle 
and  the  open  and  deriding  manner  with  which  the  lad  him- 
self held  above  his  head  the  hairy  fibres  that  he  had 
snatched  from  young  Mark,  allowed  of  no  concealment  had 
it  been  desirable. 

u  This  feeble-gifted  youth  would  hint  that  thy  knife  hath 
proved  its  edge  on  a  wether  that  is  missing  from  our 
flock,  since  the  animals  went  on  their  mountain  range  in 
the  morning,"  said  the  host,  calmly  ;  though  even  he  bent 
his  eye  to  the  floor,  as  he  waited  for  an  answer  to  a  remark, 
direct  as  the  one  his  sense  of  justice,  and  his  indomitable 
love  of  right,  had  prompted. 

The  stranger  demanded,  in  a  voice  that  lost  none  of  its 
depth  or  firmness,  "  Is  hunger  a  crime,  that  they  who  dwell  so 
far  from  the  haunts  of  selfishness  visit  it  with  their  anger?" 

"  The  foot  of  Christian  man  never  approached  the  gates 
of  Wish-Ton-Wish  to  be  turned  away  in  uncharitableness, 
but  that  which  is  freely  given  should  not  be  taken  in  licen- 
tiousness. From  off  the  hill  where  my  flock  is  wont  to 
graze  it  is  easy,  through  many  an  opening  of  the  forest,  to 
see  these  roofs  ;  and  it  would  have  been  better  that  the 
body  should  languish,  than  that  a  grievous  sin  should  be 
placed  on  that  immortal  spirit  which  is  already  too  deeply 
laden,  unless  thou  art  far  more  happy  -than  others  of  the 
fallen  race  of  Adam." 


THE   WEPT   OF 

"  Mark  Heathcote,"  said  the  accused,  and  ever  with  an 
unwavering  tone,  "look  further  at  those  weapons,  which, 
if  a  guilty  man,  I  have  weakly  placed  within  thy  power. 
Thou  wilt  find  more  there  to  wonder  at  than  a  few  strag- 
gling hairs  that  the  spinner  would  cast  from  her  as  too 
coarse  for  service." 

"  It  is  long  since  I  found  pleasure  in  handling  the  weap- 
ons of  strife  ;  may  it  be  longer  to  the  time  when  they  shall 
be  needed  in  this  abode  of  peace.  These  are  instruments 
of  death,  resembling  those  used  in  my  youth,  by  cavaliers 
that  rode  in  the  levies  of  the  first  Charles  and  of  his  pu- 
sillanimous father.  There  was  worldly  pride  and  great 
vanity,  with  much  and  damning  ungodliness  in  the  wars 
that  I  have  seen,  my  children  ;  and  yet  the  carnal  man 
found  pleasure  in  the  stirrings  of  those  graceless  days! 
Come  hither,  younker  ;  thou  hast  often  sought  to  know 
the  manner  in  which  the  horsemen  are  wont  to  lead  into 
the  combat,  when  the  broad-mouthed  artillery  and  patter- 
ing leaden  hail  have  cleared  a  passage  for  the  struggle  of 
horse  to  horse,  and  man  to  man.  Much  of  the  justifica- 
tion of  these  combats  must  depend  on  the  inward  spirit, 
and  on  the  temper  of  him  that  striketh  at  the  life  of  a 
fellow-sinner  ;  but  righteous  Joshua,  it  is  known,  contended 
with  the  heathen  throughout  a  supernatural  day  ;  and, 
therefore,  always  humbly  confiding  that  our  cause  is  just, 
I  will  open  to  thy  young  mind  the  uses  of  a  weapon  that 
hath  never  before  been  seen  in  these  forests." 

"  I  have  hefted  many  a  heavier  piece  than  this,"  said 
young  Mark,  frowning  equally  with  the  exertion  and  with 
the  instigations  of  his  aspiring  spirit,  as  he  held  out  the 
ponderous  weapon  in  a  single  hand  ;  "we  have  guns  that 
might  tame  a  wolf  with  greater  certainty  than  any  barrel 
of  a  bore  less  than  my  own  height.  T^ell  me,  grand'ther  ; 
at  what  distance  do  the  mounted  warriors  you  so  often 
name  take  their  sight  ?  " 

But  the  power  of  speech  appeared  suddenly  to  have 
deserted  the  aged  veteran.  He  had  interrupted  his  own 
discourse,  and  now,  instead  of  answering  the  interrogatory 
of  the  boy,  his  eye  wandered  slowly  and  with  a  look  of 
painful  doubt  from  the  weapon,  that  he  still  held  before 
him,  to  the  countenance  of  the  stranger.  The  latter  con- 
tinued erect,  like  one  courting  a  strict  and  meaning  exam- 
ination of  his  person.  This  dumb-show  could  not  fail  to 
attract  the  observation  of  Content.  Rising  from  his  seat, 
with  that  quiet  but  authoritative  manner  which  is  still  seen 


3S  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH- POX- WISH. 

in  the  domestic  government  of  the  people  of  the  region 
where  he  dwelt,  he  beckoned  to  all  present  to  quit  the 
apartment.  Ruth  and  her  daughters,  the  hirelings,  the  ill- 
gifted  Whittal,  and  even  the  reluctant  Mark,  preceded  him 
to  the  door,  which  he  closed  with  respectful  care  ;  and  then 
the  whole  of  the  wondering  party  mingled  with  those  of 
the  outer  room,  leaving  the  one  they  had  quitted  to  the 
sole  possession  of  the  aged  chief  of  the  settlement,  and  to 
his  still  unknown  and  mysterious  guest. 

Many  anxious,  and  to  those  who  were  excluded,  seem- 
ingly interminable  minutes  passed,  and  the  secret  interview 
appeared  to  draw  no  nearer  its  close.  That  deep  reverence 
which  the  years,  paternity,  and  character  of  the  grandfather 
had  inspired,  prevented  all  from  approaching  the  quarter 
of  the  apartment  nearest  the  room  they  had  left  ;  but  a 
silence,  still  as  the  grave,  did  all  that  silence  could  do  to 
enlighten  their  minds  in  a  matter  of  so  much  general  in- 
terest. The  deep,  smothered  sentences  of  the  speakers 
were  often  heard,  cacli  dwelling  with  steadiness  and  pro- 
priety on  his  particular  theme,  but  no  sound  that  conveyed 
meaning  to  the  minds  of  those  without  passed  the  envious 
walls.  At  length,  the  voice  of  old  Mark  became  more 
than  usually  audible  ;  and  then  Content  arose,  with  a  ges- 
ture to  those  around  him  to  imitate  his  example.  The 
young  men  threw  aside  the  subjects  of  their  light  employ- 
ments, the  maidens  left  the  wheels  which  had  not  been 
turned  for  many  minutes,  and  the^  whole  party  disposed 
themselves  in  the  decent  and  simple  attitude  of  prayer. 
For  the  third  time  that  evening  was  the  voice  of  the  Puri- 
tan-heard, pouring  out  his  spirit  in  a  communion  with  that 
Being  on  whom  it  was  his  practice  to  repose  all  his  worldly 
cares.  But  though  long  accustomed  to  all  the  peculiar 
forms  of  utterance,  by  which  their  father  ordinarily  ex^ 
pressed  his  pious  emotions,  neither  Content  nor  his  atten- 
tive partner  was  enabled  to  decide  on  the  nature  of  the 
feeling  that  was  now  uppermost.  At  times  it  appeared  to 
be  the  language  of  thanksgiving,  and  at  others  it  assumed 
more  of  the  imploring  sounds  of  deprecation  and  petition  ; 
in  short,  it  was  so  varied,  and,  though  tranquil,  so  equivo- 
cal, if  such  a  term  may  be  applied  to  so  serious  a  subject, 
as  completely  to  baffle  every  conjecture. 

Long  and  weary  minutes  passed  after  the  voice  had  en- 
tirely ceased,  and  yet  no  summons  was  given  to  the  expect- 
ing family,  nor  did  any  .sound  proceed  from  the  inner  room 
which  the  respectful  son  was  emboldened  ta.construe  into 


THE   WEPT  OF  W1SH-TON-WJSH.  39 

evidence  that  he  might  presume  to  enter.  At  length  ap- 
prehension began  to  mingle  with  conjectures,  and  then  the 
husband  and  wife  communed  apart,  in  whispers.  The 
misgivings  and  doubt  of  the  former  soon  manifested  them- 
selves in  still  more  apparent  forms.  He  arose,  and  was 
seen  pacing  the  wide  apartment,  gradually  approaching 
nearer  to  the  partition  which  separated  the  two  rooms, 
evidently  prepared  to  retire  beyond  the  limits  of  hearing, 
the  moment  he  should  detect  any  proofs  that  his  uneasi- 
ness was  without  a  sufficient  cause.  Stili  no  sound  pro- 
ceeded from  the  inner  room.  The  breathless  silence  which 
had  so  shortly  before  reigned  where  lie  was,  appeared  to 
be' suddenly  transferred  to  the  spot  in  which  he  was  vainly 
endeavoring  to  detect  the  smallest  proof  of  human  exist- 
ence. Again  he  returned  to  Ruth,  and  again  they  con- 
sulted in  low  voices,  as  to  the  step  that  filial  duty  seemed 
to  require  at  their  hands. 

"  We  were  not  bidden  to  withdraw,"  said  his  gentle  com- 
panion ;  "  why  not  rejoin  our  parent,  now  that  time  has 
been  given  to  understand  the  subject  which  so  evidently 
disturbed  his  rnind  ?  " 

Content,  at  length,  yielded  to  this  opinion.  With  that 
cautious  discretion  which  distinguishes  his  people,  he  mo- 
tioned to  the  family  to  follow,  in  order  that  no  unnecessary 
exclusion  should  give  rise  to  conjectures  or  excite  sus- 
picions, of  which,  after  all,  the  circumstances  might  prove 
no  justification.  Notwithstanding  the  subdued  manners 
of  the  age  and  country,  curiosity,  and  perhaps  a  better 
feeling,  had  become  so  intense,  as  to  cause  all  present  to 
obey  this  silent  mandate,  by  moving  as  swiftly  towards  the 
open  door  as  a  never-yielding  decency  of  demeanor  would 
permit. 

Old  Mark  Heathcote  occupied  the  chair  in  which  he  had 
been  left,  vith  that  calm  and  unbending  gravity  of  eye  and 
features  whr  h  were  then  thought  indispensable  to  a  fitting 
sobriety  of  spirit.  But  the  stranger  had  disappeared. 
There  were  two  or  three  outlets  by  which  the  room,  and 
even  the  house  might  be  quitted,  without  the  knowledge 
of  those  who  had  so  long  waited  for  admission  ;  and  the 
first  impression  led  the  family  to  expect  the  reappearance 
of  the  absent  man  through  one  of  these  exterior  passages. 
Content,  however,  read  in  the  expression  of  his  father's  eye 
that  the  moment  of  confidence,  if  it  were  ever  to  arrive, 
had  not  yet  come  ;  and  so  admirable  and  perfect  was  the 
domestic  discipline  of  this  family,  that  the  questions  which 


40  THE   WEFT   OF  WISH-TON- WISH. 

the  son  did  not  see  fit  to  propound,  no  one  of  inferior  con- 
dition, or  lesser  age,  might  presume  to  agitate.  With  the 
person  of  the  stranger,  every  evidence  of  his  recent  visit 
had  also  vanished. 

Mark  missed  the  weapon  that  had  excited  his  admira- 
tion ;  Whittal  looked  in  vain  for  the  hunting-knife,  which 
had  betrayed  the  fate  of  the  wether  ;  Mrs.  Heathcote  saw 
by  a  hasty  glance  of  the  eye,  that  the  leathern  sacks,  which 
she  had  borne  in  mind  ought  to  be  transferred  to  the  sleep- 
ing apartment  of  their  guest,  were  gone  ;  and  a  mild  and 
playful  image  of  herself,  who  bore  her  name  no  less  than 
most  of  those  features  which  had  rendered  her  own  youth 
more  than  usually  attractive,  sought  without  success,  a 
massive  silver  spur,  of  curious  and  antique  workmanship, 
which  she  had  been  permitted  to  handle  until  the  moment 
when  the  family  had  been  commanded  to  withdraw. 

The  night  had  now  worn  later  than  the  hour  at  which  it 
was  usual  for  people  of  habits  so  simple  to  be  out  of  their 
beds.  The  grandfather  lighted  a  taper,  and, .after  bestowing 
the  usual  blessing  on  those  around  him,  with  an  air  as  calm 
as  if  nothing  had  occurred,  he  prepared  to  retire  into  his  own 
room.  And  yet,  matter  of  interest  seemed  to  linger  on  his 
mind.  Even  on  the  threshold  of  the  door,  he  turned,  and,  for 
an  instant,  all  expected  some  explanation  of  a  circumstance 
which  began  to  wear  no  little  of  the  aspect  of  an  exciting 
and  painful  mystery.  But  their  hopes  were  raised  only  to 
be  disappointed. 

"  My  thoughts  have  not  kept  the  passage  of  the  time," 
he  said.  "  In  what  hour  of  the  night  are  we,  my  son  ?" 

He  was  told  that  it  was  already  past  the  usual  moment 
of  sleep. 

"  No  matter  ;  that  which  Providence  hath  bestowed  for 
our  comfort  and  support  should  not  be  lightly  and  un- 
thankfully  disregarded.  Take  thou  the  beast  I  am  wont  to 
ride,  thyself,  Content,  and  follow  the  path  which  leadeth 
to  the  mountain  clearing  ;  bring  away  that  which  shall 
meet  thine  eye,  near  the  first  turning  of  the  route  towards 
the  river  towns.  We  have  got  into  the  last  quarter  of  the 
year,  and  in  order  that  our  industry  may  not  flag,  and  that 
all  may  be  stirring  with  the  sun,  let  the  remainder  of  the 
household  seek  their  rest." 

Content  saw,  by  the  manner  of  his  father,  that  no  de- 
parture from  the  strict  letter  of  these  instructions  was  ad- 
missible. He  closed  the  door  after  his  retiring  form,  and 
then,  by  a  quiet  gesture  of  authority,  indicated  to  his  de« 


THE  WEPT  OF  jrY5//-rav- jr/s//.  41 

pendents  that  they  were  expected  to  withdraw.  The 
maidens  of  Ruth  led  the  children  to  their  chambers,  and  in 
a  few  more  minutes  none  remained  in  the  outer  apartment, 
already  so  often  named,  but  the  obedient  son,  with  his 
anxious  and  affectionate  consort. 

"  I  will  be  thy  companion,  husband,"  Ruth  half-whisper- 
ingly  commenced,  so  soon  as  the  little  domestic  prepara- 
tions for  leaving  the  fires  and  securing  the  doors  were 
ended.  "  I  like  not  that  thou  should'st  go  into  the  forest 
alone,  at  so  late  an  hour  of  the  night." 

"  One  will  be  with  me,  there,  who  never  deserteth  those 
who  rely  on  his  protection.  Besides,  my  Ruth,  what  is 
there  to  apprehend  in  a  wilderness  like  this  ?  The  beasts 
have  been  lately  hunted  from  the  hills,  and  excepting  those 
who  dwell  under  our  own  roof,  there  is  not  one  within  a 
long  day's  ride." 

"  We  know  not !  Where  is  the  stranger  that  came  within 
our  doors  as  the  sun  was  setting  ? " 

"  As  thou  sayest,  we  know  not.  My  father  is  not  minded 
to  open  his  lips  on  the  subject  of  this  traveller,  and  surely 
we  are  not  now  to  learn  the  lessons  of  obedience  and  self- 
denial." 

"  It  would,  notwithstanding,  be  a  great  easing  to  the 
spirit  to  hear  at  least  the  name  of  him  who  hath  eaten  of 
our  bread,  and  joined  in  our  family  worship,  though  he 
were  immediately  to  pass  away  forever  from  before  the 
sight." 

"  That  may  he  have  done,  already !  "  returned  the  less 
curious  and  more  self-restrained  husband.  "  My  father 
wills  not  that  we  inquire." 

"  And  yet  there  can  be  little  sin  in  knowing  the  condi- 
tion of  one  whose  fortunes  and  movements  can  excite 
neither  our  envy  nor  our  strife.  I  would  that  we  had  tar- 
ried for  a  closer  mingling  in  the  prayers  ;  it  was  not  seemly 
to  desert  a  guest,  who,  it  would  appear,  had  need  of  an 
especial  up-offering  in  his  behalf." 

"  Our  spirits  joined  in  the  asking,  though  our  ears  were 
shut  to  the  matter  of  his  wants.  But  it  will  be  needful  that 
I  should  be  afoot  with  the  young  men,  in  the  morning,  and 
a  mile  of  measurement  would  not  reach  to  the  turning,  in 
the  path  to  the  river  towns.  Go  with  me  to  the  postern, 
and  look  to  the  fastenings  ;  I  will  not  keep  thee  long  on 
thy  watch." 

Content  and  his  wife  now  quitted  the  dwelling,  by  the 
only  door  that  was  left  unbarred.  Lighted  by  a  moon  that 


42  THE   IV KPT   OF  WISH-TON- WISH. 

was  full,  tiiougn  clouded,  they  passed  a  gateway  between 
two  of  the  outer  buildings,  and  descended  to  the  palisadoes. 
The  bars  and  bolts  of  the  little  postern  were  removed,  and 
in  a  few  minutes,  the  former,  mounted  on  the  back  of  his 
father's  own  horse,  was  galloping  briskly  along  the  path 
which  led  into  the  part  of  the  forest  he  was  directed  to 
seek. 

While  the  husband  was  thus  proceeding,  in  obedience  to 
orders  that  he  never  hesitated  to  obey,  his  faithful  wife 
withdrew  within  the  shelter  of  the  wooden  defences.  More 
in  compliance  with  a  precaution  that  was  become  habitual, 
than  from  any  present  causes  of  suspicion,  she  dre'v  a  single 
bolt  and  remained  at  the  postern,  anxiously  awaiting  the 
result  of  a  movement  that  was  as  unaccountable  as  i\. 
extraordinary. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

"  I'  the  name  of  something  holy,  sir,  why  stand  you 
In  this  strange  stare  ?  " — Tempest. 

As  a  girl,  Ruth  Harding  had  been  one  of  the  mildest  and 
gentlest  of  the  human  race.  Though  new  impulses  had 
been  given  to  her  naturally  kind  affections  by  the  attach- 
ments of  a  wife  and  mother,  her  dispositions  suffered  no 
change  by  marriage.  Obedient,  disinterested,  and  devoted 
to  those  she  loved,  as  her  parents  had  known  her,  so,  by  the 
experience  of  many  years,  had  she  proved  to  Content.  In 
the  midst  of  the  utmost  equanimity  of  temper  and  of  de- 
portment, her  watchful  solicitude  in  behalf  of  the  few  who 
formed  the  limited  circle  of  her  existence,  never  slumbered. 
It  dwelt  unpretendingly  but  active  in  her  gentle  bosom, 
like  a  great  and  moving  principle  of  life.  Though  circum- 
stances had  placed  her  on  a  remote  and  exposed  frontier, 
where  time  had  not  been  given  for  the  several  customary 
divisions  of  employments,  she  was  unchanged  in  habits,  in 
feelings,  and  in  character.  The  affluence  of  her  husband 
had  elevated  her  above  the  necessity  of  burdensome  toil ; 
and,  while  she  had  encountered  the  dangers  of  the  wilder- 
ness, and  neglected  none  of  the  duties  of  her  active  station, 
she  had  escaped  most  of  those  injurious  consequences  which 
are  a  little  apt  to  impair  the  peculiar  loveliness  of  women. 
Notwithstanding  the  exposure  of  a  border  life,  she  remained 
feminine,  attractive,  and  singularly  youthful. 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TOX-WISH.  43 

The  reader  will  readily  imagine  the  state  of  mind  with 
which  such  a  being  watched  the  distant  form  of  a  husband, 
engaged  in  a  duty  like  that  we  have  described.  Notwith- 
standing the  influence  of  long  habit,  the  forest  was  rarely 
approached  after  night-fall  by  the  boldest  woodsman,  with- 
out some  secret  consciousness  that  he  encountered  a  posi- 
tive danger.  It  was  the  hour  when  its  roaming  and  hungry 
tenants  were  known  to  be  most  in  motion  ;  and  the  rustling 
of  a  leaf  or  the  snapping  of  a  dried  twig  beneath  the  light 
tread  of  the  smallest  animal,  was  apt  to  conjure  up  images 
of  the  voracious  and  fire-eyed  panther,  or  perhaps  of  a 
lurking  biped,  which,  though  more  artful,  was  known  to  be 
scarcely  less  savage.  It  is  true,  that  hundreds  experienced 
the  uneasiness  of  such  sensations  who  were  never  fated  to 
undergo  the  realities  of  the  fearful  pictures.  Still  facts 
were  not  wanting  to  supply  sufficient  motive  for  a  grave 
and  reasonable  apprehension. 

Histories  of  combats  with  beasts  of  prey,  and  of  massa- 
cres by  roving  and  lawless  Indians,  were  the  moving 
legends  of  the  border.  Thrones  might  be  subverted  and 
kingdoms  lost  and  won  in  distant  Europe,  and  less  would 
be  said  of  the  events  by  those  who  dwelt  in  these  woods, 
than  of  one  scene  of  peculiar  and  striking  forest  incident 
that  called  for  the  exercise  of  the  stout  courage  and  keen 
intelligence  of  a  settler.  Such  a  tale  passed  from  mouth 
to  mouth  with  the  eagerness  of  powerful  personal  interest, 
and  many  were  already  transmitted  from  parent  to  child, 
in  the  form  of  tradition,  until,  as  in  more  artificial  com- 
munities graver-improbabilities  creep  into  the  doubtful 
pages  of  history,  exaggeration  became  too  closely  blended 
with  truth  ever  again  to  be  separated. 

Under  the  influence  of  these  feelings,  and  perhaps 
prompted  by  his  never-failing  discretion,  Content  had 
thrown  a  well-tried  piece  over  his  shoulder ;  and  when  he 
rose  the  ascent  on  which  his  father  had  met  the  stranger, 
Ruth  caught  a  glimpse  of  his  form,  bending  on  the  neck 
of  his  horse;  and  gliding  through  the  misty  light  of  the 
hour,  resembling  one  of  those  fancied  images  of  wayward 
and  hard-riding  sprites,  of  which  the  tales  of  the  eastern 
continent  are  so  fond  of  speaking. 

Then  followed  anxious  moments,  during  which  neither 
sight  nor  hearing  could  in  the  least  aid  the  conjectures  of 
the  attentive  wife.  She  listened  without  breathing,  and 
once  or  twice  she  thought  the  blows  of  hoofs  falling  on  the 
earth  harder  and  quicker  than  common,  might  be  distin- 


44  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON- IVISff. 

guished  ;  but  it  was  only  as  Content  mounted  the  sudden 
ascent  of  the  hill-side  that  he  was  again  seen,  for  a  brief 
instant,  while  dashing  swiftly  into  the  cover  of  the  woods. 

Though  Ruth  had  been  familiar  with  the  cares  of  the 
frontier,  perhaps  she  had  never  known  a  moment  more  in- 
tensely painful  than  that  when  the  form  of  her  husband 
became  blended  with  the  dark  trunks  of  the  trees.  The 
time  was  to  her  impatience  longer  than  usual,  and  under 
the  excitement  of  a  feverish  inquietude  that  had  no  definite 
object,  she  removed  the  single  bolt  that  held  the  postern 
closed,  and  passed  entirely  without  the  stockade.  To  her 
oppressed  senses  the  palisadoes  appeared  to  place  limits  to 
her  vision.  Still  weary  minute  passed  after  minute,  with- 
out bringing  relief.  During  these  anxious  moments  she 
became  more  than  usually  conscious  of  the  insulated  situ- 
ation in  which  he  and  all  who  were  dearest  to  her  heart 
were  placed.  The  feelings  of  a  wife  prevailed.  Quitting 
the  side  of  the  acclivity,  she  began  to  walk  slowly  along 
the  path  her  husband  had  taken,  until  apprehension  insen- 
sibly urged  her  into  a  quicker  movement.  She  had  paused 
only  when  she  stood  nearly  in  the  centre  of  the  clearing, 
on  the  eminence  where  her  father  had  halted  that  evening 
to  contemplate  the  growing  improvement  of  his  estate. 

Here  her  steps  were  suddenly  arrested,  for  she  thought 
a  form  was  issuing  from  the  forest,  at  that  interesting  spot 
which  her  eye  had  never  ceased  to  watch.  It  proved  to  be 
no  more  than  the  passing  shadow  of  a  cloud,  denser  than 
common,  which  threw  the  body  of  its  darkness  on  the 
trees  and  a  portion  of  its  outline  on  the-ground  near  the 
margin  of  the  wood.  Just  at  this  instant  the  recollection 
that  she  had  incautiously  left  the  postern  open,  flashed 
upon  her  mind,  and,  with  feelings  divided  between  hus- 
band and  children,  she  commenced  her  return,  in  order  to 
repair  a  neglect,  to  which  habit,  no  less  than  prudence, 
imparted  a  high  degree  of  culpability.  The  eyes  of  the 
mother,  for  the  feelings  of  that  sacred  character  were  now 
powerfully  uppermost,  were  fastened  on  the  ground,  as 
she  eagerly  picked  her  way  along  the  uneven  surface  ;  and 
so  engrossed  was  her  mind  by  the  omission  of  duty,  with 
which  she  was  severely  reproaching  herself,  that,  they 
drank  in  objects  without  conveying  distinct  or  intelligible 
images  to  her  brain. 

Notwithstanding  the  one  engrossing  thought  of  the  mo- 
ment, something  met  her  eye  that  caused  even  the  vacant 
organ  to  recoil,  and  every  fibre  in  her  frame  to  tremble 


TIIR   WEPT   OF  WISH-TO  K-WISH.  45 

with  terror.  There  was  a  moment  in  which  delirium  near- 
ly heightened  terror  to  madness.  Reflection  came  only 
when  Ruth  had  reached  the  distance  of  many  feet  from 
the  spot  where  this  startling  object  had  half  unconsciously 
crossed  her  vision.  Then  for  a  single  and  a  fearful  instant 
she  paused,  like  one  who  debated  on  the  course  she  ought 
to  follow.  Maternal  love  prevailed,  and  the  deer  of  her 
own  woods  scarcely  bounds  with  great  agility  than  the 
mother  of  the  sleeping  and  defenceless  family  now  fled  to- 
ward the  dwellings.  Panting  and  breathless  she  gained 
the  postern,  wThich  was  closed  with  hands  that  performed 
office  more  by  instinct  than  in  obedience  to  thought,  and 
doubly  and  trebly  barred. 

For  the  first  time  in  some  minuses  Ruth  now  breathed 
distinctly  and  without  pain.  She  strove  to  rally  her 
thoughts,  in  order  to  deliberate  on  the  course  that  pru- 
dence and  her  duty  to  Content,  who  was  still  exposed  to 
the  danger  she  had  herself  escaped,  prescribed.  Her  first 
impulse  wras  to  give  the  established  signal  that  was  to  re- 
call the  laborers  from  the  field,  or  to  awake  the  sleepers, 
in  the  event  of  an  alarm  ;  but  better  reflection  told  her  that 
such  a  step  might  prove  fatal  to  him  who  balanced  in  her 
affections  against  the  rest  of  the  world.  The  struggle  in 
her  mind  only  ended  as  she  clearly  and  unequivocally 
caught  a  view  of  her  husband,  issuing  from  the  forest  at 
the  very  point  where  he  had  entered.  The  return  path,  un- 
fortunately, led  directly  past  the  spot  where  such  sudden 
terror  had  seized  her  mind.  She  would  have  given  worlds 
to  have  known  how  to  apprise  him  of  a  danger  with  which 
her  own  imagination  was  full,  without  communicating  the 
warning  to  other  and  terrible  ears.  The  night  was  still, 
and  though  the  distance  was  considerable,  it  was  not  so 
great  as  to  render  the  chances  of  success  desperate.  Scarce- 
ly knowing  what  she  did,  and  yet  preserving,  by  a  sort 
of  instinctive  prudence,  the  caution  which  constant  expos- 
ure weaves  into  all  our  habits,  the  trembling  woman  made 
the  effort. 

"  Husband !  husband  !  "  she  cried,  commencing  plaintive- 
ly, but  her  voice  rising  with  the  energy  of  excitement. 
"  Husband,  ride  swiftly  ;  our  little  Ruth  lieth  in  the  agony. 
For  her  life  and  thine,  ride  at  thy  horse's  speed.  Seek  not 
the  stables,  but  come  with  all  haste  to  the  postern,  it  shall 
be  open  to  thee." 

This  was  certainly  a  fearful  summons  for  a  father's  ear, 
and  there  is  little  doubt  that,  had  the  feeble  powers  of 


46  THE    WEPT    OF   IVISTT-TON-lVISfT. 

Ruth  succeeded  in  conveying  the  words  as  far  as  she  had 
wished,  they  would  have  produced  the  desired  effect  But 
in  vain  did  she  call ;  her  weak  tones,  though  raised  on  the 
notes  of  keenest  apprehension,  could  not  force  their  wa} 
across  so  wide  a  space.  And  yet  had  she  reason  to  think' 
they  were  not  entirely  lost,  for  once  her  husband  paused 
and  seemed  to  listen,  and  once  he  quickened  the  pace  of 
his  horse  ;  though  neither  of  these  proofs  of  intelligence 
Was  followed  by  any  further  sign  of  his  having  understood 
the  alarm. 

Content  was  now  upon  the  hillock  itself.  If  Ruth 
breathed  at  all  during  its  passage,  it  was  more  impercep- 
tible than  the  gentlest  respiration  of  the  sleeping  infant. 
But  when  she  saw  him  trotting  with  unconscious  security 
along  the  path  on  the  side  next  the  dwellings,  her  impa- 
tience broke  through  all  restraint,  and  throwing  open  the 
postern,  she  renewed  her  cries,  in  a  voice  that  was  no 
longer  useless.  The  clattering  of  the  unshodden  hoof 
was  again  rapid,  and  in  another  minute  her  husband  gal- 
loped unharmed  to  her  side. 

"  Enter  !"  said  the  nearly  dizzy  wife,  seizing  the  bridle, 
and  leading  the  horse  within  the  palisadoes.  "  Enter, 
husband,  for  the  love  of  all  that  is  thine;  enter,  and  be 
thankful." 

"  What  meaneth  this  terror,  Ruth  ? "  demanded  Content, 
in  as  much  displeasure,  perhaps,  as  he  could  manifest  to 
one  so  gentle,  for  a  weakness  betrayed  in  his  own  be- 
half, "is  thy  confidence  in  Him  whose  eye  never  closeth, 
and  who  equally  watcheth  the  life  of  man  and  that  of  the 
falling  sparrow,  lost  ?  " 

Ruth  was  deaf.  With  hurried  hands  she  drew  the  fasten- 
ings, let  fall  the  bars,  and  turned  a  key  which  forced  a 
triple-bolted  lock  to  perform  its  office.  Not  till  then  did 
she  feel  either  safe  herself,  or  at  liberty  to  render  thanks 
for  the  safety  of  him,  over  whose  danger  she  had  so  lately 
watched  in  agony. 

"Why  this  care?  Hast  forgotten  that  the  horse  will 
suffer  hunger,  at  this  distance  from  the  rack  and  manger  ?  " 

"  Better  that  he  starve  than  hair  of  thine  should  come 
to  harm." 

"  Nay,  nay,  Ruth  ;  dost  not  remember  that  the  beast  is 
the  favorite  of  my  father,  who  will  ill  brook  his  passing  a 
night  within  the  palisadoes?  " 

"  Husband,  you  err  ;  there  is  me  in  the  fields." 

"  Is  there  place  where  One  is  not  ?" 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH -TON-WISH.  47 

"  But  I  have  seen  creature  of  mortal  birth,  and  creature, 
too,  that  hath  no  claim  on  thee  or  thine,  and  who  tres- 
passeth  on  our  peace,  no  less  than  on  our  natural  rights, 
to  be  where  he  lurketh." 

"  Go  to  ;  thou  art  not  used  to  be  so  late  from  thy  pillow, 
my  poor  Ruth  ;  sleep  hath  come  over  thee,  whilst  standing 
on  thy  watch.  Some  cloud  hath  left  its  shadow  on  the 
fields,  or,  truly,  it  may  be  that  the  hunt  did  not  drive  the 
beasts  as  far  from  the  clearing  as  we  had  thought.  Come  ; 
since  thou  wilt  cling  to  my  side,  lay  hand  on  the  bridle  of 
the  horse,  while  I  ease  him  of  his  burden." 

As  Content  coolly  proceeded  to  the  task  he  had  men- 
tioned, the  thoughts  of  his  wife  were  momentarily  diverted 
from  their  other  sources  of  uneasiness,  by  the  object  which 
lay  on  the  crupper  of  the  nag,  and  which,  until  now,  had 
entirely  escaped  her  observation. 

"Here  is,  indeed,  the  animal  this  day  missing  from  our 
flock  !"  she  exclaimed,  as  the  carcass  of  a  sheep  fell  heavily 
on  the  ground. 

"  Aye  ;  and  killed  with  exceeding  judgment,  if  not  aptly 
dressed  to  our  hands.  Mutton  will  not  be  wanting  for  the 
husking-feast,  and  the  stalled  creature  whose  days  were 
counted  may  live  another  season." 

"  And  where  didst  find  the  slaughtered  beast  ? " 

"  On  the  limb  of  a  growing  hickory.  Eben  Dudley, 
with  all  his  sleight  in  butchering,  and  in  setting  forth  the 
excellence  of  his  meats,  could  not  have  left  an  animal 
hanging  from  the  branch  of  a  sapling  with  greater  knowl- 
edge of  his  craft.  Thou  seest,  but  a  single  meal  is  miss- 
ing from  the  carcass,  and  that  thy  fleece  is  unharmed." 

"  This  is  not  the  work  of  a  Pequod  ! "  exclaimed  Ruth, 
surprised  at  her  own  discovery;  "the  red  men  do  their 
mischief  with  less  care." 

"  Nor  has  the  tooth  of  wolf  opened  the  veins  of  poor 
Straight-Horns.  Here  has  been  judgment  in  the  slaugh- 
tering, as  well  as  prudence  in  the  consumption  of  the  food. 
The  hand  that  cut  so  lightly  had  intention  of  a  second 
visit."  * 

"And  our  father  bid  thee  seek  the  creature  where  it  was 
found  !  Husband,  I  fear  some  heavy  judgment  for  the  sins 
of  the  parents  is  likely  to  befall  the  children." 

"The  babes  are  quietly  in  their  slumbers,  and,  thus  far, 
little  wrong  hath  been  done  us.  I'll  cast  the  haltei  from 
the  stalled  animal  ere  I  sleep,  and  Straight-Horns  shall  con- 
tent us  for  the  husking.  We  may  have  mutton  less  savory 


4#  THE   WEPT   OF   WISH-TON-WISH. 

for  this  evil  chance,  but  the  number  of  thy  flock  will  be 
unaltered." 

"  And  where  is  he  who  hath  mingled  in  our  prayers,  and 
hath  eaten  of  our  bread  ;  he  who  counselled  so  long  in  se- 
cret with  our  father,  and  who  hath  now  vanished  from 
among  us  like  a  vision  ?" 

"That  indeed  is  a  question  not  readily  to  be  answered," 
returned  Content,  who  had  hitherto  maintained  a  cheerful 
air,  in  order  to  appease  what  he  was  fain  to  believe  a  cause- 
less terror  in  the  bosom  of  his  partner,  but  who  was  in- 
duced by  this  question  to  drop  his  head  like  one  that  sought 
reasons  within  the  repository  of  his  own  thoughts.  "  It 
mattereth  not,  Ruth  Heathcote  ;  the  ordering  of  the  affair 
is  in  the  hands  of  a  man  of  many  years  and  great  experi- 
ence ;  should  his  aged  wisdom  fail,  do  we  not  know  that 
one  even  wiser  than  he  hath  us  in  his  keeping  ?  I  will  re- 
turn the  beast  to  his  rack,  and  when  we  shall  have  jointly 
asked  favor  of  eyes  that  never  sleep,  we  will  go  in  confi- 
dence to  our  rest." 

"  Husband,  thou  quittest  not  the  palisadoes  again  this 
night,"  said  Ruth,  arresting  the  hand  that  had  already 
drawn  a  bolt,  ere  she  spoke.  "  I  have  a  warning  of  evil." 

"  I  would  the  stranger  had  found  some  other  shelter  in 
which  to  pass  his  short  resting  season.  That  he  hath  made 
free  with  -my  flock,  and  that  he  hath  administered  to  his 
hunger  at  some  cost,  when  a  single  asking  would  have 
made  him  welcome  to  the  best  that  the  owner  of  the  Wish- 
Ton-Wish  can  command,  are  truths  that  may  not  be  de- 
nied. Still  is  he  mortal  man,  as  a  goodly  appetite  hath 
proven,  even  should  our  belief  in  Providence  so  far  waver 
as  to  harbor  doubts  of  its  unwillingness  to  suffer  beings  of 
injustice  to  wander  in  our  forms  and  substance.  I  tell 
thee,  Ruth,  that  the  nag  will  be  needed  for  to-morrow's 
service,  and  that  our  father  will  give  but  ill  thanks  should 
we  leave  it  to  make  a  bed  on  this  cold  hill-side.  Go  to 
thy  rest  and  to  thy  prayers,  trembler  ;  I  will  close  the 
postern  with  all  care.  Fear  not ;  the  stranger  is  of  human 
wants,  and  his  agency  to  do  evil  must  needs  be  limited  by 
human  power." 

"  I  fear  none  of  white  blood,  nor  of  Christian  parentage  ; 
the  murderous  heathen  is  in  our  fields." 

"Thou,  dreamest,  Ruth!" 

" 'Tis  not  a  dream.  I  have  seen  the  glowing  eyeballs  of 
a  savage.  Sleep  was  little  like  to  come  over  me  when  set 
upon  a  watch  like  this.  I  thought  me  that  the  errand  was 


THE   WEPT    OF  WISH-TOX-WISH.  49 

of  unknown  character,  and  that  our  father  was  exceedingly 
aged,  and  that  perchance  his  senses  might  be  duped,  and 
how  an  obedient  son  ought  not  to  be  exposed.  Thou  know- 
est,  Heathcote,  that  I  could  not  look  upon  the  danger  of - 
my  children's  father  with  indifference,  and  I  followed  to 
the  nut-tree  hillock." 

"To  the  nut-tree.  It  was  not  prudent  in  thee — but  the 
postern  ? " 

"  It  was  open  ;  for  were  the  key  turned,  who  was  there 
to  admit  us  quickly  had  haste  been  needed?"  returned 
Ruth,  momentarily  averting  her  face  to  conceal  the  flush 
excited  by  conscious  delinquency.  "  Though  I  failed  in 
caution,  'twas  for  thy  safety,  Heathcote.  But  on  that  hil- 
lock, and  in  the  hollow  left  by  a  fallen  tree,  lies  concealed 
a  heathen  !  " 

"  I  passed  the  nut-wood  in  going  to  the  shambles  of  our 
strange  butcher,  and  I  drew  the  rein  to  give  breath  to  the 
nag  near  it,  as  we  returned  with  the  burden.  It  cannot 
be  ;  some  creature  of  the  forest  hath  alarmed  thee." 

"  Aye  !  creature,  formed,  fashioned,  gifted  like  ourselves, 
in  all  but  color  of  the  skin  and  blessing  of  the  faith." 

"This  is  strange  delusion!  If  there  were  enemy  at 
hand,  would  men  subtle  as  those  you  fear  suffer  the  master 
of  the  dwelling,  and  truly  I  may  say  it  without  vain-glory, 
one  as  likely  as  another  to  struggle  stoutly  for  his  own,  to 
escape,  when  an  ill-timed  visit  to  the  woods  had  delivered 
him  unresisting  into  their  hands  ?  Go,  go,  good  Ruth  ; 
thou  may'st  have  seen  a  blackened  log — perchance  the 
frosts  have  left  a  fire-fly  untouched,  or  it  may  be  that  some 
prowling  bear  has  scented  out  the  sweets  of  thy  lately 
gathered  hives." 

Ruth  again  laid  her  hand  firmly  on  the  arm  of  her  hus- 
band, who  had  withdrawn  another  bolt,  and,  looking  him 
steadily  in  the  face,  she  answered  by  saying  solemnly,  and 
with  touching  pathos — 

"Thinkest  thou,  husband,  that  a  mother's  eye  could  be 
deceived  ?  " 

It  might  have  been  that  the  allusion  to  the  tender  beings 
whose  fate  depended  on  his  care,  or  that  the  deeply 
serious,  though  mild  and  gentle  manner  of  his  consort, 
produced  some  fresher  impression  on  the  mind  of  Content. 
Instead  of  undoing  the  fastenings  of  the  postern  as  he  had 
intended,  he  deliberately  drew  its  bolts  again  and  paused 
to  think. 

"  If  it  produce  no  other  benefit  than  to  quiet  tfvy  fears, 


50  THE    WKPT   OI< 

good  Ruth,"  he  said,  after  a  moment  of  reflection,  "  a  little 
caution  will  be  well  repaid.  Stay  you,  then,  here,  where 
the  hillock  may  be  watched,  while  I  go  wake  a  couple  of 
*  the  people.  With  stout  Eben  Dudley  and  experienced 
Reuben  Ring  to  back  me,  my  father's  horse  may  surely  be 
stabled." 

Ruth  contentedly  assumed  a  task  that  she  was  quite 
equal  to  perform  with  intelligence  and  zeal.  "  Hie  theeto 
the  laborers'  chambers,  for  I  see  a  light  still  burning  in  the 
room  of  those  you  seek,"  was  the  answer  she  gave  to  a 
proposal  that  at  least  quieted  the  intenseness^of  her  fears 
for  him  in  whose  behalf  they  had  so  lately  been  excited 
nearly  to  agony. 

*'  It  shall  be  quickly  done  ;  nay,  stand  not  thus  openly 
between  the  beams,  wife.  Thou  mayest  place  thyself  here 
at  the  doublings  of  the  wood,  beneath  the  loop,  where  harm 
would  scarcely  reach  thee,  though  shot  from  artillery  were 
to  crush  the  timber." 

With  this  admonition  to  be  wary  of  a  danger  that  he  had 
so  recently  affected  to  despise,  Content  departed  on  his 
errand.  The  two  laborers  he  had  mentioned  by  name  were 
youths  of  mould  and  strength,  and  they  were  well  inured 
to  toil,  no  less  than  to  the  particular  privations  and  dan- 
gers of  a  border  life.  Like  most  men  of  their  years  and 
condition,  they  were  practised  too  in  the  wiles  of  Indian 
cunning  ;  and  though  the  Province  of  Connecticut,  com- 
pared to  other  settlements,  had  suffered  but  little  in  this 
species  of  murderous  warfare,  they  both  had  martial  feats 
and  perilous  experiences  of  their  own  to  recount  during 
the  light  labors  of  the  long  winter  evenings. 

Content  crossed  the  court  with  a  quick  step  ;  for,  not- 
withstanding his  steady  unbelief,  the  image  of  his  gentle 
wife  posted  on  her  outer  watch  hurried  his  movements. 
The  rap  he  gave  at  the  door  on  reaching  the  apartment  of 
those  he  sought,  was  loud  as  it  was  sudden. 

"  Who  calls  ? "  demanded  a  deep-toned  and  firm  voice 
from  within,  at  the  first  blow  of  the  knuckles  on  the  plank. 

"  Quit  thy  beds  quickly,  and  come  forth  with  the  arms 
appointed  for  a  sally." 

"  That  is  soon  done,"  answered  a  stout  woodsman,  throw- 
ing open  the  door  and  standing  before  Content  in  the  gar- 
ments he  had  worn  throughout  the  day.  "We  were  just 
dreaming  that  the  night  was  not  to  pass  without  a  summons 
to  the  loops." 

"  Hast  seen  aught?" 


THE   WEPT    OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  51 

"  Our  eyes  were  not  shut  more  than  those  of  others  ;  we 
saw  him  enter  that  no  man  hath  seen  depart." 

"  Come,  fellow — Whittal  Ring  would  scarce  give  wiser 
speech  than  this  cunning  reply  of  thine.  My  wife  is  at 
the  postern,  and  it  is  fit  we  go  to  relieve  her  watch.  Thou 
wilt  not  forget  the  horns  of  powder,  since  it  would  not 
tell  to  our  credit,  were  there  service  for  the  pieces,  and 
we  lacking  in  wherewithal  to  give  them  a  second  dis- 
charge." 

The  hirelings  obeyed,  and  as  little  time  was  necessary 
to  arm  those  who  never  slept  without  weapons  and  ammu- 
nition within  reach  of  their  hands,  Content  was  speedily 
followed  by  his  dependents.  Ruth  was  found  at  her  post ; 
but  when  urged  by  her  husband  to  declare  what  had  passed 
in  his  absence,  she  was  compelled  to  admit  that,  though 
the  moon  had  come  forth  brighter  and  clearer  from  behind 
the  clouds,  she  had  seen  nothing  to  add  to  her  alarm. 

"  We  will  then  lead  the  beast  to  his  stall,  and  close  our 
duty  by  setting  a  single  watch  for  the  rest  of  the  night," 
said  the  husband.  "  Reuben  shall  keep  the  postern,  while 
Eben  and  I  will  have  a  care  for  my  father's  nag,  not  forget- 
ting the  carcass  for  the  husking-feast.  Dost  hear,  deaf 
Dudley  ?  Cast  the  mutton  upon  the  crupper  of  the  beast 
and  follow  to  the  stables." 

"  Here  has  been  no  common  workman  at  my  office,"  said 
the  blunt  Eben,  who,  though  an  ordinary  farm  laborer,  ac- 
cording to  a  usage  still  very  generally  prevalent  in  the 
country,  was  also  skilful  in  the  craft  of  the  butcher.  "  I 
have  brought  many  a  wether  to  his  end,  but  this  is  the  first 
sheep,  within  all  my  experience,  that  hath  kept  the  fleece 
while  a  portion  of  the  body  has  been  in  the  pot !  Lie 
there,  poor  Straight-Horns,  if  quiet  thou  canst  be,  after 
such  strange  butchery.  Reuben,  I  paid  thee,  as  the  sun 
rose,  a  Spanish  piece  of  silver  for  the  trifle  of  debt  that 
lay  between  us  in  behalf  of  the  good  turn  thou  didst  the 
shoes,  which  were  none  the  better  for  the  last  hunt  in  the 
hills.  Hast  ever  that  pistareen  about  thee  ?  " 

This  question,  which  was  put  in  a  lowered  tone,  and 
only  to  the  ear  of  the  party  concerned,  was  answered  in 
the  affirmative. 

"  Give  it  me,  lad  ;  in  the  morning  thou  shalt  be  paid 
with  usurer's  interest." 

Another  summons  from  Content,  who  had  now  led  the 
nag  loaded  with  the  carcass  of  the  sheep  without  the  pos- 
tern, cut  short  the  secret  conference.  Eben  Dudley,  having 


52  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON- WISH. 

received  the  coin,  hastened  to  follow.  But  the  distance  to 
the  out-buildings  was  sufficient  to  enable  him  to  effect  his 
mysterious  purpose  without  discovery.  Whilst  Content  en- 
deavored to  calm  the  apprehensions  of  his  wife,  who  still 
persisted  in  sharing  his  danger,  by  such  reasons  as  he 
could  on  the  instant  command,  the  credulous  Dudley 
placed  the  thin  piece  of  silver  between  his  teeth,  and,  with 
a  pressure  that  denoted  the  prodigious  force  of  his  jaws, 
caused  it  to  assume  a  beaten  and  rounded  shape.  He  then 
slily  dropped  the  battered  coin  into  the  muzzle  of  his  gun, 
taking  care  to  secure  its  presence  until  he  himself  should 
send  it  on  its  disenchanting  message,  by  a  wad  torn  from 
the  lining  of  part  of  his  vestments.  Supported  by  this  re- 
doubtable auxiliary,  the  superstitious  but  still  courageous 
borderer  followed  his  companion,  whistling  a  low  air  that 
equally  denoted  his  indifference  to  danger  of  an  ordinary 
nature,  and  his  sensibility  to  impressions  of  a  less  earthly 
character. 

They  who  dwell  in  the  older  districts  of  -America,  where 
art  and  labor  have  united  for  generations  to  clear  the  earth 
of  its  inequalities,  and  to  remove  the  vestiges  of  a  state  of 
nature,  can  form  but  little  idea  of  the  thousand  objects 
that  may  exist  in  a  clearing,  to  startle  the  imagination  of 
one  who  has  admitted  alarm,  when  seen  in  the  doubtful 
light  of  even  a  cloudless  moon.  Still  less  can  they  who 
have  never  quitted  the  old  world,  and  who  having  only 
seen,  can  only  imagine  fields  smooth  as  the  surface  of 
tranquil  water,  picture  the  effect  produced  by  those  lin- 
gering remnants,  which  may  be  likened  to  so  many  mould- 
ering monuments  of  the  fallen  forest  scattered  at  such  an 
hour  over  a  broad  surface  of  open  land.  Accustomed  as 
they  were  to  the  sight,  Content  and  his  partner,  excited 
by  their  fears,  fancied  each  dark  and  distant  stump  a  sav- 
age, and  they  passed  no  angle  in  the  high  and  heavy 
fences  without  throwing  a  jealous  glance  to  see  that  some 
enemy  did  not  lie  stretched  within  its  shadows. 

Still  no  new  motive  for  apprehension  arose  during  the 
brief  period  that  the  two  adventurers  were  employed  in 
administering  to  the  comfort  of  the  Puritan's  steed.  The 
task  was  ended,  the  carcass  of  the  slaughtered  Straight- 
Horns  had  been  secured,  and  Ruth  was  already  urging  her 
husband  to  return,  when  their  attention  was  drawn  to  the 
attitude  and  mien  of  their  companion. 

"  The  man  hath  departed  as  he  came,"  said  Eben  Dudley, 
who  stood  shaking  his  head  in  open  doubt  before  an  emp- 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON'-WISH.  53 

ty  stall  ;  "  here  is  no  beast,  though  with  these  eyes  did  I 
see  the  half-wit  bring  hither  a  well-filled  measure  of 
speckled  oats  to  feed  the  nag.  He  who  favored  us  with 
his  presence  at  the  supper  and  the  thanksgiving,  hath  tired 
of  his  company  before  the  hour  of  rest  had  come." 

"The  horse  is  truly  wanting,"  said  Content  ;  "the  man 
must  needs  be  in  exceeding  haste,  to  have  ridden  into  the 
forest  as  the  night  grew  deepest,  and  when  the  longest 
summer  day  would  scarce  bring  a  better  hack  than  that  he 
rode  to  another  Christian  dwelling.  There  is  reason  for 
this  industry,  but  it  is  enough  that  it  concerns  us  not. 
We  will  now  seek  our  rest,  in  the  certainty  that  One  watch- 
eth  our  slumbers  whose  vigilance  can  never  fail." 

Though  man  could  not  trust  himself  to  sleep  in  that 
country  without  the  security  of  bars  and  bolts,  we  have 
already  had  occasion  to  say  that  property  was  guarded  with 
but  little  care.  The  stable-door  was  merely  closed  by  a 
wooden  latch,  and  the  party  returned  from  this  short  sor- 
tie, with  steps  that  were  a  little  quickened  by  a  sense  of  an 
uneasiness  that  beset  them  in  forms  suited  to  their  several 
characters.  But  shelter  was  at  hand,  and  it  was  speedily 
regained. 

"Thou  hast  seen  nothing?"  said  Content  to  Reuben 
Ring,  who  had  been  chosen  for  his  quick  eye,  and  a  sagac- 
ity that  was  as  remarkable  as  was  his  brother's  impotency  ; 
"thou  hast  seen  nothing  at  thy  wratch  ?" 

"Naught  unusual  ;  and  yet  I  like  not  yonder  billet  of 
wood,  near  to  the  fence  against  the  knoll.  If  it  were  not 
so  plainly  a  half-burnt  log,  one  might  fancy  there  is  life 
in  it.  But  when  fancy  is  at  work,  the  sight  is  keen.  Once 
or  twice  I  have  thought  it  seemed  to  be  rolling  towards 
the  brook  ;  I  am  not,  even  now,  certain  that  when  first 
seen  it  did  not  lie  eight  or  ten  feet  higher  against  the  bank." 

"  It  may  be  a  living  thing  !  " 

"  On  the  faith  of  a  woodman's  eye,  it  well  may  be,"  said 
Eben  Dudley  ;  "  but  should  it  be  haunted  by  a  legion  of 
wicked  spirits,  one  may  bring  it  to  quiet  from  the  loop  at 
the  nearest  corner.  Stand  aside,  Madame  Heathcote,"  for 
the  character  and  wealth  of  the  proprietors  of  the  valley 
gave  Ruth  a  claim  to  this  term  of  respect  among  the  la- 
borers ;  "  let  me  thrust  the  piece  through  the — stop,  there 
is  an  especial  charm  in  the  gun,  which  it  might  be  sinful 
to  waste  on  such  a  creature.  It  may  'be  no  more  than 
some  sweet-toothed  bear.  I  will  answer  for  the  charge  at  my 
own  cost,  if  thou  wilt  lend  me  thy  musket,  Reuben  Ring/ 


54  THE   WEPT   OF  WJSH-TON-WISH. 

"  It  shall  not  be,"  said  his  master  ;  "  one  known  to  my 
father  hath  this  night  entered  our  dwelling  and  fed  at  our 
board  ;  if  he  hath  departed  in  a  way  but  little  wont  among 
those  of  this  Colony,  yet  hath  he  done  no  great  wrong.  I 
will  go  nigh,  and  examine  with  less  risk  of  error." 

There  was,  in  this  proposal,  too  much  of  that  spirit  of 
right-doing  which  governed  all  of  those  simple  regions,  to 
meet  serious  opposition.  Content,  supported  by  Eben 
Dudley,  again  quitted  the  postern,  and  proceeded  directly, 
though  still  not  without  sufficient  caution,  towards  the 
point  where  the  suspicious  object  lay.  A  bend  in  the  fence 
had  first  brought  it  into  view,  for  previously  to  reaching 
that  point,  its  apparent  direction  might  for  some  distance 
have  been  taken  under  shelter  of  the  shadows  of  the  rails, 
which,  at  the  immediate  spot  where  it  was  seen,  were 
turned  suddenly  in  a  line  with  the  eyes  of  the  spectators. 
It  seemed  as  if  the  movements  of  those  who  approached 
were  watched  ;  for  the  instant  they  left  the  defences,  the 
dark  object  was  assuredly  motionless  ;  even  the  keen  eye 
of  Reuben  Ring  beginning  to  doubt  whether  some  decep- 
tion of  vision  had  not  led  him,  after  all,  to  mistake  a  billet 
of  wood  for  a  creature  of  life. 

But  Content  and  his  companion  were  not  induced  to 
change  their  determination.  Even  when  within  fifty  feet  of 
the  object,  though  the  moon  fell  full  and  brightly  upon 
the  surface,  its  character  baffled  conjecture.  One  affirmed 
it  was  the  end  of  a  charred  log,  many  of  which  still  lay 
scattered  about  the  fields,  and  the  others  believed  it  to  be 
some  cringing  animal  of  the  woods.  Twice  Content  raised 
his  piece  to  fire,  and  as  often  did  he  let  it  fall,  in  re- 
luctance to  do  injury  to  even  a  quadruped  of  whose  char- 
acter he  was  ignorant.  It  is  more  than  probable  that  his 
less  considerate  and  but  half  obedient  companion  would 
have  decided  the  question  soon  after  leaving  the  postern, 
had  not  the  peculiar  contents  of  his  musket  rendered  him 
delicate  of  its  uses. 

"  Look  to  thy  weapons,"  said  the  former,  loosening  his 
own  hunting-knife  in  his  sheath.  "We  will  draw  near 
and  make  certainty  of  what  is  doubtful." 

They  did  so,  and  the  gun  of  Dudley  was  thrust  rudely 
into  the  side  of  the  object  of  their  distrust,  before  it  again 
betrayed  life  or  motion.  Then,  indeed,  as  if  further  dis- 
guise was  useless,  an  Indian  lad  of  some  fifteen  years  rose 
deliberately  to  his  feet,  and  stood  before  them  in  the  sul- 
len dignity  of  a  captured  warrior.  Content  hastily  seized 


THE    WEPT    OF   WISH-TO. \'-WISH.  55 

the  stripling  by  an  arm,  and  followed  by  Eben,  who  occa- 
sionally quickened  the  footsteps  of  the  prisoner  by  an  im- 
petus obtained  from  the  breech  of  his  own  musket,  they 
hurriedly  returned  within  the  defences. 

<k  My  life  against  that  of  Straight-Horns,  which  is  now  of 
no  great  value,"  said  Dudley,  as  he  pushed  the  last  bolt  of 
the  fastenings  into  its  socket,  "  we  hear  no  more  of  this 
red-skin's  companions  to-night.  I  never  knew  an  Indian 
jaise  his  whoop  when  a  scout  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of 
Zhe  enemy." 

"This  may  be  true,"  returned  the  other,  "and  yet  must 
a  sleeping  household  be  guarded.  We  may  be  brought  to 
rely  on  the  overlooking  favor  of  Providence,  working 
with  the  means  of  our  own  manhood,  ere  the  sun  shall 
arise." 

Content  was  a  man  of  few  words,  but  one  of  exceeding 
steadiness  and  resolution  in  moments  of  need.  He  was 
perfectly  aware  that  an  Indian  youth,  like  him  he  had  capt- 
ured, would  not  have  been  found  in  that  place,  and  under 
the  circumstances  in  which  he  was  actually  taken,  without 
a  design  of  sufficient  magnitude  to  justify  the  hazard.  The 
tender  age  of  the  stripling,  too,  forbade  the  belief  that  he 
was  unaccompanied.  But  he  silently  agreed  with  his  la- 
boring man,  that  the  capture  would  probably  cause  the 
attack,  if  any  such  were  meditated,  to  be  deferred.  He 
therefore  instructed  his  wife  to  withdraw  into  her  cham- 
ber, while  he  took  measures  to  defend  the  dwelling  in  the 
last  emergency.  Without  giving  any  unnecessary  alarm, 
a  measure  that  would  have  produced  less  effect  on  an 
enemy  without,  than  the  imposing  stillness  which  now 
reigned  within  the  defences,  he  ordered  two  or  three  more 
of  the  stoutest  of  his  dependents  to  be  summoned  to  the 
palisadoes.  A  keen  scrutiny  was  made  into  the  state  of  all 
the  different  outlets  of  the  place  ;  muskets  were  carefully 
examined  ;  charges  were  given  to  be  watchful,  and  regu- 
lar sentinels  were  stationed  within  the  shadows  of  the 
buildings,  at  points  where,  unseen  themselves,  they  could 
look  out  in  safety  upon  the  fields. 

Content  then  took  his  captive,  with  whom  he  had  made 
no  attempt  to  exchange  a  syllable,  and  led  him  to  the 
block-house.  The  door  which  communicated  with  the 
basement  of  this  building  was  always  open,  in  readiness 
for  refuge  in  the  event  of  any  sudden  alarm.  He  entered  ; 
caused  the  lad  to  mount  by  a  ladder  to  the  floor  above, 
and  then  withdrawing  the  means  of  retreat,  he  turned  the 


56  THE   U'EPT  OF  WISH-TOX-WISH. 

key  without,  in  perfect  cqnfidence  that  his  prisoner  was 
secure. 

Notwithstanding  all  this  care,  morning  had  nearly  dawned 
before  the  prudent  father  and  husband  sought  his  pillow 
His  steadiness,  however,  had  prevented  the  apprehensions 
which  kept  his  own  eyes  and  those  of  his  general  partne* 
so  long  open,  from  extending  beyond  the  few  whose  ser- 
vices were,  in  such  an  emergency,  deemed  indispensable  to 
safety.  Toward  the  last  watches  of  the  night,  only,  did  the 
images  of  the  scenes  through  which  they  had  just  passed, 
become  dim  and  confused,  and  then  both  husband  and  wife 
slept  soundly  and  happily  without  disturbance. 


CHAPTER  V. 

"  Are  you  so  brave  ?     I'll  have  you  talked  with  anon." 

—  Coriolanus. 

THE  axe  and  the  brand  had  been  early  and  effectually 
used,  immediately  around  the  dwelling  of  the  Heathcotes. 
A  double  object  had  been  gained  by  removing  most  of  the 
vestiges  of  the  forest  from  the  vicinity  of  the  buildings  ; 
the  necessary  improvements  were  executed  with  greater 
facility,  and,  a  consideration  of  no  small  importance,  the 
cover  which  the  American  savage  is  known  to  seek  in  his 
attacks  was  thrown  to  a  distance  that  greatly  diminished 
the  danger  of  a  surprise. 

Favored  by  the  advantage  which  had  been  obtained  by 
this  foresight,  and  by  the  brilliancy  of  a  night  that  soon 
emulated  the  brightness  of  day,  the  duty  of  Eben  Dudley 
and  of  his  associate  on  the  watch  was  rendered  easy  of  ac- 
complishment. Indeed,  so  secure  did  they  become  toward 
morning,  chiefly  on  account  of  the  capture  of  the  Indian 
lad,  that  more  than  once,  eyes  that  should  have  been  dif- 
ferently employed,  yielded  to  the  drowsiness  of  the  hour, 
and  to  habit,  or  were  only  opened  at  intervals  that  left  their 
owners  in  some  doubt  as  to  the  passage  of  the  intermediate 
time.  But  no  sooner  did  the  signs  of  day  approach,  than^ 
agreeably  to  their  instructions,  the  watchers  sought  their 
beds,  and  for  an  hour  or  two  they  slept  soundly,  and  with- 
out fear. 

When  his  father  had  closed  the  prayers  of  the  morning, 
Content,  in  the  midst  of  the  assembled  family,  communi- 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON- WISH.  57 

cated  as  many  of  the  incidents  of  the  past  night,  as  in  his 
judgment  seemed  necessary.  His  discretion  limited  the 
narrative  to  the  capture  of  the  native  youth,  and  to  the 
manner  in  which  he  had  ordered  the  watch  for  the  se- 
curity of  the  family.  On  the  subject  of  his  own  excursion 
to  the  forest,  and  all  connected  therewith,  he  was  guardedly 
silent. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  relate  the  manner  in  which  this 
startling  information  was  received.  The  cold  and  re- 
served brow  of  the  Puritan  became  still  more  thought- 
ful ;  the  young  men  looked  grave  and  resolute  ;  the 
maidens  of  the  household  grew  pale,  shuddered,  and 
whispered  hurriedly  together  ;  while  the  little  Ruth  and  a 
female  child  of  nearly  her  own  age,  named  Martha,  clung 
close  to  the  side  of  the  mistress  of  the  family,  who,  hav- 
ing nothing  new  to  learn,  had  taught  herself  to  assume 
the  appearance  of  a  resolution  she  was  far  from  feeling. 

The  first  visitation  which  befell  the  listeners,  after  their 
eager  ears  had  drunk  in  the  intelligence  Content  so  briefly 
imparted,  was  a  renewal  of  the  spiritual  strivings  of  his 
father  in  the  form  of  prayer.  A  particular  petition  was 
put  up  in  quest  of  light  on  their  future  proceedings,  for 
mercy  on  ail  men,  for  a  better  mind  to  those  who  wan- 
dered through  the  wilderness  seeking  victims  of  their 
wrath,  for  the  gifts  of  grace  on  the  heathen,  and  finally  for 
victory  over  all  their  carnal  enemies,  let  them  come  whence 
or  in  what  aspect  they  might. 

Fortified  by  these  additional  exercises,  old  Mark  next 
made  himself  the  master  of  all  the  signs  and  evidences  of 
the  approach  of  danger,  by  a  more  rigid  and  minute  in- 
quiry into  the  visible  circumstances  of  the  arrest  of  the 
young  savage.  Content  received  a  merited  and  grateful 
reward  for  his  prudence,  in  the  approbation  of  one  whom 
he  still  continued  to  revere  with  a  mental  dependence 
little  less  than  that  with  which  he  had  leaned  on  his  father's 
wisdom -in  the  days  of  his  childhood. 

"  Thou  hast  done  well  and  wisely,"  said  his  father  ;  "  but 
more  remains  to  be  performed  by  thy  wisdom  and  forti- 
tude. We  have  had  tidings  that  the  heathen  near  the 
Providence  Plantations  are  unquiet,  and  that  they  are 
lending  their  minds  to  wicked  counsellors.  We  are  not 
to  sleep  in  too  much  security,  because  a  forest  journey  of  a 
few  days  lies  between  their  villages  and  our  own  clearing. 
Bring  forth  the  captive  ;  I  will  question  him  on  the  mattes 
of  this  visit." 


$8  THE   WEPT  OF  WISH-TON- WISH. 

Until  now,  so  much  did  the  fears  of  all  turn  toward  the 
enemies  who  were  believed  to  be  lurking  near,  that  little 
thought  had  been  bestowed  on  the  prisoner  in  the  block- 
house. Content,  who  well  knew  the  invincible  resolution, 
no  less  than  the  art  of  an  Indian,  had  forborne  to  question 
him  when  taken  ;  for  he  believed  the  time  to  be  better 
suited  to  vigilant  action,  than  to  interrogatories  that  the 
character  of  the  boy  was  likely  to  render  perfectly  use- 
less. He  now  proceeded,  however,  with  an  interest  that 
began  to  quicken  as  circumstances  rendered  its  indul- 
gence less  unsuitable,  to  seek  his  captive,  in  order  to  bring 
him  before  the  searching  ordeal  of  his  father's  authority. 

The  key  of  the  lower  door  of  the  block-house  hung  where 
it  had  been  deposited  ;  the  ladder  was  replaced,  and  Content 
mounted  quietly  to  the  apartment  where  he  had  placed  his 
captive.  The  room  was  the  lowest  of  three  that  the  build- 
ing contained,  all  being  above  that  which  might  be  termed 
its  basement.  The  latter,  having  no  aperture  but  its  door, 
was  a  dark,  hexagonal  space,  partly  filled 'with  such  arti- 
cles as  might  be  needed  in  the  event  of  an  alarm,  and 
which,  at  the  same  time,  were  frequently  required  for  the 
purposes  of  domestic  use.  In  the  centre  of  the  area  was  a 
deep  well,  so  fitted  and  protected  by  a  wall  of  stone,  as  to 
admit  of  water  being  drawn  into  the  rooms  above.  The 
door  itself  was  of  massive  hewn  timber.  The  squared  logs 
of  the  upper  stories  projected  a  little  beyond  the  stone- 
work of  the  basement,  the  second  tier  of  the  timbers  con- 
taining a  few  loops,  out  of  which  missiles  might  be  dis- 
charged downward,  on  any  assailants  that  approached 
nearer  than  should  be  deemed  safe  for  the  security  of  the 
basement.  As  has  been  stated,  the  two  principal  stories 
were  perforated  with  long  narrow  slits  through  the  tim- 
ber, which  answered  the  double  purposes  of  windows  and 
loop-holes.  Though  the  apartments  were  so  evidently  ar- 
ranged for  defence,  the  plain  domestic  furniture  they 
contained  was  suited  to  the  wants  of  the  family,  should 
they  be  driven  to  the  building  for  refuge.  There  was  also 
an  apartment  in  the  roof,  or'attic,  as  already  mentioned  ; 
but  it  scarcely  entered  into  the  more  important  uses  of  the 
block-house.  Still  the  advantage  which  it  received  from 
its  elevation  was  not  overlooked.  A  small  cannon,  of  a 
kind  once  known  and  much  used  under  the  name  of  grass- 
hoppers, had  been  raised  to  the  place,  and  time  had"  been 
when  it  was  rightly  considered  as  of  the  last  importance  to 
the  safety  of  the  inmates  of  the  dwelling.  For  some  years 


THE   WEFT   OF  \VISH-TON-WISH.  59 

4 

its  muzzle  had  been  seen  by  all  the  straggling  aborigines 
who  visited  the  valley,  frowning  through  one  of  these  open- 
ings which  were  now  converted  into  glazed  windows  ; 
and  there  is  reason  to  thin]k,  that  the  reputation  which  the 
little  piece  of  ordnance  thus  silently  obtained,  had  a 
powerful  agency  in  so  long  preserving  unmolested  the 
peace  of  the  valley. 

The  word  unmolested  is  perhaps  too  strong.  More  thaD 
one  alarm  had  in  fact  occurred,  though  no  positive  acts  oi 
violence  had  ever  been  committed  within  the  limits  which 
the  Puritan  claimed  as  his  own.  On  only  one  occasion, 
however,  did  matters  proceed  so  far  that  the  veteran  had 
been  induced  to  take  his  post  in  this  warlike  attic  ;  where, 
there  is  little  doubt,  had  occasion  further  offered  for  his 
services,  he  would  have  made  a  suitable  display  of  his 
knowledge  in  the  science  of  gunnery.  But  the  simple 
history  of  the  Wish-Ton-Wish  had  furnished  another  evi- 
dence of  apolitical  truth,  which  cannot  be  too  often  pre- 
sented to  the  attention  of  our  countrymen  ;  we  mean,  that 
the  best  preservative  of  peace  is  preparation  for  war.  In 
the  case  before  us,  the  hostile  attitude  assumed  by  old 
Mark  and  his  dependents  had  effected  all  that  was  desira- 
ble, without  proceeding  to  the  extremity  of  shedding  blood. 
Such  peaceful  triumphs  were  far  more  in  accordance  with 
the  present  principles  of  the  Puritan,  than  they  would 
have  been  with  the  reckless  temper  which  had  governed 
his  youth.  In  the  quaint  and  fanatical  humor  of  the  times, 
he  had  held  a  family  thanksgiving  around  the  instrument 
of  their  security,  and  from  that  moment  the  room  itself 
became  a  favorite  resorting-place  for  the  old  soldier. 
Thither  he  often  mounted,  even  in  the  hours  of  deep  night, 
to  indulge  in  those  secret  spiritual  exercises  which  formed 
the  chiefest  solace,  arid  seemingly,  indeed,  the  great  em- 
ployment of  his  life.  In  consequence  of  this  habit,  the 
attic  of  the  block-house  came  in  time  to  be  considered 
sacred  to  the  uses  of  the  master  of  the  valley.  The  care 
and  thought  of  Content  had  gradually  supplied  it  with 
many  conveniences  that  might  contribute  to  the  personal 
comfort  of  his  father,  while  the  spirit  was  engaged  in  these 
mental  conflicts.  At  length,  the  old  man  was  known  to 
use  the  mattress,  that  among  other  things  it  now  con- 
tained, and  to  pass  the  time  between  the  setting  and  the 
rising  of  the  sun  in  its  solitude.  The  aperture  originally 
cut  for  the  exhibition  of  the  grasshopper  had  been  glazed  ; 
and  no  article  of  comfort,  which  was  once  caused  to  mount 


oo  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON- WISH. 

the  difficult  ladder  that  led  to  the  chamber,  was  ever  seen 
to  descend. 

There  was  something  in  the  austere  sanctity  of  old  Mark 
Heathcote,  that  was  favorable  to  the  practices  of  an  ancho- 
rite. The  youths  of  the  dwelling  regarded  his  unbending 
brow,  arid  the  undisturbed  gravity  of  the  eye  it  shadowed, 
with  a  respect  akin  to  awe.  Had  the  genuine  benevolence 
of  his  character  been  less  tried,  or  had  he  mingled  in  active 
life  at  a  later  period,  it  might  readily  have  been  his  fate  to 
have  shared  in  the  persecution  which  his  countrymen 
heaped  on  those  who  were  believed  to  deal  with  influences 
it  is  thought  impious  to  exercise.  Under  actual  circum- 
stances, however,  the  sentiment  went  no  farther  than  a  deep 
and  universal  reverence,  that  left  its  object,  and  the  neg- 
lected little  piece  of  artillery,  to  the  quiet  possession  of 
an  apartment,  to  invade  which  would  have  been  deemed 
an  act  bordering  on  sacrilege. 

The  business  of  Content,  on  the  occasion  which  caused 
his  present  visit  to  the  edifice  whose  history  and  descrip- 
tion we  have  thought  it  expedient  thus  to  give  at  some 
length,  led  him  no  farther  than  to  the  lowest  of  its  more 
military  apartments.  On  raising  the  trap,  for  the  first  time 
a  feeling  of  doubt  came  over  him,  as  to  the  propriety  of 
having  left  the  boy  so  long  unsolaced  by  words  of  kindness, 
or  by  deed  of  charity.  It  was  appeased  by  observing  that 
his  concern  was  awakened  in  behalf  of  one  whose  spirit 
was  quite  equal  to  sustain  greater  trials. 

The  young  Indian  stood  before  one  of  the  loops,  looking 
out  upon  that  distant  forest  in  which  he  had  so  lately 
roamed  at  liberty,  with  a  gaze  too  riveted  to  turn  aside 
even  at  the  interruption  occasioned  by  the  presence  of  his 
captor. 

"  Come  from  thy  prison,  child,"  said  Content,  in  the 
tones  of  mildness  ;  "whatever  may  have  been  thy  motive 
in  lurking  around  this  dwelling,  thou  art  human,  and  must 
know  human  wants ;  come  forth  and  receive  food  ;  none 
here  will  harm  thee." 

The  language  of  commiseration  is  universal.  Though 
the  words  of  the  speaker  were  evidently  unintelligible  to 
him  for  whose  ears  they  were  intended,  their  import  was 
conveyed  in  the  kindness  of  the  accents.  The  eyes  of  the 
boy  turned  slowly  from  the  view  of  the  woods,  and  he 
looked  his  captor  long  and  steadily  in  the  face.  Content 
now  indeed  discovered  that  he  had  spoken  in  a  language 
that  was  unknown  to  his  captive,  and  he  endeavored  by 


THE   WETT   OF  WISH-TOX-WISH.  61 

gestures  of  kindness  to  invite  the  lad  to  follow  him.  He 
was  silently  and  quietly  obeyed.  On  reaching  the  court, 
however,  the  prudence  of  a  border  proprietor  in  some  de- 
gree overcame  his  feelings  of  compassion. 

"  Bring  hither  yon  tether,"  he  said  to  Whittal  Ring,  who 
at  the  moment  was  passing  toward  the  stables  ;  "  here  is 
one  wild  as  the  most  untamed  of  thy  colts.  Man  is  of  our 
nature  and  of  our  spirit,  let  him  be  of  what  color  it  may 
have  pleased  Providence  to  stamp  his  features  ;  but  he  who 
would  have  a  young  savage  in  his  keeping  on  the  morrow, 
must  look  sharply  to  his  limbs  to-day." 

The  lad  submitted  quietly  until  a  turn  of  the  rope  was 
passed  around  one  of  his  arms  ;  but  when  Content  was  fain 
to  complete  the  work  by  bringing  the  other  limb  into  the 
same  state  of  subjection,  the  boy  glided  from  his  grasp,  and 
cast  the  fetters  from  him  in  disdain.  This  act  of  decided 
resistance,  was,  however,  followed  by  no  effort  to  escape. 
The  moment  his  person  was  released  from  a  confinement, 
which  he  probably  considered  as  implying  distrust  of  his 
ability  to  endure  pain  with  the  fortitude  of  a  warrior,  the 
lad  turned  quietly  and  proudly  to  his  captor,  and,  with  an 
eye  in  which  scorn  and  haughtiness  were  alike  glowing, 
seemed  to  defy  the  fulness  of  his  anger. 

"  Be  it  so,"  resumed  the  equal-minded  Content,  "  if  thou 
likest  not  the  bonds  which,  notwithstanding  the  pride  of 
man,  are  often  healthful  to  the  body,  keep  then  the  use  of 
thy  limbs,  and  see  that  they  do  no  mischief.  Whittal,  look 
thou  to  the  postern,  and  remember  it  is  forbidden  to  go 
afield  until  my  father  hath  had  this  heathen  under  exam- 
ination. The  cub  is  seldom  found  far  from  the  cunning  of 
the  aged  bear." 

He  then  made  a  sign  to  the  boy  to  follow,  and  proceeded 
to  the  apartment  where  his  father,  surrounded  by  most  of 
the  family,  awaited  their  coming.  Uncompromising  do- 
mes-tic discipline  was  one  of  the  striking  characteristics  of 
the  sway  of  the  Puritans.  That  austerity  of  manner  which 
was  thought  to  mark  a  sense  of  a  fallen  and  probationary 
state  was  early  taught  ;  for,  among  a  people  who  deemed 
all  mirth  a  sinful  levity,  the  practice  of  self-command  would 
readily  come  to  be  esteemed  the  basis  of  virtue.  But  what- 
ever might  have  been  the  peculiar  merit  of  Mark  Heath- 
cote  and  his  household  in  this  particular,  it  was  likely 
to  be  exceeded  by  the  exhibition  of  the  same  quality 
in  the  youth  who  had  so  strangely  become  their  cap- 
tive. 


62  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

We  have  already  said  that  this  child  of  the  woods  might 
have  seen  some  fifteen  years.  Though  he  had  shot  up- 
ward like  a  vigorous  and  thrifty  plant,  and  with  the  free- 
dom of  a  thriving  sapling  in  his  native  forests,  rearing  its 
branches  toward  the  light,  his  stature  had  not  yet  reached 
that  of  man.  In  height,  form,  and  attitudes,  he  was  a 
model  of  active,  natural,  and  graceful  boyhood.  But  while 
his  limbs  were  so  fair  in  their  proportions,  they  were  scarcely 
muscular  ;  still  every  movement  exhibited  a  freedom  and 
ease  which  announced  the  grace  of  childhood,  without  the 
smallest  evidence  of  that  restraint  which  creeps  into  our 
air  as  the  factitious  feelings  of  later  life  begin  to  assert 
their  influence.  The  smooth,  rounded  trunk  of  the  moun- 
tain ash  is  not  more  upright  and  free  from  blemish  than 
was  the  figure  of  the  boy,  who  moved  into  the  curious 
circle  that  opened  for  his  entrance  and  closed  against  his 
retreat,  with  the  steadiness  of  one  who  came  to  bestow  in- 
stead of  appearing  to  receive  judgment 

"  I  will  question  him,"  said  old  Mark  H'eathcote,  atten- 
tively regarding  the  keen  and  settled  eye  that  met  his 
long,  stern  gaze,  as  steadily  as  a  less  intelligent  creature 
of  the  woods  would  return  the  look  of  man.  "  I  will  ques- 
tion him  ;  and  perchance  fear  will  wring  from  his  lips  a 
confession  of  the  evil  that  he  and  his  have  meditated 
against  me  and  mine." 

"  I  think  he  is  ignorant  of  our  forms  of  speech,"  returned 
Content  ;  "for  the  words  of  neither  kindness  nor  anger 
will  force  him  to  a  change  of  feature." 

"  It  is  then  meet  that  we  commence  by  asking  Him  who 
hath  the  secret  to  open  all  hearts  to  be  our  assistant."  The 
Puritan  then  raised  his  voice  in  a  short  and  exceedingly 
particular  petition,  in  which  he  implored  the  Ruler  of  the 
Universe  to  interpret  his  meaning  in  the  forthcoming  ex- 
amination, in  a  manner  that,  had  his  request  been  granted, 
would  have  savored  not  a  little  of  the  miraculous.  With 
this  preparation  he  proceeded  directly  to  his  task.  But 
neither  questions,  signs,  nor  prayer,  produced  the  slightest 
visible  effect.  The  boy  gazed  at  the  rigid  and  austere 
countenance  of  his  interrogator,  while  the  words  were  issu* 
ing  from  his  lips  ;  but  the  instant  they  ceased,  his  search- 
ing and  quick  eye  rolled  over  the  different  curious  faces 
by  which  he  was  hemmed  in,  as  if  he  trusted  more  to  the 
sense  of  sight  than  that  of  hearing,  for  the  information  he 
naturally  sought  concerning  his  future  lot.  It  was  found 
impossible  to  obtain  from  him  gesture  or  sound  that  should 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  63 

betray  either  the  purport  of  his  questionable  visit,  his  own 
personal  appellation,  or  that  of  his  tribe. 

"I  have  been  among  the  red  skins  of  the  Providence 
Plantations,"  Eben  Dudley  at  length  ventured  to  observe  ; 
"and  their  language,  though  but  a  crooked  and  irrational 
jargon,  is  not  unknown  to  me.  With  the  leave  of  all  pres- 
ent," he  continued,  regarding  the  Puritan  in  a  manner  tc 
betray  that  this  general  term  meant  him  alone,  "  with  the 
leave  of  all  present,  I  will  put  it  to  the  younker  in  such  a 
fashion  that  he  will  be  glad  to  answer." 

Receiving  a  look  of  assent,  the  borderer  uttered  certain 
uncouth  and  guttural  sounds,  which,  notwithstanding  they 
entirely  failed  of  their  effect,  he  stoutly  maintained  were 
the  ordinary  terms  of  salutation  among  the  people  to 
whom  the  prisoner  was  supposed  to  belong. 

"  I  know  him  to  be  a  Narragansett,"  continued  Eben,  red- 
dening with  vexation  at  his  defeat,  and  throwing  a  glance 
of  no  peculiar  amity  at  the  youth  who  had  so  palpably  re- 
futed his  claim  to  skill  in  the  Indian  tongues  ;  "  you  see  he 
hath  the  shells  of  the  sea-side  worked  into  the  bordering 
of  his  moccasins  ;  and  besides  this  sign,  which  is  certain 
as  that  night  hath  its  stars,  he  beareth  the  look  of  a  chief 
that  was  slain  by  the  Pequods,  at  the  wish  of  us  Christians, 
after  an  affair  in  which,  whether  it  was  well  done  or  ill 
done,  I  did  some  part  of  the  work  myself." 

"And  how  call  you  that  chief  ? "  demanded  Mark. 

"  Why,  he  had  various  names,  according  to  the  business 
he  was  on.  To  some  he  was  known  as  the  Leaping 
Panther,  for  he  was  a  man  of  an  extraordinary  jump  ;  and 
others  again  used  to  style  him  Pepperage,  since  there  was 
a  saying  that  neither  bullet  nor  sword  could  enter  his 
body  ;  though  that  was  a  mistake,  as  his  death  hath  fully 
proven.  But  his  real  name,  according  to  the  uses  and 
sounds  of  his  own  people,  was  My  Anthony  Mow." 

"  My  Anthony  Mow  !  " 

"Yes  ;  My,  meaning  that  he  was  their  chief  ;  Anthony, 
being  the  given  name  ;  and  Mow,  that  of  the  breed  of 
which  he  came  ;"  rejoined  Eben  with  confidence,  satisfied 
that  he  had  finally  produced  a  sufficiently  sonorous  appel- 
lative and  a  perfectly  lucid  etymology.  But  criticism  was 
diverted  from  its  aim  by  the  action  of  the  prisoner,  as  these 
equivocal  sounds  struck  his  ear.  Ruth  recoiled,  and  clasped 
her  little  namesake  closer  to  her  side,  when  she  saw  the 
dazzling  brightness  of  his  glowing  eyes,  and  the  sudden 
and  expressive  dilation  of  his  nostrils.  For  a  moment  his 


64  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TOX-WISIT. 

lips  were  compressed  with  more  than  the  usual  force  of 
Indian  gravity,  and  then  they  slightly  severed.  A  low,  soft, 
and,  as  even  the  startled  matron  was  obliged  to  confess, 
a  plaintive  sound  issued  from  between  them,  repeating 
mournfully — 

"  Miantonimoh !" 

The  word  was  uttered  with  a  distinct,  but  deeply  guttural 
enunciation. 

"The  child  mourneth  for  its  parent,"  exclaimed  the  sen- 
sitive mother.  "  The  hand  that  slew  the  warrior  may  have 
done  an  evil  deed." 

"  I  see  the  evident  and  foreordering  will  of  a  wise  Provi- 
dence in  this,"  said  Mark  Heathcote  with  solemnity.  "  The 
youth  hath  been  deprived  of  one  who  might  have  enticed 
him  still  deeper  into  the  bonds  of  the  heathen,  and  hither 
hath  he  been  led  in  order  to  be  placed  upon  the  straight 
and  narrow  path.  He  shall  become  a  dweller  among  mine, 
and  we  will  strive  against  the  evil  of  his  mind  until  in- 
struction shall  prevail.  Let  him  be  fed'  and  nurtured 
equally  with  the  things  of  life  and  the  things  of  the  world; 
for  who  knoweth  that  which  is  designed  in  his  behalf  ? " 

If  there  were  more  of  faith  than  of  rational  conclusion  in 
this  opinion  of  the  old  Puritan,  there  was  no  external  evi- 
dence to  contradict  it.  While  the  examination  of  the  boy 
was  going  on  in  the  dwelling,  a  keen  scrutiny  had  taken 
place  in  the  out-buildings,  and  in  the  adjacent  fields.  Those 
engaged  in  this  duty  soon  returned,  to  say  that  not  the 
smallest  trace  of  an  ambush  was  visible  about  the  place  ; 
and  as  the  captive  himself  had  no  weapons  of  hostility, 
even  Ruth  began  to  hope  that  the  mysterious  conceptions 
of  her  father  on  the  subject  were  not  entirely  delusive.  The 
captive  was  now  fed,  and  old  Mark  was  on  the  point  of 
making  a  proper  beginning  in  the  task  he  had  so  gladly 
assumed,  by  an  up-offering  of  thanks,  when  Whittal  Ring 
broke  rudely  into  the  room,  and  disturbed  the  solemnity 
of  his  preparation,  by  a  sudden  and  boisterous  outcry. 

"  Away  with  scythe  and  sickle,"  shouted  the  witling  ;  "  it's 
many  a  day  since  the  fields  of  Wish-Ton-Wish  have  been 
trodden  down -by  horsemen  in  buff  jerkins,  or  ambushed 
by  creeping  Wampanaogs." 

"There  is  danger  at  hand!"  exclaimed  the  sensitive 
Ruth.  "  Husband,  the  warning  was  timely." 

"  Here  are  truly  some  riding  from  the  forest,  and  draw, 
ing  nigh  to  the  dwelling  ;  but  as  they  are  seemingly  men 
of  our  kind  and  faith,  we  have  need  rather  of  rejoicing 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WlSff.  6$ 

than  terror.  They  bear  the  air  of  messengers  from  the 
river." 

Mark  Heathcote  listened  with  surprise,  and  perhaps 
with  a  momentary  uneasiness  ;  but  all  emotion  passed 
away  on  the  instant,  for  one  so  disciplined  in  mind  rarely 
permitted  any  outward  exposure  of  his  secret  thoughts. 
The  Puritan  calmly  issued  an  order  to  replace  the  prisoner 
in  the  block-house,  assigning  the  upper  of  the  two  princi- 
pal floors  for  his  keeping  ;  and  then  he  prepared  himself 
to  receive  guests  that  were  little  wont  to  disturb  the  quiet 
of  his  secluded  valley.  He  was  still  in  the  act  of  giving 
forth  the  necessary  mandates,  when  the  tramp  of  horses 
was  heard  in  the  court,  and  he  was  summoned  to  the  door 
to  greet  his  unknown  visitors. 

"  We  have  reached  Wish-Ton-Wish,  and  the  dwelling  of 
Captain  Mark  Heathcote,"  said  one,  who  appeared,  by  his 
air  and  better  attire,  to  be  the  principal  of  four  that  com- 
posed the  party. 

"  By  the  favor  of  Providence,  I  call  myself  the  unworthy 
owner  of  this  place  of  refuge." 

"  Then  a  subject  so  loyal,  and  a  man  who  hath  so  long 
proved  himself  faithful  in  the  wilderness,  will  not  turn 
from  his  door  the  agents  of  his  anointed  master." 

"  There  is  One  greater  than  any  of  earth  who  hath  taught 
us  to  leave  the  latch  free.  I  pray  you  to  alight,  and  to 
partake  of  that  we  can  offer." 

With  this  courteous  but  quaint  explanation  the  horsemen 
dismounted  ;  and,  giving  their  steeds  into  the  keeping  of 
the  laborers  of  the  farm,  they  entered  the  dwelling. 

While  the  maidens  of  Ruth  were  preparing  a  repast 
suited  to  the  hour  and  to  the  quality  of  the  guests,  Mark 
and  his  son  had  abundant  opportunity  to  examine  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  strangers.  They  were  men  who  seemed 
to  wear  visages  peculiarly  adapted  to  the  character  of  their 
entertainers,  being  in  truth  so  singularly  demure  and  grave 
in  aspect,  as  to  excite  some  suspicion  of  their  being  newly 
converted  zealots  to  the  mortifying  customs  of  the  Colony. 
Notwithstanding  their  extraordinary  gravity,  and  contrary 
to  the  usages  of  those  regions,  too,  they  bore  about  their 
persons  certain  evidence  of  being  used  to  the  fashions  of 
the  other  hemisphere.  The  pistols  attached  to  their  sad- 
dle-bows, and  other  accoutrements  of  a  warlike  aspect, 
would  perhaps  have  attracted  no  observation,  had  they 
not  been  accompanied  by  a  fashion  in  the  doublet,  the  hat, 
and  the  boot,  that  denoted  a  greater  intercourse  with  the 


66  THE   WEPT  OF  WISH-TON-WISff. 

mother  country  than  was  usual  among  the  less  sophisticated 
natives  of  those  regions.  None  traversed  the  forests  with- 
out the  means  of  defence  ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  few 
wore  the  hostile  implements  with  so  much  of  a  worldly 
air,  or  with  so  many  minor  particularities  of  some  recent 
caprice  in  fashion.  As  they  had,  however,  announced 
themselves  to  be  officers  of  the  king,  they,  who  of  neces* 
sity  must  be  chiefly  concerned  in  the  object  of  their  visit, 
patiently  awaited  the  pleasure  of  the  strangers,  to  learn 
why  duty  had  called  them  so  far  from  all  the  more  ordi- 
nary haunts  of  men  ;  for,  like  the  native  owners  of  the  soil, 
the  self-restrained  religionists  appeared  to  reckon  an  in- 
discreet haste  in  anything  among  the  more  unmanly  weak- 
nesses. Nothing  for  the  first  half-hour  of  their  visit  es- 
caped the  guarded  lips  of  men  evidently  well  skilled  in 
their  present  duty,  which  might  lead  to  a  clew  of  its  pur- 
port. The  morning  meal  passed  almost  without  discourse, 
and  one  of  the  party  had  arisen  with  the  professed  object 
of  looking  to  their  steeds,  before  he,  who  seemed  the  chief, 
led  the  conversation  to  a  subject,  that  by  its  political  bear- 
ing might,  in  some  degree,  be  supposed  to  have  a  remote 
connection  with  the  principal  object  of  his  journey  to  that 
sequestered  valley. 

"  Have  the  tidings  of  the  gracious  boon  that  hath  lately 
flowed  from  the  favor  of  the  king,  reached  the  distant  set- 
tlement ?"•  asked  the  principal  personage,  one  that  wore  a 
far  less  military  air  than  a  younger  companion,  who,  by 
his  confident  mien,  appeared  to  be  the  second  in  authority. 

"  To  what  boon  hath  thy  words  import  ?  "  demanded  the 
Puritan,  turning  a  glance  of  the  eye  at  his  son  and  daugh- 
ter, together  with  the  others  in  hearing,  as  if  to  admonish 
them  to  be  prudent. 

"  I  speak  of  the  Royal  Charter  by  which  the  people  on 
the  banks  of  the  Connecticut,  and  they  of  the  Colony  of 
New  Haven,  are  henceforth  permitted  to  unite  in  govern- 
ment ;  granting  them  liberty  of  conscience,  and  great  free- 
dom of  self-control." 

"  Such  a  gift  were  worthy  of  a  king  !  Hath  Charles  done 
this  ? " 

"  That  hath  he,  and  much  more  that  is  fitting  in  a  kind 
and  royal  mind.  The  realm  is  finally  freed  from  the  abuses 
of  usurpers,  and  power  now  resteth  in  the  hands  of  a  race 
long  set  apart  for  its  privileges." 

""it  is  to  be  wished  that  practice  shall  render  them 
expert  and  sage  in  its  uses,"  rejoined  Mark,  somewhat  dryly. 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TOK-WTSH.  67 

"  It  is  a  merry  prince  !  and  one  but  little  given  to  the 
study  and  exercises  of  his  martyred  father  ;  but  he  hath 
great  cunning  in  discourse,  and  few  around  his  dread  per- 
son have  keener  wit  or  more  ready  tongue." 

Mark  bowed  his  head  in  silence,  seemingly  little  dis- 
posed to  push  the  discussion  of  his  earthly  master's  quali- 
ties to  a  conclusion  that  might  prove  offensive  to  so  loyal 
an  admirer.  One  inclining  to  suspicion  would  have  seen, 
or  thought  he  saw,  certain  equivocal  glances  from  the 
stranger,  while  he  was  thus  lauding  the  vivacious  qualities 
of  the  restored  monarch,  which  should  denote  a  desire  to 
detect  how  far  the  eulogiums  might  be  grateful  to  his 
host.  He  acquiesced,  however,  in  the  wishes  of  the  Puri- 
tan, though  whether  understandingly,  or  without  design, 
it  would  have  been  difficult  to  say,  and  submitted  to  change 
the  discourse. 

"  It  is  likely,  by  thy  presence,  that  tidings  have  readied 
the  Colonies  from  home,"  said  Content,  who  understood,  by 
the  severe  and  reserved  expression  of  his  father's  features, 
that  it  was  a  fitting  time  for  him  to  interpose. 

"  There  is  one  arrived  in  the  Bay,  within  the  month,  by 
means  of  a  king's  frigate  ;  but  no  trader  hath  yet  passed 
between  the  countries,  except  the  ship  which  maketh  the 
annual  voyage  from  Bristol  to  Boston." 

"  And  he  who  hath  arrived — doth  he  come  in  author- 
ity ?"  demanded  Mark  ;  "  or  is  he  merely  another  servant 
of  the  Lord,  seeking  to  rear  his  tabernacle  in  the  wilder- 
ness ?" 

"Thou  shalt  know  the  nature  of  his  errand,"  returned 
the  stranger,  casting  a  glance  of  malicious  intelligence  ob- 
liquely towards  his  companions,  at  the  same  time  that  he 
arose  and  placed  in  the  hand  of  his  host  a  commission 
which  evidently  bore  the  Seal  of  State.  "  It  is  expected 
that  all  aid  will  be  given  to  one  bearing  this  warranty,  by 
a  subject  of  a  loyalty  so  approved  as  that  of  Captain  Mark 
Heathcote." 

CHAPTER  VI. 

' '  But,  by  your  leave, 
I  am  an  officer  of  state,  and  come 
To  speak  with — "  Coriolanus. 

NOTWITHSTANDING  the  sharp  look  which  the  messenger 
of  the  Crown  deliberately  and  now  openly  fastened  on  the 
master  of  Wish-Ton-Wish,  while  the  latter  was  reading  the 


6S  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISFl. 

instrument  that  was  placed  before  his  eyes,  there  was  no 
evidence  of  uneasiness  to  be  detected  in  the  unmoved  feat- 
ures of  the  latter.  Mark  Heathcote  had  too  long  schooled 
his  passions  to  suffer  an  unseemly  manifestation  of  sur- 
prise to  escape  him  ;  and  he  was  by  nature  a  man  of  far 
too  much  nerve  to  betray  alarm  at  any  trifling  exhibition  of 
danger.  Returning  the  parchment  to  the  other,  he  said 
with  unmoved  calmness  to  his  son  : 

"  We  must  open  wide  the  doors  of  Wish-Ton-Wish. 
Here  is  one  charged  with  authority  to  look  into  the  secrets 
of  all  the  dwellings  of  the  Colony."  Then,  turning  with 
dignity  to  the  agent  of  the  Crown,  he  added!,  "  Thou  hast 
better  commence  thy  duty  in  season,  for  we  are  many  and 
occupy  much  space." 

The  face  of  the  stranger  flushed  a  little,  it  might  have 
been  with  shame  for  the  vocation  in  which  he  had  come  so 
far,  or  it  might  have  been  in  resentment  at  so  direct  a  hint 
that  the  sooner  his  disagreeable  office  should  be  ended,  the 
better  it  would  please  his  host.  Still,  he- betrayed  no  in- 
tention of  shrinking  from  its  performance.  On  the  con- 
trary, discarding  somewhat  of  that  subdued  manner  which 
he  had  probably  thought  it  politic  to  assume,  while  sound- 
ing the  opinions  of  one  so  rigid,  he  broke  out  rather  sud- 
denly in  the  exhibition  of  a  humor  somewhat  better  suited 
to  the  tastes  of  whom  he  served. 

"  Come,  then,"  he  cried,  winking  at  his  companions, 
"since  doors  are  opened,  it  would  speak  ill  of  our  breed- 
ing should  we  refuse  to  enter.  Captain  Heathcote  has 
been  a  soldier,  and  he  knows  how  to  excuse  a  traveller's 
freedom.  Surely  one  who  has  tasted  of  the  pleasures  of 
the  camp  must  weary  at  times  of  this  sylvan  life  ? " 

"  The  steadfast  in  faith  weary  not,  though  the  road  be 
long  and  the  wayfaring  grievous." 

"Hum — 'tis  pity  that  the  journeying  between  merry 
England  and  these  colonies  is  not  more  brisk.  I  do  not 
presume  to  instruct  a  gentleman  who  is  my  senior,  and 
peradventure  my  better  ;  but  opportunity  is  everything  in 
a  man's  fortunes.  It  were  charity  to  let  you  know,  worthy 
sir,  that  opinions  have  changed  at  home  :  it  is  full  a  twelve- 
month since  I  have  heard  a  line  of  the  Psalms,  or  a  verse 
of  St.  Paul  quoted,  in  discourse  ;  at  least  by  men  who  are 
at  all  esteemed  for  their  discretion." 

"This  change  in  the  fashion  of  speech  may  better  suit 
thy  earthly  than  thy  heavenly  master,"  said  Mark  Heath* 
cote,  sternly. 


THE   WEPT   OF  W IS  IT-TON- WISH.  69 

"  Well,  well,  that  peace  may  exist  between  us,  we  will 
not  bandy  words  about  a  text  more  or  less,  if  we  may  es- 
cape the  sermon,"  rejoined  the  stranger,  no  longer  affecting 
restraint,  but  laughing  with  sufficient  freedom  at  his  own 
conceit  ;  a  species  of  enjoyment  in  which  his  companions 
mingled  with  great  good-will,  and  without  much  deference 
to  the  humor  of  those  under  whose  roof  they  found  them- 
selves. 

A  small  glowing  spot  appeared  on  the  pale  cheek  of  the 
Puritan,  and  disappeared  again  like  some  transient  decep- 
tion produced  by  the  play  of  light.  Even  the  meek  eye  of 
Content  kindled  at  the  insult  ;  but,  like  his  father,  the 
practice  of  self-denial,  and  a  never-slumbering  conscious- 
ness of  his  own  imperfections,  smothered  the  momentary 
exhibition  of  displeasure. 

"  If  thou  hast  authority  to  look  into  the  secret  places  of 
our  habitations,  do  thy  office,"  he  said  with  a  peculiarity  of 
tone  which  served  to  remind  the  other  that,  though  he 
bore  the  commission  of  the  Stuart,  he  was  in  an  extremity 
of  his  empire,  where  even  the  authority  of  a  king  lost 
some  of  its  value. 

Affecting  to  be,  and  possibly  in  reality  conscious  of  his 
indiscretion,  the  stranger  hastily  disposed  himself  to  the 
execution  of  his  duty. 

"  It  would  be  a  great  and  a  pain-saving  movement,"  he 
said,  "were  we  to  assemble  the  household  in  one  apart- 
ment. The  government  at  home  would  be  glad  to  hear 
something  of  the  quality  of  its  lieges  in  this  distant  quar- 
ter. Thou  hast  doubtless  a  bell  to  summon  the  flocks  at 
stated  periods." 

"  Our  people  are  yet  near  the  dwelling,"  returned  Con- 
tent :  "if  it  be  thy  pleasure,  none  shall  be  absent  from  the 
search." 

Gathering  from  the  eye  of  the  other  that  he  was  serious 
in  this  wish,  the  quiet  colonist  proceeded  to  the  gate,  and, 
placing  a  shell  to  his  mouth,  blew  one  of  those  blasts  that 
are  so  often  heard  in  the  forests  summoning  families  to 
their  homes,  and  which  are  alike  used  as  the  signals  of 
peaceful  recall,  or  of  alarm.  The  sound  soon  brought  all 
within  hearing  to  the  court,  whither  the  Puritan  and  his 
unpleasant  guests  now  repaired  as  to  the  spot  best  suited 
to  the  purposes  of  the  latter. 

"  Hallam,"  said  the  principal  personage  of  the  four  visit- 
ors, addressing  him  who  might  once  have  been,  if  he  were 
not  still,  some  subaltern  in  the  forces  of  the  Crown,  for  he 


7o  THE   WEPT    OF  WISH-7'O\r-WJSH. 

was  attired  in  a  manner  that  bespoke  him  but  a  half-dis- 
guised dragoon,  "I  leave  thee  to  entertain  this  goodly  as- 
semblage. Thou  may'st  pass  the  time  in  discoursing  on 
the  vanities  of  the  world,  of  which  I  believe  few  are  better 
qualified  to  speak  understandingly  than  thyself,  or  a  few 
words  of  admonition  to  hold  fast  to  the  faith  would  come 
with  fitting  weight  from  thy  lips.  But  look  to  it,  that  none 
of  thy  flock  wander  ;  for  here  must  every  creature  of  them 
remain,  stationary  as  the  indiscreet  partner  of  Lot,  till  I 
have  cast  an  eye  into  all  the  cunning  places  of  their  abode. 
So  set  wit  to  work,  and  show  thy  breeding  as  an  entertain- 
er." 

After  this  irreverent  charge  to  his  subordinate,  the 
speaker  signified  to  Content  and  his  father,  that  he  and 
his  remaining  attendant  would  proceed  to  a  more  minute 
examination  of  the  premises. 

When  Mark  Heathcote  saw  that  the  man  who  had  so 
rudely  broken  upon  the  peaceful  habits  of  his  family  was 
ready'to  proceed,  he  advanced  steadily  in  his  front,  like 
one  who  boldly  invited  inquiry,  and  by  a  grave  gesture  de- 
sired him  to  follow.  The  stranger,  perhaps  as  much  from 
habit  as  from  any  settled  design,  first  cast  a  free  glance 
around  at  the  bevy  of  fluttered  maidens,  leered  even  upon 
the  modest  and  meek-eyed  Ruth  herself,  and  then  took  the 
direction  indicated  by  him  who  had  so  unhesitatingly  as- 
sumed the  office  of  a  guide. 

The  object  of  this  examination  still  remained  a  secret 
between  those  who  made  it,  and  the  Puritan  who  had  prob- 
ably found  its  motive  in  the  written  warranty  which  had 
been  submitted  to  his  inspection.  That  it  proceeded  from 
fitting  authority,  none  might  doubt ;  and  that  it  was  in 
some  manner  connected  with  the  events  that  were  known 
to  have  wrought  so  sudden  and  so  great  a  change  in  the 
government  of  the  mother  country,  all  believed  probable. 
Notwithstanding  the  seeming  mystery  of  the  procedure, 
the  search  was  not  the  less  rigid.  Few  habitations  of  any 
size  or  pretension  were  erected  in  those  times  which  die- 
not  contain  certain  secret  places  where  valuables  and  even 
persons  might  be  concealed,  at  need.  The  strangers  dis- 
played great  familiarity  with  the  nature  and  ordinary 
positions  of  these  private  recesses.  Not  a  chest,  a  closet, 
nor  even  a  drawer  of  size,  escaped  their  vigilance  ;  nor 
was  there  a  plank  that  sounded  hollow,  but  the  master  of 
the  valley  was  calleckon  to  explain  the  cause.  In  one  or 
two  instances,  boards  were  wrested  violently  from  their 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TOX-WISH.  71 

fastenings,  and  the  cavities  beneath  were  explored,  with  a 
wariness  that  increased  as  the  investigation  proceeded  with- 
out success. 

The  strangers  appeared  irritated  by  their  failure.  An 
hour  passed  in  the  keenest  scrutiny,  and  nothing  had  trans- 
pired which  brought  them  any  nearer  to  their  object.  That 
they  had  commenced  the  search  with  more  than  usually 
confident  anticipations  of  a  favorable  result,  might  have 
been  gathered  from  the  boldness  of  tone  assumed  by  their 
chief,  and  the  pointed  personal  allusions  in  which,  from 
time  to  time,  he  indulged,  often  too  freely,  and  always  at 
some  expense  to  the  loyalty  of  the  Heathcotes.  But  when 
he  had  completed  the  circuit  of  the  buildings,  having 
entered  all  parts  from  their  cellars  to  the  garrets,  his  spleen 
became  so  strong  as,  in  some  degree,  to  get  the  better  of  a 
certain  parade  of  discretion,  which  he  had  hitherto  man- 
aged to  maintain  in  the  midst  of  all  his  levity. 

"  Hast  seen  nothing,  Mr.  Hallam  ?  "  he  demanded  of  the 
individual  left  on  watch,  as  they  crossed  the  court  in  retir- 
ing from  the  last  of  the  out-buildings  ;  "  or  have  those  traces 
which  led  us  to  this  distant  settlement  proved  false  ?  Cap- 
tain Heathcote,  you  have  seen  that  we  come  not  without 
sufficient  warranty,  and  it  is  in  my  power  to  say  we  come 
not  without  sufficient — " 

Checking  himself,  as  if  about  to  utter  more  than  was 
prudent,  he  suddenly  cast  an  eye  on  the  block-house,  and 
demanded  its  uses. 

"  It  is,  as  thou  seest,  a  building  erected  for  the  purposes 
of  defence,"  replied  Mark  ;  "  one  to  which,  in  the  event  of 
an  inroad  of  the  savages,  the  family  may  fly  for  refuge." 

"  Ah  !  these  citadels  are  not  unknown  to  me.  I  have  met 
with  others  during  rny  journey,  but  none  so  formidable  or  so 
military  as  this.  It  hath  a  soldier  for  its  governor,  and 
should  hold  out  for  a  reasonable  siege.  Being  a  place  of  pre- 
tension, we  will  look  closer  iruto  its  mystery." 

He  then  signified  an  intention  to  close  the  search  by  an 
examination  of  this  edifice.  Content  unhesitatingly  threw 
open  its  door,  and  invited  him  to  enter. 

"  On  the  word  of  one  who,  though  now  engaged  in  a 
more  peaceful  calling,  has  been  a  campaigner  in  his  time, 
'twould  be  no  child's  play  to  carry  this  tower  without  artil- 
lery. Had  thy  spies  given  notice  of  our  approach,  Captain 
Heathcote,  the  entrance  might  have  been  more  difficult 
than  we  now  find  it.  We  have  a  ladder  here  !  Where  the 
means  of  mounting  are  found,  there  must  be  something  to 


72  THE    IVEPT    OF  U'fSH-TO.V-IVISff. 

tempt  one  to  ascend.  I  will  taste  your  forest  air  from  an 
upper  room." 

"You  will  find  the  apartment  above  like  this  below, 
merely  provided  for  the  security  of  the  unoffending  dwell- 
ers of  the  habitations,"  said  Content  ;  while  he  quietly  ar- 
ranged the  ladder  before  the  trap,  and  then  led  the  way 
himself  to  the  floor  above. 

"  Here  have  \ve  loops  for  the  musketoons,"  cried  the 
stranger, looking  about  him,  understandingly,  "and  reason- 
able defences  against  shot.  Thou  hast  not  forgotten  thy 
art,  Captain  Heathcote,  and  I  consider  myself  fortunate  in 
having  entered  thy  fortress  by  surprise,  or  I  should  rather 
say,  in  amity,  since  the  peace  is  not  yet  broken  between  us. 
But  why  have  we  so  much  of  household  gear  in  a  place  so 
evidently  equipped  for  war  ?  " 

"Thou  forgettest  that  women  and  children  may  be  driven 
to  this  block  for  a  residence,"  replied  Content.  "It  would 
show  little  discretion  to  neglect  matters  that  might  be  use- 
ful to  their  wants." 

"Is  there  trouble  with  the  savages?"  demanded  the 
stranger,  a  little  quickly  ;  "the  gossips  of  the  Colony  bade 
us  fear  nothing  on  that  head." 

"  One  cannot  say  at  what  hour  creatures  trained  in  their 
wild  natures  may  choose  to  rise.  The  dwellers  on  the  bor- 
ders therefore  never  neglect  a  fitting  caution." 

"Hist!"  interrupted  the  stranger  ;  "I  hear  a  footstep 
above.  Ha !  the  scent  will  prove  true  at  last !  Hilloa,  Master 
Hallam !"  he  cried,  from  one  of  the  loops  ;  "let  thy  statues 
of  salt  dissolve,  and  come  hither  to  the  tower.  Here  is 
work  for  a  regiment,  for  well  do  we  know  the  nature  of  that 
we  are  to  deal  with." 

The  sentinel  in  the  court  shouted  to  his  companion  in 
the  stables  ;  and  then  openly  and  boisterously  exulting  in 
the  prospects  of  a  final  success  to  a  search  which  had 
hitherto  given  them  useless  employment  throughout  many 
a  long  day  and  weary  ride,  they  rushed  together  to  the 
block-house. 

"Now,  worthy  lieges  of  a  gracious  master,"  said  the 
leader,  when  he  perceived  himself  backed  by  all  his  armed 
followers,  and  speaking  with  the  air  of  a  man  flushed  with 
success,  "now  quickly  provide  the  means  of  mounting  to 
the  upper  story  I  have  thrice  heard  the  tread  of  man, 
moving  across  that  floor  ;  though  it  hath  been  light  and 
wary,  the  planks  are  tell-tales,  and  have  not  had  their 
schooling." 


THE  WEPT  OF  W2SII-TON-WISH.  73 

Content  heard  the  request,  which  was  uttered  sufficiently 
in  the  manner  of  an  order,  perfectly  unmoved.  Without 
betraying  either  hesitation  or  concern  he  disposed  himself 
to  comply.  Drawing  the  light  ladder  through  the  trap  be- 
low, he  placed  it  against  the  one  above  him,  and  ascend- 
ing, he  raised  the  door.  He  then  returned  to  the  floor  be- 
neath, making  a  quiet  gesture  to  imply  that  they  who 
chose  might  mount  But  the  strangers  regarded  each 
other  with  very  visible  doubts.  Neither  of  the  inferiors 
seemed  disposed  to  precede  his  chief,  and  the  latter  evi- 
dently hesitated  as  to  the  order  in  which  it  was  meet  to 
make  the  necessary  advance. 

"  Is  there  no  other  manner  of  mounting  but  by  this  nar- 
row ascent  ? "  he  asked. 

"  None.  Thou  wilt  find  the  ladder  secure,  and  of  no 
difficult  height.  It  is  intended  for  the  use  of  women  and 
children." 

"  Aye,"  muttered  the  officer  ;  "  but  your  women  and 
children  are  not  called  upon  to  confront  the  devil  in  a 
human  form.  Fellows,  are  thy  weapons  in  serviceable 
condition  ?  Here  may  be  need  of  spirit  ere  we  get  our — 
Hist!  by  the  divine  right  of  our  gracious  master! 
there  is  truly  one  stirring  above.  Harkee,  my  friend  ; 
thou  k  no  west  the  road  so  well  we  will  choose  to  follow 
thy  conduct." 

Content,  who  seldom  permitted  ordinary  events  to  dis- 
turb the  equanimity  of  his  temper,  quietly  assented,  and 
led  the  way  up  the  ladder,  like  one  who  saw  no  ground  for 
apprehension  in  the  undertaking.  The  agent  of  the  Crown 
sprang  after  him,  taking  care  to  keep  as  near  as  possible  to 
the  person  of  his  leader,  and  calling  to  his  inferiors  to,  lose 
no  time  in  backing  him  with  their  support.  The  whole 
mounted  through  the  trap  with  an  alacrity  nothing  short 
of  that  with  which  they  would  have  pressed  through  a  dan- 
gerous breach  ;  nor  did  either  of  the  four  take  time'to  sur- 
vey the  lodgment  he  had  made,  until  the  whole  party  was 
standing  in  array,  with,  hands  grasping  the  handles  of  their 
pistols,  or  seeking  as  it  were  instinctively  the  hilts  of  their 
broadswords. 

"  By  the  dark  visage  of  the  Stuart ! "  exclaimed  the  prin- 
cipal personage,  after  satisfying  himself  by  a  long  and  dis- 
appointed gaze,  that  what  he  said  was  true,  "here  is  naught 
but  an  unarmed  savage  boy  !  " 

"  Didst  expect  to  meet  else  ? "  demanded  the  still  un- 
moved Content. 


74  THE   WEPT  OF  WISH-TON- WISH. 

"  Hum — that  which  we  expected  to  meet  is  sufficiently 
known  to  the  quaint  old  gentleman  below,  and  to  our  own 
good  wisdom.  If  thou  doubtest  of  our  right  to  look  into 
the  very  hearts,  warranty  for  that  \ve  do  can  be  forth- 
coming. King  Charles  hath  little  cause  to  be  tender  of 
his  mercies  to  the  dwellers  of  these  colonies,  who  lent 
but  too  willing  ears  to  the  winnings  and  hypocrisies  of 
the  wolves  in  sheep's  clothing,  of  whom  old  England  hath 
now  so  happily  gotten  rid.  Thy  buildings  shall  again  be 
rummaged  from  the  bricks  of  the  chimney-tops  to  the  cor- 
ner-stone in  thy  cellars,  unless  deceit  and  rebellious  cun- 
ning shall  be  abandoned,  and  the  truth  proclaimed  with 
the  openness  and  fairness  of  bold-speaking  Englishmen." 

"  I  know  not  what  is  called  the  fairness  of  bold-speaking 
Englishmen,  since  fairness  of  speech  is  not  a  quality  of 
one  people  or  of  one  land  ;  but  well  I  do  know  that  deceit 
is  sinful,  and  little  of  it,  I  humbly  trust,  is  practised  in 
this  settlement.  I  am  ignorant  of  what  is  sought,  and 
therefore  it  cannot  be  that  I  meditate  treachery." 

"  Thou  nearest,  Hallam  ;  he  reasoneth  on  a  matter  that 
toucheth  the  peace  and  safety  of  the  king ! "  cried  the 
other,  his  arrogance  of  manner  increasing  with  the  anger 
of  disappointment.  "  But  why  is  this  dark-skinned  boy  a 
prisoner?  Dost  dare  to  constitute  thyself  a  sovereign  over 
the  natives  of  this  continent,  and  affect  to  have  shackles 
and  dungeons  for  such  as  meet  thy  displeasure ! " 

"  The  lad  is  in  truth  a  captive  ;  but  he  has  been  taken 
in  defence  of  life,  and  hath  little  to  complain  of  more 
than  loss  of  freedom." 

"  I  will  inquire  deeply  into  this  proceeding.  Though 
commissioned  on  an  errand  of  different  interest,  yet,  as 
one  trusted  in  a  matter  of  moment,  I  take  upon  me  the 
office  of  protecting  every  oppressed  subject  of  the  Crown. 
There  may  grow  discoveries  out  of  this  practice,  Hallam, 
fit  to  go  before  the  council  itself." 

"  Thou  wilt  find  but  little  here,  worthy  of  the  time  and 
attention  of  those  burdened  with  the  care  of  a  nation," 
returned  Content.  "  The  youthful  heathen  was  found 
lurking  near  our  habitations  the  past  night  ;  and  he  is 
kept  where  thou  seest,  that  he  may  not  carry  the  tidings 
of  our  condition  to  his  people,  who  are  doubtless  outly- 
ing in  the  forest,  waiting  for  the  fit  moment  to  work  their 
evil." 

**  How  meanest  thou  ?"  hastily  exclaimed  the  other,  "at 
hand  in  the  forest,  didst  ssiv  ?" 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON'-WISH.  75 

"  There  can  be  little  doubt  One  young  as  this  would 
scarce  be  found  distant  from  the  warriors  of  his  tribe  ;  and 
that  the  more  especially,  as  he  was  taken  in  the  commis- 
sion of  an  ambush." 

"  I  hope  thy  people  are  not  without  good  provision  of 
arms,  and  other  sufficient  muniments  of  resistance.  I  trust 
the  palisadoes  are  firm,  and  the  posterns  ingeniously  de- 
fended." 

"  We  look  with  a  diligent  eye  to  our  safety,  for  it  is  well 
known  to  us  dwellers  on  the  borders  that  there  is  little 
security  but  in  untiring  watchfulness.  The  young  men 
were  at  the  gates  until  the  morning,  and  we  did  intend  to 
make  a  strong  scouting  into  the  woods  as  the  day  ad- 
vanced, in  order  to  look  for  those  signs  that  may  lead  us 
to  conclusions  on  the  number  and  purposes  of  those  by 
whom  we  are  environed,  had  not  thy  visit  called  us  to  our 
duties." 

"And  why  so  tardy  in  speaking  of  this  intent?"  de- 
manded the  agent  of  the  king,  leading  the  way  down  the 
ladder  with  suspicious  haste.  "  It  is  a  commendable  pru- 
dence, and  must  not  be  delayed.  I  take  upon  me  the 
responsibilities  of  commanding  that  all  proper  care  be  had 
'in  defence  of  the  weaker  subjects  of  the  Crown  who  are 
here  collected.  Are  our  roadsters  well  replenished,  Hal- 
lam  !  Duty,  as  thou  sayest,  is  an  imperative  master ;  it 
recalls  us  more  into  the  heart  of  the  Colony.  I  would  it 
might  shortly  point  the  way  to  Europe  ! "  he  muttered  as 
he  reached  the  ground.  "  Go,  fellows  ;  see  to  our  beasts, 
and  let  them  be  speedily  prepared  for  departure." 

The  attendants,  though  men  of  sufficient  spirit  in  open 
war,  and  when  it  was  to  be  exercised  in  a  fashion  to  which 
they  were  accustomed,  had,  like  other  mortals,  a  whole- 
some deference  for  unknown  and  terrific-looking  danger. 
It  is  a  well-known  truth,  and  one  that  has  been  proved  by 
the  experience  of  two  centuries,  that  while  the  European 
soldier  has  ever  been  readiest  to  have  recourse  to  the  as- 
sistance of  the  terrible  warrior  of  the  American  forest,  he 
has,  in  nearly  every  instance,  when  retaliation  or  accident 
has  made  him  the  object  instead  of  the  spectator  of  the 
ruthless  nature  of  his  warfare,  betrayed  the  most  salutary, 
and  frequently  the  most  ludicrous  apprehension  of  the 
prowess  of  his  ally.  While  Content  therefore  looked  so 
steadily,  though  still  seriously,  at  the  peculiar  danger  in 
which  he  was  placed,  the  four  strangers  seemingly  saw  all 
of  its  horrors  without  any  of  the  known  means  of  avoiding 


76  THE  WEPT  OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

them.  Their  chief  quickly  abandoned  the  insolence  of 
office,  and  the  tone  of  disappointment,  for  a  mien  of 
greater  courtesy ;  and,  as  policy  is  often  seen  suddenly  to 
change  the  sentiments  of  even  more  pretending  person- 
ages, when  interests  assume  a  new  aspect,  so  did  his 
language  rapidly  take  a  character  of  conciliation  and 
courtesy. 

The  handmaidens  were  no  longer  leered  at ;  the  mistress 
of  the  dwelling  was  treated  with  marked  deference  ;  and 
the  air  of  deep  respect  with  which  even  the  principal  of 
the  party  addressed  the  aged  Puritan,  bordered  on  an  ex- 
hibition of  commendable  reverence.  Something  was  said 
in  the  way  of  an  apology,  for  the  disagreeable  obligations 
of  duty,  and  of  a  diiference  between  a  manner  that  was  as- 
sumed to  answer  secret  purposes,  and  that  which  nature 
and  a  sense  of  right  would  dictate  ;  but  neither  Mark  nor 
his  son  appeared  to  have  sufficient  interest  in  the  motives 
of  their  visitors,  to  put  them  to  the  trouble  of  repeating 
explanations  that  were  as  awkward  to  those  who  uttered 
them  as  they  were  unnecessary  to  those  who  listened. 

So  far  from  offering  any  further  obstacle  to  the  move- 
ments of  the  family,  the  borderers  were  seriously  urged  to 
pursue  their  previous  intentions  of  thoroughly  examining 
the  woods.  The  dwelling  was  accordingly  intrusted,  under 
the  orders  of  the  Puritan,  to  the  keeping  of  about  half  the 
laborers,  assisted  by  the  Europeans,  who  clung  with  in- 
stinctive attachment  to  the  possession  of  the  block-house  ; 
their  leader  repeatedly  and  rightly  enough  declaring  that 
though  ready  at  all  times  to  risk  life  on  a  plain,  he  had 
an  unconquerable  distaste  to  putting  it  in  jeopardy  in  a 
thicket.  Attended  by  Ebeii  Dudley,  Reuben  Ring,  and 
two  other  stout  youths,  all  well  though  lightly  armed, 
Content  then  left  the  palisadoes,  and  took  his  way  towards 
the  forest.  They  entered  the  woods  at  the  nearest  point, 
always  marching  with  the  caution  and  vigilance  that  a 
sense  of  the  true  nature  of  the  risk  they  ran  would  in- 
spire, and  much  practice  only  could  properly  direct. 

The  manner  of  the  search  was  as  simple  as  it  was  likely 
to  prove  effectual.  The  scouts  commenced  a  circuit  round 
the  clearing,  extending  their  line  as  far  as  might  be  done 
without  cutting  off  support,  and  each  man  lending  his 
senses  attentively  to  the  signs  of  the  trail,  or  of  the  lairs, 
of  those  dangerous  enemies,  who  they  had  reason  to  think 
were  outlying  in  their  neighborhood.  But,  like  the  recent 
search  in  the  buildings,  the  scouting  was  for  a  long  time 


THE  WEPT  OF  WISH-TON- WISH.  ft 

attended  by  no  results.  Many  weary  miles  were  passed 
slowly  over,  and  more  than  half  their  task  was  ended,  and 
no  signs  of  being  having  life  was  met,  except  the  very 
visible  trail  of  their  four  guests,  and  the  tracks  of  a  single 
horse  along  the  path  leading  to  the  settlements  from  the 
quarter  by  which  the  visitor  of  the  previous  night  had 
been  known  to  approach.  No  comments  were  made  by 
any  of  the  party,  as  each  in  succession  struck  and  crossed 
this  path,  nearly  at  the  same  instant  ;  but  a  low  call  from 
Reuben  Ring  which  soon  after  met  their  ears,  caused  them 
to  assemble  in  a  body  at  the  spot  whence  the  summons 
had  proceeded. 

"  Here  are  signs  of  one  passing  from  the  clearing,"  said 
the  quick-eyed  woodsman/'  and  of  one  too  that  is  not  num- 
bered among  the  family  of  Wish-Ton-Wish  ;  since  his  beast 
hath  had  a  shodden  hoof,  a  mark  which  belongeth  to  no 
animal  of  ours." 

"  We  will  follow,"  said  Content,  immediately  striking  in 
upon  a  straggling  trail,  that  by  many  unequivocal  signs  had 
been  left  by  some  animal  which  had  passed  that  way  not 
many  hours  before.  Their  search,  however,  soon  drew  to  a 
close.  Ere  they  had  gone  any  great  distance,  they  came 
upon  the  half-demolished  carcass  of  a  dead  horse.  There 
was  no  mistaking  the  proprietor  of  this  unfortunate  animal. 
Though  some  beast,  or  rather  beasts  of  prey,  had  fed  plenti- 
fully on  the  body,  which  was  still  fresh  and  had  scarcely  yet 
done  bleeding,  it  was  plain,  by  the  remains  of  the  torn 
equipments,  as  well  as  by  the  color  and  size  of  the  animal, 
that  it  was  no  other  than  the  hack  ridden  by  the  unknown 
and  mysterious  guest,  who,  after  sharing  in  the  worship  and 
in  the  evening  meal  of  the  family  of  Wish-Ton-Wish,  had 
so  strangely  and  so  suddenly  disappeared.  The  leathern 
sackj  the  weapons  which  had  so  singularly  riveted  the  gaze 
of  old  Mark,  and  indeed  all  but  the  carcass  and  a  ruined 
saddle,  were  gone  ;  but  what  was  left,  sufficiently  served  to 
identify  the  animal. 

"  Here  has  been  the  tooth  of  wolf,"  said  Eben  Dudley, 
stooping  to  examine  into  the  nature  of  a  ragged  wound  in 
the  neck  ;  "  and  here,  too,  has  been  cut  of  knife  ;  but 
whether  by  the  hand  of  a  red-skin,  it  exceedeth  my  art  to 
say;" 

Each  individual  of  the  party  now  bent  curiously  over  the 
wound  ;  but  the  results  of  their  inquiries  went  no  further 
than  to  prove  that  it  was  undeniably  the  horse  of  the  stran- 
ger, that  had  forfeited  its  life.  To  the  fate  of  its  master, 


78  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON- WISH. 

however,  there  was  not  the  slightest  clew.  Abandoning  the 
investigation,  after  a  long  and  fruitless  examination,  they 
proceeded  to  finish  the  circuit  of  the  clearing.  Night  had 
approached  ere  the  fatiguing  task  was  accomplished.  As 
Ruth  stood  at  the  postern  waiting  anxiously  for  their  return, 
she  saw  by  the  countenance  of  her  husband,  that  while  noth- 
ing had  transpired  to  give  any  grounds  of  additional  alarm, 
no  satisfactory  testimony  had  been  obtained  to  explain  the 
nature  of  the  painful  doubts,  with  which,  as  a  tender  and 
sensitive  mother,  she  had  been  distressed  throughout  the 
day. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

"  Is  there  not  milking-time, 
When  you  go  to  bed,  or  kiln-hole, 
To  whistle  off  these  secrets  ;  but  you  must  be 
Tattling  before  all  our  guests  ?  " — Winter"1  s  Tale. 

LONG  experience  hath  shown  that  the  white  man,  when 
placed  in  situations  to  acquire  such  knowledge,  readily 
becomes  the  master  of  most  of  that  peculiar  skill  for  which 
the  North  American  Indian  is  so  remarkable,  and  which 
enables  him,  among  other  things,  to  detect  the  signs  of  a 
forest  trail,  with  a  quickness  and  an  accuracy  of  intelli- 
gence that  amount  nearly  to  an  instinct.  The  fears  of  the 
family  were  therefore  greatly  quieted  by  the  reports  of  the 
scouts,  all  of  whom  agreed  in  the  opinion  that  no  party  of 
savages,  that  could  be  at  all  dangerous  to  a  force  like  their 
own,  was  lying  near  the  valley  ;  and  some  of  whom,  the 
loudest  of  which  number  being  stout  Eben  Dudley,  boldly 
offered  to  answer  for  the  security  of  those  who  depended 
on  their  vigilance,  with  their  own  lives.  These  assur- 
ances had,  beyond  a  doubt,  a  soothing  influence  on  the 
apprehensions  of  Ruth  and  her  handmaidens  ;  but  they 
somewhat  failed  of  their  effect  with  those  unwelcome  vis- 
itors who  still  continued  to  cumber  Wish-Ton-Wish  with 
their  presence.  Though  they  had  evidently  abandoned 
all  ideas  connected  with  the  original  object  of  their  visit, 
they  spoke  not  of  departure.  On  the  contrary,  as  night 
approached,  their  chief  entered  into  council  with  old 
Mark  Heathcote,  and  made  certain  propositions  for  the 
security  of  his  dwelling,  which  the  Puritan  saw  no  reason 
to  oppose. 


THE   IVEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  79 

A  regular  watch  was,  in  consequence,  set,  and  main- 
tained till  morning,  at  the  palisadoes.  The  different  mem- 
bers of  the  family  retired  to  their  usual  places  of  rest, 
tranquil  in  appearance,  if  not  in  entire  confidence  of 
peace  ;  and  the  military  messengers  took  post  in  the  lower 
of  the  two  fighting  apartments  of  the  citadel.  With  this 
simple,  and  to  the  strangers  particularly  satisfactory  ar- 
rangement, the  hours  of  darkness  passed  away  in  quiet; 
morning  returning  to  the  secluded  valley,  as  it  had  so 
often  done  before,  with  its  loveliness  unimpaired  by  vio 
lence  or  tumult. 

In  the  same  peaceful  manner  did  the  sun  set  succes- 
sively three  several  times,  and  as  often  did  it  arise  on  the 
abode  of  the  Heathcotes,  without  further  sign  of  danger, 
or  motive  of  alarm.  With  the  passage  of  time,  the  agents 
of  the  Stuart  gradually  regained  their  confidence.  Still 
they  never  neglected  to  withdraw  within  the  protection  of 
the  block-house  with  the  retiring  light ;  a  post  which  the 
subordinate  named  Hallam  more  than  once  gravely  ob- 
served, they  were,  by  their  disciplined  and  military  habits, 
singularly  qualified  to  maintain.  Though  the  Puritan 
secretly  chafed  under  this  protracted  visit,  habitual  self- 
denial,  and  a  manner  so-  long  subdued,  enabled  him  to 
conceal  his  disgust.  For  the  first  two  days  after  the  alarm, 
the  deportment  of  his  guests  was  unexceptionable.  All 
their  faculties  appeared  to  be  engrossed  with  keen  and 
anxious  watchings  of  the  forest,  out  of  which  it  would 
seem  they  expected  momentarily  to  see  issue  a  band  of 
ferocious  and  ruthless  savages  ;  but  symptoms  of  returning 
levity  began  to  be  apparent,  as  confidence  and  a  feeling  of 
security  increased,  with  the  quiet  passage  of  the  hours. 

It  was  on  the  evening  of  the  third  day  from  that  on 
which  they  had  made  their  appearance  in  the  settlement, 
that  the  man  called  Haliam  was  seen  strolling,  for  the  first 
time,  through  the  postern  so  often  named,  and  taking  a 
direction  which  led  toward  the  out-buildings.  His  air 
was  less  distrustful  than  it  had  been  for  many  a  weary 
hour,  and  his  step  proportionably  confident  and  assuming. 
Instead  of  wearing,  as  he  had  been  wont,  a  pair  of  heavy 
horseman's  pistols  at  his  girdle,  he  had  even  laid  aside  his 
broadsword,  and  appeared  more  in  the  guise  of  one  who 
sought  his  personal  ease,  than  in  that  cumbersome  and 
martial  attire  which  all  of  his  party,  until  now,  had  deemed 
it  prudent  to  maintain.  He  cast  his  glance  cursorily  over 
the  fields  of  the  Heathcotes,  as  they  glowed  under  the  soft 


So  THE  WEPT   OF  WISH-TON- WISH. 

light  of  a  setting  sun  ;  nor  did  his  eye  even  refuse  to  wan- 
der vacantly  along  the  outline  of  that  forest,  which  his 
imagination  had  so  lately  been  peopling  with  beings  of  a 
fierce  and  ruthless  nature. 

The  hour  was  one  when  rustic  economy  brings  the 
labors  of  the  day  to  a  close.  Among  those  who  were  more 
than  usually  active  at  that  busy  moment,  was  a  hand- 
maiden of  Ruth,  whose  clear  sweet  voice  was  heard,  in  one 
of  the  inclosures,  occasionally  rising  on  the  notes  of  a 
spiritual  song,  and  as  often  sinking  to  a  nearly  inaudible 
hum,  as  she  extracted  from  a  favorite  animal  liberal  por- 
tions of  its  nightly  tribute  to  the  dairy  of  her  mistress.  To 
that  iuclosure  the  stranger,  as  it  were  by  accident,  suffered 
his  sauntering  footsteps  to  stroll,  seemingly  as  much  in 
admiration  of  the  sleek  herd  as  of  any  other  of  its  comely 
tenants. 

"  From  what  thrush  hast  taken  lessons,  my  pretty  maid, 
that  I  mistook  thy  notes  for  one  of  the  sweetest  songsters 
of  thy  woods?"  he  asked,  trusting  his  person  to  the  sup- 
port of  the  pen,  in  an  attitude  of  easy  superiority.  "  One 
might  fancy  it  a  robin,  or  a  wren,  trolling  out  his  evening 
song,  instead  of  human  voice,  rising  and  falling  in  every- 
day psalmody." 

"  The  birds  of  our  forest  rarely  speak,"  returned  the  girl, 
"  and  the  one  among  them  which  has  most  to  say,  does  it 
like  those  who  are  called  gentlemen,  when  they  set  wit  to 
work  to  please  the  ear  of  simple  country  maidens." 

"  And  in  what  fashion  may  that  be  ? " 

"  Mockery." 

"  Ah  !  I  have  heard  of  the  creature's  skill.  It  is  said  to 
be  a  compound  of  the  harmony  of  all  other  forest  songsters, 
and  yet  I  see  little  resemblance  to  the  honest  language  of 
a  soldier  in  its  manner  of  utterance." 

"  It  speaketh  without  much  meaning  ;  and  oftener  to 
cheat  the  ear  than  in  honest  reason." 

"  Thou  forgettest  that  which  I  told  thee  in  the  morning, 
child.  It  would  seem  that  they  who  named  thee  have  no 
great  cause  to  exult  in  their  judgment  of  character,  since 
Unbelief  would  better  describe  thy  disposition  than  Faith." 

"  It  may  be,  that  they  who  named  me  little  knew  how 
great  must  be  credulity,  to  give  ear  to  all  I  have  been 
required  to  credit." 

"Thou  can'st  have  no  difficulty  in  admitting  that  thou 
art  comely,  since  the  eye  itself  will  support  thy  belief ;  nor 
can  one  of  so  quick  speech  fail  to  know  that  her  wit  is 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON- WISH.  81 

sharper  than  common.  Thus  far  I  admit  the  name  of  Faith 
will  not  surely  belie  thy  character." 

"  If  Eben  Dudley  hear  thee  use  such  vanity-stirring  dis- 
course," returned  the  half-pleased  girl,  "he  might  give 
thee  less  credit  for  wit  than  thoti  seemest  willing  to  yield 
to  others.  I  hear  his  heavy  foot  among  the  cattle,  and  ere 
long  we  shall  be  sure  to  see  a  face  that  hath  little  more  of 
lightness  to  boast." 

"This  Eben  Dudley  is  a  personage  of  no  mean  impor- 
tance, I  find!  "  muttered  the  other,  continuing  his  walk,  as 
the  borderer  named  made  his  appearance  at  another  en- 
trance of  the  pen.  The  glances  exchanged  between  them 
were  far  from  friendly,  though  the  woodsman  permitted 
the  stranger  to  pass  without  any  oral  expression  of  dis- 
pleasure. 

"  The  skittish  heifer  is  getting  gentle  at  last,  Faith 
Ring,"  said  the  borderer,  casting  the  butt  of  his  musket  on 
the  ground  with  a  violence  that  left  a  deep  impression  on 
the  faded  sward  at  his  feet.  "  That  brindled  ox,  old  Log- 
ger, is  not  more  willing  to  come  into  his  yoke  than  is  the 
four-year-old  to  yield  her  milk." 

"  The  creature  has  been  getting  kind  since  you  taught 
the  manner  to  tame  its  humor,"  returned  the  dairy  girl,  in 
a  voice  that,  spite  of  every  effort  of  maiden  pride,  betrayed 
something  of  a  flurry  of  her  spirits,  while  she  plied  her 
light  task  with  violent  industry. 

"  Umph  !  I  hope  some  other  of  my  teachings  may  be  as 
well  remembered  ;  but  thou  art  quick  at  the  trick  of  learn- 
ing, Faith,  as  is  plain  by  the  ready  manner  in  which  thou 
hast  so  shortly  got  the  habit  of  discourse  with  a  man  as 
nimble-tongued  as  yon  riding  reprobate  from  over  sea." 

"  I  hope  that  civil  listening  is  no  proof  of  unseemly  dis- 
course on  the  part  of  one  who  hath  been  trained  in  modesty 
of  speech,  Eben  Dudley.  Thou  hast  often  said,  it  was  the 
bounden  duty  of  her  who  was  spoken  to,  to  give  ear,  lest 
some  might  say  she  was  of  scornful  mind,  and  her  name 
for  pride  be  better  earned  than  that  for  good-nature." 

"  I  see  that  more  of  my  lessons  than  I  had  hoped  are 
still  in  thy  keeping.  So  thou  listenest  thus  readily,  Faith, 
because  it  is  meet  that  a  maiden  should  not  be  scornful  ? " 

"  Thou  sayest  so.  Whatever  ill  name  I  may  deserve, 
thou  hast  no  right  to  count  scorn  among  my  failings." 

"  If  I  do,  may  I  — "  Eben  Dudley  bit  his  lip,  and 
checked  an  expression  which  would  have  given  grievous 
offence  to  one  whose  habits  of  decency  were  as  severe  as 
6 


82  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON- WISH. 

those  of  his  companion.  "  Thou  must  have  heard  much 
that  was  profitable  to-day,  Faith  Ring,"  he  added,  "consid- 
ering that  thy  ear  is  so  open,  and  that  thy  opportunities 
have  been  great." 

"  I  know  not  what  thou  would'st  say  by  speaking  of  my 
opportunities,"  returned  the  girl,  bending  still  lower  be- 
neath the  object  of  her  industry,  in  order  to  conceal  the 
glow  which  her  own  quick  consciousness  told  her  was 
burning  on  her  cheek. 

"  I  would  say  that  the  tale  must  be  long  that  needeth 
four  several  trials  of  private  speech  to  finish." 

"  Four  !  As  I  hope  to  be  believed  for  a  girl  of  trutli  in 
speech  or  deed,  this  is  but  the  third  time  that  the  stranger 
hath  spoken  to  me  apart,  since  the  sun  hath  risen." 

"  If  I  know  the  number  of  the  fingers  of  my  hand,  it 
is  the  fourth." 

"  Nay  ;  how  can'st  thou,  Eben  Dudley,  who  hast  been 
a-field  since  the  crowing  of  the  cock,  know  what  hath 
passed  about  the  dwellings  ?  It  is  plain  that  envy,  or  some 
other  evil  passion,  causeth  thee  to  speak  angrily." 

"How  is  it  that  I  know!  perhaps  thou  thinkest,  Faith, 
thy  brother  Reuben  only  hath  the  gift  of  sight." 

"The  labor  must  have  gone  on  with  great  profit  to  the 
captain,  whilst  eyes  have  been  roving  over  other  matters  ! 
But  perhaps  they  kept  the  strong  of  arm  for  the  lookers- 
out,  and  have  set  them  of  feebler  bodies  to  the  toil." 

"  I  have  not  been  so  careless  of  thy  life  as  to  forget,  at 
passing  moments,  to  cast  an  eye  abroad,  pert  one.  What- 
ever thou  mayest  think  of  the  need,  there  would  be  fine 
wailings  in  the  butteries  and  dairies,  did  the  Wampanoags 
get  into  the  clearing,  and  there  were  none  to  give  the 
alarm  in  season." 

"  Truly,  Eben,  thy  terror  of  the  child  in  the  block  must 
be  grievous  for  one  of  thy  manhood,  else  would'st  thou 
not  watch  the  buildings  so  narrowly,"  retorted  Faith,  laugh- 
ing; for  with  the  dexterity  of  her  sex,  she  began  to  feel 
the  superiority  she  was  gradually  obtaining  in  the  dis- 
course. "  Thou  dost  not  remember  that  we  have  valiant 
troopers  from  old  England,  to  keep  the  younker  from  do- 
ing harm.  But  here  cometh  the  brave  soldier  himself  ;  it 
will  be  well  to  ask  vigilance  at  his  hands,  or  this  night  may 
bring  us  to  the  tomahawk  in  our  sleep  !  " 

"  Thou  speakest  of  the  weapon  of  the  savages  !  "  said  the 
.nessenger,  who  had  drawn  near  again  with  a  visible  will- 
ingness to  share  in  an  interview  which,  while  he  had  watched 


THE   IV EPT   OF  WISH-TON- WISH.  83 

its  progress  at  a  distance,  appeared  to  be  growing  interest- 
ing. u  I  trust  all  fear  is  over  from  that  quarter." 

"  As  you  say,  for  this  quarter,"  said  Eben,  adjusting  his 
lips  to  a  low  whistle,  and  coolly  looking  up  to  examine 
the  heavenly  body  to  which  he  meant  allusion.  "  But  the 
next  quarter  may  bring  us  a  pretty  piece  of  Indian  skirm- 
ishing." 

"  And  what  hath  the  moon  in  common  with  an  incursion 
of  the  savages  ?  Are  there  those  among  them  who  study 
the  secrets  of  the  stars  ?  " 

"  They  study  deviltries  and  other  wickedness  more  than 
aught  else.  It  is  not  easy  for  the  mingl  of  man  to  fancy 
horrors  such  as  they  design,  when  Providence  has  given 
them  success  in  an  inroad." 

"  But  thou  did'st  speak  of  the  moon  !  In  what  manner 
is  the  moon  leagued  with  their  bloody  plots  ?  " 

"We  have  her  now  in  the  full,  and  there  is  little  of  the 
night  when  the  eye  of  a  watcher  might  not  see  a  red-skin 
in  the  clearing  ;  but  a  different  tale  may  be  heard,  when  an 
hour  or  two  of  jet  darkness  shall  again  fall  among  these 
woods.  There  will  be  a  change  shortly ;  it  behooveth  us 
therefore  to  be  on  our  guard." 

"  Thou  thinkest  then,  truly,  that  there  are  outlyers  wait- 
ing for  the  fitting  moment  ? "  said  the  officer,  with  an  in- 
terest so  marked  as  to  cause  even  the  but-half-pacified 
Faith  to  glance  an  arch  look  at  her  companion,  though 
he  still  had  reason  to  distrust  a  wilful  expression  that 
lurked  in  the  corner  of  her  eyes,  which  threatened  at  each 
moment  to  contradict  his  relation  of  the  sinister  omens. 

"There  may  be  savages  lying  in  the  hills  at  a  day's  jour- 
ney in  the  forest  ;  but  they  know  the  aim  of  a  white  man's 
musket  too  well  to  be  sleeping  within  reach  of  its  range. 
It  is  the  nature  of  an  Indian  to  eat  and  sleep  while  he  has 
time  for  quiet,  and  to  fast  and  murder  when  the  killing 
hour  hath  come." 

"  And  what  call  you  the  distance  to  the  nearest  settle- 
ment on  the  Connecticut  ?  "  demanded  the  other,  with  an 
air  so  studiously  indifferent  as  to  furnish  an  easy  clue  to 
the  inner  workings  of  his  mind. 

"  Some  twenty  hours  would  bring  a  nimble  runner  to 
the  outer  habitations,  granting  small  time  for  food  and 
rest.  He  that  is  wise,  however,  will  take  but  little  of  the 
latter,  until  his  head  be  safely  housed  within  some  such 
building  as  yen  block,  or  until  there  shall  stand  between 
him  and  the  forest  at  least  a  goodly  row  of  oaken  pickets." 


84  THE   WEPT  OF  WISH-TON- WISH. 

11  There  is  no  path  ridden  by  which  travellers  may  avoid 
the  forest  during  the  darkness  ?  " 

"I  know  of  none.  He  who  quits  Wish-Ton-Wish  for 
the  towns  below  must  make  his  pillow  of  the  earth,  or  be 
fain  to  ride  as  long  as  beast  can  carry  him." 

"We  have  truly  had  experience  of  this  necessity  jour- 
neying hither.  Thou  thinkest,  friend,  that  the  savages  are 
in  their  resting  time,  and  that  they  wait  the  coming  quar- 
ter of  the  moon  ? " 

"  To  my  seeming,  we  shall  not  have  them  sooner,"  re- 
turned Eben  Dudley;  taking  care  to  conceal  all  qualifica- 
tion of  this  opinion,  if  any  such  he  entertained,  by  closely 
locking  its  purport  in  a  mental  reservation. 

"And  what  season  is  it  usual  to  choose  for  getting  into 
the  saddle,  when  business  calls  any  to  the  settlements  be- 
low?" 

"  We  never  fail  to  take  our  departure  about  the  time 
the  sun  touches  the  tall  pine  which  stands  on  yonder 
height  of  the  mountain.  Much  experience  hath  told  us 
it  is  the  safest  hour ;  hand  of  timepiece  is  not  more  sure 
than  yon  tree." 

"  I  like  the  night,"  said  the  other,  looking  about  him 
with  the  air  of  one  suddenly  struck  with  the  promising 
appearance  of  the  weather.  "The  blackness  no  longer 
hangs  about  the  forest,  and  it  seems  a  fitting  moment  to 
push  the  matter  on  which  we  are  sent  nearer  to  its  con- 
clusion." 

So  saying,  and  probably  believing  that  he  had  sufficient- 
ly concealed  the  motives  of  his  decision,  the  uneasy  dra- 
goon walked  with  an  air  of  soldierly  coolness  towards  the 
dwellings,  signing  at  the  same  time  to  one  of  his  compan- 
ions, who  was  regarding  him  from  a  distance,  to  approach. 

"  Now  dost  thou  believe,  witless  Dudley,  that  the  four 
fingers  of  thy  clumsy  hand  have  numbered  the  full  amount 
of  all  that  thou  callest  my  listenings  ? "  said  Faith,  wrhen 
she  thought  no  other  ear  but  his  to  whom  she  spoke  could 
catch  her  words,  and  at  the  same  time  laughing  merrily 
beneath  her  heifer,  though  still  speaking  with  a  vexation 
she  could  not  entirely  repress. 

"  Have  I  spoken  aught  but  truth  ?  It  is  not  for  such  as 
I  to  give  lessons  in  journeying  to  one  who  follows  the  hon- 
est trade  of  a  man-hunter.  I  have  said  that  which  all  who 
dwell  in  these  parts  know  to  be  reasonable." 

"Surely  naught  else.  But  truth  is  made  so  powerful  in 
thy  hands,  that  it  needs  to  be  taken,  like  a  bitter  healing 


THE   WEPT   OF  IVSSH-TON-WISH.  85 

draught,  with  closed  eyes  and  at  many  swallows.  One  who 
drinketh  of  it  too  freely  may  well-nigh  be  strangled.  I 
marvel  that  he  who  is  so  vigilant  in  providing  for  the  cares 
of  others,  should  take  so  little  heed  of  those  he  is  sent  to 
guard." 

"  I  know  not  thy  meaning,  Faith.  When  was  danger 
near  the  valley  and  my  musket  wanting  ?  " 

"  The  good  piece  is  truer  to  duty  than  its  master.  Thou 
mayest  have  lawful  license  to  sleep  on  thy  post,  for  we 
maidens  know  nothing  of  the  pleasure  of  the  captain  in 
these  matters  ;  but  it  would  be  as  seemly,  if  not  as  soldier- 
ly, to  place  the  arms  at  the  postern  and  thyself  in  the 
chambers,  when  next  thou  hast  need  of  watching  and  sleep- 
ing in  the  same  hour." 

Dudley  looked  as  confused  as  one  of  his  mould  and  un- 
bending temperament  might  well  be,  though  he  stubborn- 
ly refused  to  understand  the  allusion  of  his  offended  com- 
panion. 

"  Thou  hast  not  discussed  with  the  trooper  from  over 
sea  in  vain,"  he  said,  "since  thou  speakest  so  wisely  of 
watches  and  arms." 

"  Truly  he  hath  much  schooled  me  in  the  matter." 

"  Umph  !  and  what  may  be  the  amount  of  his  teach- 
ing  ?  " 

"That  he  who  sleepeth  at  a  postern  should  neither  talk 
too  boldly  of  the  enemy,  nor  expect  maidens  to  put  too 
much  trust " 

"In  what,  Faith?" 

"Thou  surely  knowest.I  mean  in  his  watchfulness.  My 
life  on  it,  had  one  happened  to  pass  at  a  later  hour  than 
common  near  the  night-post  of  that  gentle-spoken  soldier, 
he  would  not  have  been  found  like  a  sentinel  of  this  house- 
hold, in  the  second  watch  of  the  night  that  was  gone,  dream- 
ing of  the  good  things  of  Madam's  buttery." 

"  Didst  truly  come  then,  girl  ? "  said  Eben,  dropping  his 
voice,  and  equally  manifesting  his  satisfaction  and  his 
shame.  "  But  thou  knowest,  Faith,  that  the  labor  had  fall- 
en behind  in  behalf  of  the  scouting  party,  and  that  the  toil 
of  yesterday  exceeded  that  of  our  usual  burdens.  Never- 
theless, I  keep  the  postern  again  to-night,  from  eight  to 
twelve,  and " 

"  Will  make  a  goodly  rest  of  it,  I  doubt  not.  Now  he 
who  hath  been  so  vigilant  throughput  the  day  must  needs 
tire  of  the  task  as  night  draws  on.  Fare  thee  well,  wake- 
ful Dudley  ;  if  thine  eyes  should  open  on  the  morrow,  be 


86  THE   WEPT   OF  IVISH-TON-WISPT. 

thankful  that  the  maidens  have  not  stitched  thy  garments 
to  the  palisadoes." 

Notwithstanding  the  efforts  of  the  young  man  to  detain 
her,  the  light-footed  girl  eluded  his  grasp,  and  bearing  her 
burden  towards  the  dairy,  she  tripped  along  the  path  with 
a  half-averted  face,  in  which  triumph  and  repentance  were 
already  struggling  for  the  possession. 

In  the  meantime  the  leader  of  the  messengers  and  his 
military  subordinate  had  a  long  and  interesting  confer- 
ence. When  it  was  ended,  the  former  took  his  way  to  the 
apartment  in  which  Mark  Heathcote  was  wont  to  pass 
those  portions  of  his  time  that  were  not  occupied  in  his  se- 
cret strivings  for  the  faith,  or  in  exercise  without,  while 
superintending  the  laborers  in  the  fields.  With  some  little 
circumlocution,  which  was  intended  to  mask  his  real  mo- 
tives, the  agent  of  the  king  announced  his  intention  to 
take  his  final  departure  that  very  night. 

"  I  felt  it  a  duty,  as  one  who  has  gained  experience  in 
arms  by  some  practice  in  the  wars  of  Europe,"  he  said,  "  to 
tarry  in  thy  dwelling  while  danger  threatened  from  the 
lurking  savage.  It  would  ill  become  soldiers  to  speak  of 
their  intentions  ;  but  had  the  alarm  in  truth  sounded,  thou 
wilt  give  faith  when  I  say  that  the  block-house  would  not 
have  been  lightly  yielded  !  I  shall  make  report  to  them 
that  sent  me,  that  in  Captain  Mark  Heathcote,  Charles 
hath  a  loyal  subject,  and  the  Constitution  a  firm  supporter. 
The  rumors,  of  a  seemingly  mistaken  description,  which 
have  led  us  hither,  shall  be  contradicted,  and  doubtless  it 
will  be  found  that  some  accident  hath  given  rise  to  the  de- 
ception. Should  there  be  occasion  to  dwell  on  the  particu- 
lars of  the  late  alarm,  I  trust  the  readiness  of  my  followers 
to  do  good  service  to  one  of  the  king's  subjects  will  not  be 
overlooked." 

"  It  is  the  striving  of  an  humble  spirit  to  speak  naught 
evil  of  its  fellows,  and  to  conceal  no  good,"  returned  the 
reserved  Puritan.  "  If  thou  hast  found  thy  abode  in  my 
dwelling  to  thy  liking,  thou  art  welcome,  and  if  duty  or 
pleasure  calleth  thee  to  quit  it,  peace  go  with  thee.  It  will 
be  useful  to  unite  with  us  in  asking  that  thy  passage 
through  the  wilderness  may  be  unharmed  ;  that  He  who 
watcheth  over  the  meanest  of  his  creatures  should  take 
thee  in  his  especial  keeping,  and  that  the  savage  heathen 

"  Dost  think  the  savage  out  of  his  villages  ? "  demanded 
the  messenger,  with  an  indecorous  rapidity  that  cut  short 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-  TON-  WISH.  87 

the  enumeration  of  the  particular  blessings  and  dangers 
that  his  host  thought  it  meet  to  include  in  the  leave-taking 
prayer. 

"  Thou  surely  hast  not  tarried  with  us  to  aid  in  the  de- 
fence, and  yet  feel  it  doubtful  that  thy  services  might  be 
useful !  "  observed  Mark  Heathcote,  dryly. 

"  I  would  the  Prince  of  Darkness  had  thee  and  all  the 
other  diabolicals  of  these  woods  in  his  own  good  gripe  ! " 
muttered  the  messenger  between  his  teeth  ;  and  then,  as  if 
guided  by  a  spirit  that  could  not  long  be  quelled,  he  as- 
.sumed  something  more  of  his  unbridled  and  natural  air, 
boldly  declining  to  join  in  the  prayer  on  the  plea  of  haste, 
and  the  necessity  of  his  looking  in  person  to  the  movements 
of  his  followers.  "  But  this  need  not  prevent  thee,  worthy 
captain,  from  pouring  out  an  asking  in  our  behalf  while 
we  are  in  the  saddle,"  he  concluded  ;  "  for  ourselves,  there 
remaineth  much  of  thy  previously-bestowed  pious  aliment 
to  be  digested,  though  we  doubt  not  that  should  thy  voice 
be  raised  in  our  behalf,  while  journeying  along  the  first 
few  leagues  of  the  forest,  the  tread  of  the  hacks  would  not 
be  heavier,  and  it  is  certainty  that  we  ourselves  should  be 
none  the  worse  for  the  favor." 

Then  casting  a  glance  of  ill-concealed  levity  at  one  of 
his  followers  who  had  come  to  say  that  their  steeds  await- 
ed, he  made  the  parting  salutation  with  an  air  in  which 
the  respect  that  one  like  the  Puritan  could  scarce  fail  to 
excite,  struggled  with  his  habitual  contempt  for  things  of 
a  serious  character. 

The  family  of  Mark  Heatncote,  the  lowest  dependent 
included,  saw  these  strangers  depart  with  inward  satisfac- 
tion. Even  the  maidens,  in  whom  nature,  in  moments 
weaker  than  common,  had  awakened  some  of  the  lighter 
vanities,  were  gladly  rid  of  gallants  who  could  not  soothe 
their  ears  with  the  unction  of  flattery  without  frequently 
giving  great  offence  to  their  severe  principles,  by  light  and 
irreverent  allusions  to  things  on  which  they  themselves 
were  accustomed  to  think  with  fitting  awe.  Eben  Dudley 
could  scarcely  conceal  the  chuckle  with  which  he  saw  the 
party  bury  themselves  in  the  forest,  though  neither  he  nor 
any  of  the  more  instructed  in  such  matters,  believed  they 
incurred  serious  risk  from  their  sudden  enterprise. 

The  opinion  of  the  scouts  proved  to  be  founded  on  ac- 
curate premises.  That  and  many  a  subsequent  night 
passed  without  alarm.  The  season  continued  to  advance, 
and  the  laborers  pursued  their  toil  to  its  close  without  an- 


88  THE  WEPT  OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

other  appeal  to  their  courage,  or  any  additional  reasons 
for  vigilance.  Whittal  Ring  followed  his  colts  with  impu- 
nity among  the  recesses  of  the  neighboring  forests,  and 
the  herds  of  the  family  went  and  came  as  long  as  the 
weather  would  permit  them  to  range  the  woods,  in  regu- 
larity and  peace.  The  period  of  the  alarm  and  the  visit 
of  the  agents  of  the  Crown  came  to  be  food  for  tradition, 
and  during  the  succeeding  winter  the  former  often  fur- 
nished motive  of  merriment  around  the  blazing  fires  that 
were  so  necessary  to  the  country  and  the  season. 

Still  there  existed  in  the  family  a  living  memorial  of  the 
unusual  incidents  of  that  night.  The  captive  remained 
long  after  the  events  which  had  placed  him  in  the  power 
of  the  Heathcotes  were  beginning  to  be  forgotten. 

A  desire  to  quicken  the  seeds  of  spiritual  regeneration, 
which,  however  dormant  they  might  be,  old  Mark  Heath- 
cote  believed  to  exist  in  the  whole  family  of  man,  and  con- 
sequently in  the  young  heathen  as  well  as  in  others,  had 
become  a  sort  of  ruling  passion  in  the  Puritan.  The  fash- 
ions and  mode  of  thinking  of  the  times  had  a  strong  lean- 
ing toward  superstition,  and  it  was  far  from  difficult  for  a 
man  of  his  ascetic  habits  and  exaggerated  doctrines  to  be- 
lieve that  a  special  interposition  had  cast  the  boy  into  his 
hands  for  some  hidden  but  mighty  purpose,  that  time  in 
the  good  season  would  not  fail  to  reveal. 

Notwithstanding  the  strong  coloring  of  fanaticism  which 
tinged  the  character  of  the  religionists  of  those  days,  they 
were  rarely  wanting  in  worldly  discretion.  The  agents 
they  saw  fit  to  employ  in  order  to  aid  the  more  hidden  pur- 
poses of  Providence,  were  in  common  useful  and  rational. 
Thus,  while  Mark  never  forgot  to  summon  the  lad  from  his 
prison  at  the  hour  of  prayer,  or  to  include  an  especial  ask- 
ing in  behalf  of  the  ignorant  heathen  in  general  and  of 
this  chosen  youth  in  particular,  he  hesitated  to  believe  that 
a  manifest  miracle  would  be  exerted  in  his  favor.  That  no 
blame  might  attach  to  the  portion  of  duty  that  was  confided 
to  human  means,  he  had  recourse  to  the  discreet  agency  of 
kindness  and  unremitted  care.  But  all  attempts  to  lure 
the  lad  into  the  habits  of  a  civilized  man  were  completely 
unsuccessful.  As  the  severity  of  the  weather  increased, 
the  compassionate  and  thoughtful  Ruth  endeavored  to  in- 
duce him  to  adopt  the  garments  that  were  found  so  neces- 
sary to  the  comfort  of  men  who  were  greatly  his  superiors 
in  hardihood  and  in  strength.  Clothes  decorated  in  a 
fashion  suited  to  the  taste  of  an  Indian  were  considerately 


THE  IVEPT  OF  WISH-T<^N-WISH.  89 

provided,  and  entreaties  and  threats  were  both  freely  used, 
with  a  view  to  make  the  captive  wear  them.  On  one  oc- 
casion lie  was  even  forcibly  clad  by  Eben  Dudley  ;  and 
being  brought  in  the  unwonted  guise  into  the  presence 
of  old  Mark,  the  latter  offered  up  an  especial  petition  that 
the  youth  might  be  made  to  feel  the  merit  of  this  con- 
cession to  the  principles  of  a  chastened  and  instructed 
man.  But  within  an  hour  the  stout  woodsman,  who  had 
been  made  on  the  occasion  so  active  an  instrument  of  civil- 
ization, announced  to  the  admiring  Faith  that  the  experi- 
ment was  unsuccessful ;  or,  as  Eben  somewhat  irreverently 
described  the  extraordinary  effort  of  the  Puritan,  "the 
heathen  hath  already  resumed  his  skin  leggings  and 
painted  waist-cloth,  notwithstanding  the  captain  hath 
strove  to  pin  better  garments  on  his  back,  by  virtue  of  a 
prayer  that  might  have  clothed  the  nakedness  of  a  whole 
tribe."  In  short,  the  result  proved  in  the  case  of  this  lad, 
as  similar  experiments  have  since  proved  in  so  many  other 
instances,  the  difficulty  of  tempting  one  trained  in  the 
freedom  and  ease  of  a  savage,  to  consent  to  admit  of  the 
restraints  of  a  state  of  being  that  is  commonly  thought  to 
be  so  much  superior.  In  every  instance  in  which  the 
youthful  captive  had  liberty  of  choice,  he  disdainfully  re- 
jected the  customs  of  the  whites,  adhering  with  a  singular 
and  almost  heroic  pertinacity  to  the  usages  of  his  people 
and  his  condition. 

The  boy  was  not  kept  in  his  bondage  without  extraordi- 
nary care.  Once,  when  trusted  in  the  fields,  he  had  openly 
attempted  to  escape  ;  nor  was  the  possession  of  his  person 
recovered  without  putting  the  speed  of  Eben  Dudley  and 
Reuben  Ring  to  a  more  severe  trial,  as  was  confessed  by 
the  athletic  young  borderers  themselves,  than  any  they 
had  hitherto  undergone.  From  that  moment,  he  was 
never  permitted  to  pass  the  palisadoes.  When  duty  called 
the  laborers  afield,  the  captive  was  invariably  secured  in 
his  prison,  where,  as  some  compensation  for  his  confine- 
ment, he  was  supposed  to  enjoy  the  benefit  of  long  and 
familiar  communication  with  Mark  Heathcote,  who  had 
the  habit  of  passing  many  hours  of  each  day,  and  not  u in- 
frequently long  portions  of  the  night  too,  within  the  retire- 
ment of  the  block-house.  During  the  time  only  when  the 
gates  were  closed,  or  when  some  one  of  strength  and  ac- 
tivity sufficient  to  control  his  movements  was  present,  was 
the  latter  permitted  to  stroll  at  will  among  the  buildings 
of  the  border  fortress.  This  liberty  he  never  failed  to  ey- 


90  THE  WEPT  OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

ercise,  and  often  in  a  manner  that  overcame  the  affection- 
ate Ruth  with  a  painful  excess  of  sensibility. 

Instead  of  joining  in  the  play  of  the  other  children,  the 
young  captive  would  stand  aloof,  and  regard  their  sports 
with  a  vacant  eye,  or,  drawing  near  to  the  palisadoes,  he 
often  passed  hours  in  gazing  wistfully  at  those  endless 
forests  in  which  he  first  drew  breath,  and  which  probably 
contained  all  that  was  most  prized  in  the  estimation  of  his 
simple  judgment.  Ruth,  touched  to  the  heart  by  this 
silent  but  expressive  exhibition  of  suffering,  endeavored 
in  vain  to  win  his  confidence,  with  a  view  of  enticing  him 
into  employments  that  might  serve  to  relieve  his  care. 
The  resolute  but  still  quiet  boy  would  not  be  lured  into  a 
forgetfulness  of  his  origin.  He  appeared  to  comprehend 
the  kind  intentions  of  his  gentle  mistress,  and  frequently 
he  even  suffered  himself  to  be  led  by  the  mother  into  the 
centre  of  her  own  joyous  and  merry  offspring  ;  but  it  was 
only  to  look  upon  their  amusements  with  his  former  cold 
air,  and  to  return,  at  the  first  opportunity,  to  his  beloved 
site  at  the  pickets.  Still  there  .were  singular  and  even 
mysterious  evidences  of  a  growing  consciousness  of  the 
nature  of  the  discourse  of  which  he  was  occasionally  an 
auditor,  that  would  have  betrayed  greater  familiarity  with 
the  language  and  opinions  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  valley, 
than  his  known  origin  and  his  absolute  withdrawal  from 
communication  could  give  reason  to  expect.  This  impor- 
tant and  inexplicable  fact  was  proved  by  the  frequent  and 
meaning  glances  of  his  dark  eye,  when  aught  was  uttered 
in  his  hearing  that  affected,  ever  so  remotely,  his  own  con- 
dition ;  and,  once  or  twice,  by  the  haughty  gleamings  of 
ferocity  that  escaped  him,  when  Eben  Dudley  was  heard 
to  vaunt  the  prowess  of  the  white  men  in  their  encounters 
with  the  original  owners  of  the  country.  The  Puritan  did 
not  fail  to  note  these  symptoms  of  a  budding  intelligence, 
as  the  pledges  of  a  fruit  that  would  more  than  reward  his 
pious  toil  ;  and  they  served  to  furnish  a  great  relief  to 
certain  occasional  repugnance,  which  all  his  zeal  could 
not  entirely  subdue,  at  being  the  instrument  of  causing  so 
much  suffering  to  one  who,  after  all,  had  inflicted  no  posi- 
tive wrong  on  himself. 

At  the  period  of  which  we  are  writing,  the  climate  of 
these  States  differed  materially  from  that  which  is  now 
known  to  their  inhabitants.  A  winter  in  the  Province  of 
Connecticut  was  attended  by  many  successive  falls  of  snow, 
until  the  earth  was  entirely  covered  with  firmly  compressed 


THE   WEPT   OF  IVISH-TON-WISH.  91 

masses  of  the  frozen  element.  Occasional  thaws  and  pass- 
ing storms  of  rain,  that  were  driven  away  by  a  return  of 
the  clear  and  cutting  cold  of  the  northwestern  gales,  were 
wont  at  times  to  lay  a  covering  on  the  ground,  that  was 
congealed  to  the  consistency  of  ice,  until  men,  and  not 
unfrequently  beasts,  and  sometimes  sleighs,  were  seen 
moving  on  its  surface,  as  on  the  bed  of  a  frozen  lake. 
During  the  extremity  of  a  season  like  this,  the  hardy  bor' 
derers,  who  could  not  toil  in  their  customary  pursuits,  were 
wont  to  range  the  forest  in  quest  of  game,  which,  driven 
for  food  to  known  resorting  places  in  the  woods,  then  fell 
most  easily  a  prey  to  the  intelligence  and  skill  of  such 
men  as  Eben  Dudley  and  Reuben  Ring. 

The  youths  never  left  the  dwellings  on  these  hunts,  with- 
out exciting  the  most  touching  interest  in  their  move- 
ments, on  the  part  of  the  Indian  boy.  On  all  such  occa- 
sions he  would  linger  at  the  loops  of  his  prison  throughout 
the  day,  listening  intently  to  the  reports  of  the  distant 
muskets,  as  they  resounded  in  the  forest ;  and  the  only 
time  during  a  captivity  of  so  many  months,  that  he  was 
ever  seen  to  smile,  was  when  he  examined  the  grim  look 
and  muscular  cla\vs  of  a  dead  panther,  that  had  fallen  be- 
neath the  aim  of  Dudley,  in  one  of  these  excursions  to  the 
mountains.  The  compassion  of  all  the  borderers  was  pow- 
erfully awakened  in  behalf  of  the  patient  and  dignified 
young  sufferer,  and  gladly  would  they  have  given  their 
captive  the  pleasure  of  joining  in  the  chase,  had  not  the 
task  been  one  that  was  far  from  easy  of  accomplishment. 
The  former  of  the  woodsmen  just  mentioned  had  even 
volunteered  to  lead  him  like  a  hound  in  a  leash  ;  but  this 
was  a  species  of  degradation  against  which  it  was  certain 
that  a  young  Indian,  ambitious  of  the  character  and  jeal- 
ous of  the  dignity  of  a  warrior,  would  have  openly  re- 
belled. 

The  quick  interest  of  the  observant  Ruth  had,  as  it  has 
been  seen,  early  detected  a  growing  intelligence  in  the 
boy.  The  means  by  which  one,  wrho  never  mingled  in  the 
employments,  and  who  rarely  seemed  to  listen  to  the  dia- 
logues of  the  family,  could  come  to  comprehend  the  mean- 
ing of  a  language  that  is  found  sufficiently  difficult  for  a 
scholar,  were,  however,  as  much  of  a  mystery  to  her  as  to 
all  around  her.  Still,  by  the  aid  of  that  instinctive  tact 
which  so  often  enlightens  the  mind  of  woman,  was  she  cer- 
tain of  the  fact.  Profiting  by  this  knowledge,  she  assumed 
the  task  of  endeavoring  to  obtain  an  honorary  pledge  from 


92  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON- WISH. 

her  protege,  that,  if  permitted  to  join  the  hunters,  he  would 
return  to  the  valley  at  the  end  of  the  day.  But  though 
the  language  of  the  woman  was  gentle  as  her  own  kind 
nature,  and  her  entreaties  that  he  would  give  some  evi- 
dence of  having  comprehended  her  meaning  were  zealous 
and  oft  repeated,  not  the  smallest  symptom  of  intelligence, 
on  this  occasion,  could  be  extracted  from  her  pupil.  Dis- 
appointed, and  not  without  sorrow,  Ruth  had  abandoned 
her  compassionate  design  in  despair,  when,  on  a  sudden, 
the  old  Puritan,  who  had  been  a  silent  spectator  of  her 
fruitless  efforts,  announced  his  faith  in  the  integrity  of  the 
lad,  and  his  intention  to  permit  him  to  make  one  of  the 
very  next  party  that  should  leave  the  habitation. 

The  cause  of  this  sudden  change  in  the  hitherto  stern 
watchfulness  of  Mark  Heathcote  was,  like  so  many  other 
of  his  impulses,  a  secret  in  his  own  bosom.  It  has  just 
been  said,  that  during  the  time  Ruth  was  engaged  in  her 
kind  and  fruitless  experiment  to  extract  some  evidence  of 
intelligence  from  the  boy,  the  Puritan  was  a  close  and  in- 
terested observer  of  her  efforts.  He  appeared  to  sympa- 
thize in  her  disappointment,  but  the  weal  of  those  uncon- 
verted tribes  who  were  to  be  led  from  the  darkness  of  their 
ways  by  the  instrumentality  of  this  youth,  was  far  too  im- 
portant to  admit  the  thought  of  rashly  losing  the  vantage- 
ground  he  had  gained,  in  the  gradually-expanding  intellect 
of  the  boy,  by  running  the  hazard  of  an  escape.  To  all 
appearance,  the  intention  of  permitting  him  to  quit  the  de- 
fences had  therefore  .been  entirely  abandoned,  when  old 
Mark  so  suddenly  announced  a  change  of  resolution.  The 
conjectures  on  the  causes  of  this  unlooked-for  determina- 
tion were  exceedingly  various.  Some  believed  that  the 
Puritan  had  been  favored  with  a  mysterious  intimation  of 
the  pleasure  of  Providence  in  the  matter ;  and  others 
thought  that,  beginning  to  despair  of  success  in  his  under- 
taking, he  was  willing  to  seek  for  a  more  visible  manifes- 
tation of  its  purposes,  by  hazarding  the  experiment  of 
trusting  the  boy  to  the  direction  of  his  own  impulses.  All 
appeared  to  be  of  opinion  that  if  the  lad  returned,  the  cir- 
cumstance might  be  set  down  to  the  intervention  of  a  mir- 
acle. Still,  with  his  resolution  once  taken,  the  purpose  of 
Mark  Heathcote  remained  unchanged.  He  announced  this 
unexpected  intention  after  one  of  his  long  and  solitary 
visits  to  the  block-house,  where  it  is  possible  he  had  held 
a  powerful  spiritual  strife  on  the  occasion  ;  and,  as  the 
weather  was  exceedingly  favorable  for  such  an  object,  he 


THE   WEPT  OF  WIStf-TON-WISH. 


91 


commanded  his  dependents  to  prepare  to  make  the  sortie 
on  the  following  morning. 

A  sudden  and  an  uncontrollable  gleam  of  delight  flashed 
on  the  dark  features  of  the  captive,  when  Ruth  was  about 
to  place  in  his  hands  the  bow  of  her  own  son,  and,  by  signs 
and  words,  she  gave  him  to  understand  that  he  was  to  be 
permitted  to  use  it  in  the  free  air  of  the  forest.  But  the 
exhibition  of  pleasure  disappeared  as  quickly  as  it  had 
been  betrayed.  When  the  lad  received  the  weapons,  it  was 
rather  with  the  manner  of  a  hunter  accustomed,  to  then 
use,  than  of  one  to  whose  hands  they  had  so  long  been 
strangers.  As  he  left  the  gates  of  Wish-Ton-Wish,  the 
handmaidens  of  Ruth  clustered  about  him,  in  wondering 
interest ;  for  it  was  strange  to  see  a  youth  so  long  guarded 
with  jealous  care,  again  free  and  unwatched.  Notwith- 
standing their  ordinary  dependence  on  the  secret  lights 
and  great  wisdom  of  the  Puritan,  there  was  a  very  gen- 
eral impression  that  the  lad,  around  whose  presence  there 
was  so  much  that  was  mysterious  and  of  interest  to  their 
own  security,  was  now  to  be  gazed  upon  for  the  last  time. 
The  boy  himself  was  unmoved  to  the  last.  Still  he  paused, 
with  his  foot  on  the  threshold  of  the  dwelling,  and  appeared 
to  regard  Ruth  and  her  young  offspring  with  momentary 
concern.  Then,  assuming  the  calm  air  of  an  Indian  warrior, 
he  suffered  his  eye  to  grow  cold  and  vacant,  following  with 
a  nimble  step  the  hunters  who  were  already  passing  with- 
out the  palisadoes. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

"Well,  I  am  your  theme  ;  you  have  the  start  of  me.  I  am  dejected  ; 
I  am  not  able  to  answer  the  Welsh  flannel ;  ignorance  itself  is  a  plummet 
over  me  :  use  me  as  you  will. " — Merry  Wives  of  Windsor. 

POETS,  aided  by  the  general  longing  of  human  nature, 
have  given  a  reputation  to  the  spring  that  it  rarely  merits. 
Though  this  imaginative  class  of  writers  have  said  so  much 
of  its  balmy  airs  and  odoriferous  gales,  we  find  it  nearly 
everywhere  the  most  reluctant,  churlish,  and  fickle  of  the 
four  seasons.  It  is  the  youth  of  the  year,  and,  like  that 
probationary  period  of  life,  most  fitted  to  afford  the  promise 
of  better  things.  There  is  a  constant  struggle  between 
reality  and  hope  throughout  the  whole  of  this  slow-moving 


94  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WJSPf. 

and  treacherous  period,  which  has  an  unavoidable  tendency 
to  deceive.  All  that  is  said  of  its  grateful  productions  is 
fallacious,  for  the  earth  is  as  little  likely  to  yield  a  gen- 
erous tribute  without  the  quickening  influence  of  the  sum- 
mer heats,  as  man  is  wont  to  bring  forth  commendable 
fruits  without  the  agency  of  a  higher  moral  power  than 
any  he  possesses  in  virtue  of  his  innate  propensities.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  fall  of  the  year  possesses  a  sweetness, 
a  repose,  and  a  consistency,  which  may  be  justly  likened 
to  the  decline  of  a  well  spent  life.  It  is,  in  all  countries 
and  in  every  climate,  the  period  when  physical  and  moral 
causes  unite  to  furnish  the  richest  sources  of  enjoyment. 
If  the  spring  is  the  time  of  hope,  autumn  is  the  season  of 
fruition.  There  is  just  enough  of  change  to  give  zest  to 
the  current  of  existence,  while  there  is  too  little  of  vicissi- 
tude to  be  pregnant  of  disappointment.  Succeeding  to 
the  nakedness  of  winter,  the  spring  is  grateful  by  com- 
parison ;  while  the  glories  of  autumn  are  enjoyed  after 
the  genial  powers  of  summer  have  been  lavishly  expended. 

In  obedience  to  this  great  law  of  the  earth,  let  poets 
sing  and  fancy  as  they  may,  the  spring  and  autumn  of 
America  partake  largely  of  the  universally  distinctive 
characters  of  the  rival  seasons.  What  nature  has  done  on 
this  continent  has  not  been  done  niggardly  ;  and,  while  we 
may  boast  of  a  decline  of  the  year  that  certainly  rivals,  and, 
with  few  exceptions,  eclipses  the  glories  of  most  of  the 
climates  of  the  old  world,  the  opening  months  rarely  fail 
of  equalizing  the  gifts  of  Providence,  by  a  very  decided 
exhibition  of  all  the  disagreeable  qualities  for  which  they 
are  remarkable. 

More  than  half  a  year  had  elapsed,  between  the  time 
when  the  Indian  boy  had  been  found  lurking  in  the  valley 
of  the  Heathcotes,  and  that  day  when  he  was  first  per- 
mitted to  go  into  the  forest,  fettered  by  no  other  restraint 
than  the  moral  tie  which  the  owner  of  the  valley  either 
knew,  or  fancied,  would  not  fail  to  cause  him  to  return 
to  a  bondage  he  had  found  so  irksome.  It  was  April  ;  but 
it  was  April  as  the  month  was  known  a  century  ago  in 
Connecticut,  and  as  it  is  even  now  so  often  found  to  dis- 
appoint all  expectations  of  that  capricious  season  of  the 
year.  The  weather  had  returned  suddenly  and  violently 
to  the  rigor  of  winter.  A  thaw  had  been  succeeded  by 
a  storm  of  snow  and  sleet,  and  the  interlude  of  the  spring- 
time of  blossoms  had  terminated  with  a  biting  gale  from 
the  northwest,  which  had  apparently  placed  a  perma* 


THE  WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  95 

nent  seal  on  the  lingering  presence  of  a  second  Febru. 
ary. 

On  the  morning  that  Content  led  his  followers  into  the 
forest,  they  issued  from  the  postern  clad  in  coats  of  skin. 
Their  lower  limbs  were  protected  by  the  coarse  leggings 
which  they  had  worn  in  so  many  previous  hunts  during 
the  past  winter,  if  that  might  be  called  past  which  had  re- 
turned, weakened  but  little  of  its  keenness,  and  bearing 
all  the  outward  marks  of  January.  When  last  seen, 
Eben  Dudley,  the  heaviest  of  the  band,  was  moving  firmly 
on  the  crust  of  the  snow,  with  a  step  as  sure  as  if  he  had 
trodden  on  the  frozen  earth  itself.  More  than  one  of 
the  maidens  declared,  that  though  they  had  endeavored 
to  trace  the  footsteps  of  the  hunters  from  the  palisadoes, 
it  would  have  exceeded  even  the  sagacity  of  an  Indian  eye 
to  follow  their  trail  along  the  icy  path  they  travelled. 

Hour  after  hour  passed  without  bringing  tidings  from 
the  chase.  The  reports  of  fire-arms  had  indeed  been  oc- 
casionally heard,  ringing  among  the  arches  of  the  woods  ; 
and  broken  echoes  were,  for  some  hours,  rolling  from  one 
recess  of  the  hills  to  another.  But  even  these  signs  of  the 
presence  of  the  hunters  gradually  receded  with  the  advance 
of  the  day  ;  and,  long  ere  the  sun  had  gained  the  meridian, 
and  its  warmth,  at  that  advanced  season  not  without  power, 
was  shed  into  the  valley,  the  whole  range  of  the  adjoining 
forest  lay  in  its  ordinary  dull  and  solemn  silence. 

The  incident  of  the  hunt,  apart  from  the  absence  of  the 
Indian  boy,  was  one  of  too  common  occurrence  to  give 
birth  to  any  particular  motives  of  excitement.  Ruth  quietly 
busied  herself  among  herwomen,  and  when  the  recollection 
of  those  who  \vere  scouring  the  neighboring  forest  came 
at  all  to  her  mind,  it  was  coupled  with  the  care  with  which 
she  was  providing  to  administer  to  their  comforts,  after  the 
fatigue  of  a  day  of  extraordinary  personal  efforts.  This 
was  a  duty  never  lightly  performed.  Her  situation  was 
one  eminently  fitted  to  foster  the  best  affections  of  woman, 
since  it  admitted  of  few  temptations  to  yield  to  other  than 
the  most  natural  feeling  ;  she  was,  in  consequence,  known 
on  all  occasions  to  exercise  them  with  the  devotedness  of 
her  sex. 

"  Thy  father  and  his  companions  will  look  on  our  care 
with  pleasure,"  said  the  thoughtful  matron  to  her  youthful 
image,  as  she  directed  a  more  than  usual  provision  of  her 
larder  to  be  got  in  readiness  for  the  hunters  ;  "  home  is 
ever  sweetest  after  toil  and  exposure." 


56  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

"  I  doubt  if  Mark  be  not  ready  to  faint  with  so  weary  a 
march,"  said  the  child  already  introduced  by  the  name  of 
Martha  ;  "  he  is  young  to  go  into  the  woods,  with  scouters 
tall  as  great  Dudley." 

"And  the  heathen,"  added  the  little  Ruth,  "he  is  young, 
too,  as  Mark,  though  more  used  to  the  toil.  It  may  be,' 
mother,  that  he  will  never  come  to  us  more !  " 

11  That  would  grieve  our  venerable  parent  ;  for  thou 
knowest,  Ruth,  that  he  hath  hopes  of  working  on  the  mind 
of  the  boy,  until  his  savage  nature  shall  yield  to  the  secret 
power.  But  the  sun  is  falling  behind  the  hill,  and  the 
evening  is  coming  in  cool  as  winter  ;  go  to  the  postern,  and 
look  out  upon  the  fields.  I  would  know  if  there  be  any 
signs  of  thy  father  and  his  party." 

Though  Ruth  gave  this  mandate  to  her  daughter,  she  did 
not  the  less  neglect  to  exercise  her  own  faculties  in  the 
same  grateful  office.  While  the  children  went,  as  they 
were  ordered,  to  the  outer  gate,  the  matron  herself  ascend- 
ed to  the  lower  apartment  of  the  block,  and,  from  its  differ- 
ent loops,  she  took  a  long  and  anxious  survey  of  the  limited 
prospect.  The  shadows  of  the  trees  that  lined  the  western 
side  of  the  view,  were  already  thrown  far  across  the  broad 
sheet  of  frozen  show,  and  the  sudden  chill  which  succeeded 
the  disappearance  of  the  sun  announced  the  rapid  approach 
of  a  night  that  promised  to  support  the  severe  character 
of  the  past  day.  A  freezing  wind,  which  had  brought  with 
it  the  cold  airs  of  the  great  lakes,  and  which  had  even 
triumphed  over  the  more  natural  influence  of  an  April 
sun,  had,  however,  fallen,  leaving  a  temperature  not  unlike 
that  which  dwells  in  the  milder  seasons  of  the  year  among 
the  glaciers  of  the  upper  Alps. 

Ruth  was  too  long  accustomed  to  such  forest  scenes,  and 
to  such  a  "  lingering  of  winter  in  the  lap  of  May,"  to  feel, 
on  their  account,  any  additional  uneasiness.  But  the  hour 
had  now  arrived  when  she  had  reason  to  look  for  the  re- 
turn of  the  hunters.  With  the  expectation  of  seeing  their 
forms  issuing  from  the  forest,  came  the  anxiety  which  is  an 
unavoidable  attendant  of  disappointment.  The  shadows 
continued  to  deepen  in  the  valley,  until  the  gloom  thick- 
ened to  the  darkness  of  night,  without  bringing  any  tidings 
from  those  without. 

When  a  delay,  which  was  unusual  in  the  members  of  a 
family  circumstanced  like  that  of  the  Wish-Ton-Wish,  came 
to  be  coupled  with  various  little  observations  that  had  been 
made  during  the  day,  it  was  thought  that  reasons  for  alarm 


THE  WEPT  OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  97 

were  beginning,  at  each  instant,  to  grow  more  plausible. 
Reports  of  fire-arms  had  been  heard,  at  an  early  hour,  from 
opposite  points  in  the  hills,  and  in  a  manner  too  distinct  to 
be  mistaken  for  echoes  ;-a  certain  proof  that  the  different 
members  of  the  hunt  had  separated  in  the  forest.  Under 
such  circumstances,  it  was  not  difficult  for  the  imagination 
of  a  wife  and  a  mother,  of  a  sister,  or  of  her  who  secretly 
confessed  a  still  more  tender  interest  in  some  one  of  the 
hunters,  to  conjure  to  the  imagination  the  numberless  dan- 
gers to  which  those  who  were  engaged  in  these  expeditions 
were  known  to  be  exposed. 

"  I  doubt  that  the  chase  hath  drawn  them  further  from 
the  valley  than  is  fitting  for  the  hour  and  the  season,"  ob- 
served Ruth  to  her  maidens,  who  had  gathered  in  a  group 
about  her,  at  a  point  that  overlooked  as  much  of  the 
cleared  land  around  the  buildings  as  the  darkness  would 
allow  ;  "the  gravest  man  becomes  thoughtless  as  the  unre- 
flecting child,  when  led  by  the  eagerness  of  the  pursuit.  It 
is  the  duty  of  older  heads  to  think  for  those  that  want  expe- 
rience— but  into  what  indiscreet  complaints  are  my  fears 
leading  !  It  may  be  that  my  husband  is  even  now  striving 
to  collect  his  party,  in  order  to  return.  Have  any  heard  his 
conch  sounding  the  recall  ?" 

"  The  woods  are  still  as  the  day  the  first  echo  of  the  axe 
was  heard  among  the  trees,"  returned  Faith.  "  I  did  hear 
that  which  sounded  like  a  strain  of  brawling  Dudley's  songs, 
but  it  proved  to  be  no  more  than  the  lowing  of  one  of  his 
own  oxen.  Perchance  the  animal  misseth  some  of  his  mas- 
ter's care." 

"  Whittal  Ring  hath  looked  to  the  beasts,  and  it  may  not 
be  that  he  hath  neglected  to  feed,  among  others,  the  creat- 
ures of  Dudley.  Thy  mind  is  given  to  levity,  Faith,  in  the 
matter  of  this  young  man.  It  is  not  seemly  that  one  of  thy 
years  and  sex  should  manifest  so  great  displeasure  at  the 
name  of  a  youth,  who  is  of  an  honest  nature,  and  of  honest 
habits,  too,  though  he  may  appear  ungainly  to  the  eye,  and 
have  so  little  favor  with  one  of  thy  disposition." 

"  I  did  not  fashion  the  man,"  said  Faith,  biting  her  lip, 
and  tossing  her  head  ;  "  nor  is  it  aught  to  me  whether  he 
be  gainly  or  not.  As  to  my  favor,  when  he  asks  it,  the 
man  shall  not  wait  long  to  know  the  answer.  But  is  not 
yon  figure  the  fellow  himself,  Madame  Heathcote  ? — here, 
coming  in  from  the  eastern  hill,  along  the  orchard  path. 
The  form  I  mean  is  just  here  ;  you  may  see  it,  at  this  mo- 
ment,  turning  by  the  bend  in  the  brook." 


98  THE   WEPT  OF  WISH-TON- WISH. 

"  There  is  one  of  a  certainty,  and  it  should  be  one  of  our 
hunting  party,  too  ;  and  yet  he  doth  not  seem  to  be  of  a 
size  or  of  a  gait  like  that  of  Eben  Dudley.  Thou  should'st 
have  a  knowledge  of  thy  kindred,  girl ;  to  me  it  seeineth 
thy  brother." 

"  Truly,  it  may  be  Reuben  Ring  ;  still  it  hath  much  of 
the  swagger  of  the  other,  though  their  stature  be  nearly 
equal  ;  the  manner  of  carrying  the  musket  is  much  the 
same  with  all  the  borderers  too  ;  one  cannot  easily  tell  the 
form  of  a  man  from  a  stump,  by  this  light,  and  yet  do  I 
think  it  will  prove  to  be  the  loitering  Dudley." 

'•  Loiterer  or  not,  he  is  the  first  to  return  from  this  long 
and  weary  chase,"  said  Ruth,  breathing  heavily,  like  one 
who  regretted  that  the  truth  were  so.  "  Go  thou  to  the 
postern,  and  admit  him,  girl.  I  ordered  bolts  to  be  drawn, 
for  I  like  not  to  leave  a  fortress  defended  by  a  female  gar- 
rison, at  this  hour,  \vith  open  gates.  I  will  hie  to  the 
dwelling  and  see  to  the  comforts  of  those  who  are  a-hun- 
gered,  since  it  will  not  be  long  ere  we  shall  have  more  of 
them  at  hand." 

Faith  complied,  with  affected  indifference  and  sufficient 
delay.  By  the  time  she  had  reached  the  place  of  admis- 
sion, a  form  was  seen  ascending  the  acclivity,  and  taking 
the  direction  which  led  to  the  same  spot.  In  the  next 
minute  a  rude  effort  to  enter  announced  an  arrival  with- 
out. 

"Gently,  Master  Dudley,"  said  the  wilful  girl,  who  held 
the  bolt  with  one  hand,  though  she  maliciously  delayed  to 
remove  it.  "  We  know  thou  art  powerful  of  arm,  and  yet 
the  palisadoes  will  scarcely  fall  at  thy  touch.  Here  are'no 
Sampsons  to  pull  down  the  pillars  on  our  heads.  Perhaps 
we  may  not  be  disposed  to  give  entrance  to  them  who  stay 
abroad  out  of  all  season." 

"  Open  the  postern,  girl,"  said  Eben  Dudley ;  "  after 
which,  if  thou  hast  aught  to  say,  we  shall  be  better  con- 
venienced  for  discourse." 

"  It  may  be  that  thy  conversation  is  most  agreeable  when 
heard  from  without.  Render  an  account  of  thy  backslid- 
ings,  throughout  this  day,  penitent  Dudley,  that  I  may 
take  pity  on  thy  weariness.  But  lest  hunger  should  have 
overcome  thy  memory,  I  may  serve  to  help  thee  to  the 
particulars.  The  first  of  thy  offences  was  to  consume  more 
than  thy  portion  of  the  cold  meats  ;  the  second  was  to 
suffer  Reuben  Ring  to  kill  the  deer,  and  for  thee  to  claim 
it ;  and  a  third  was  a  trick  thou  hast  of  listening  so  much 


THE  WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-W1SH.  99 

to  thine  own  voice,  that  even  the  beasts  fled  thee,  from  dis- 
like of  thy  noise." 

"Thou  triflest  unseasonably,  Faith;  I  would  speak  with 
the  captain  without  delay." 

"  It  may  be  that  he  is  better  employed  than  to  desire 
such  company.  Thou  art  not  the  only  strange  animal  by 
many  who  hath  roared  at  the  gate  of  Wish-Ton-Wish." 

"  Have  any  come  within  the  day,  Faith  ?"  demanded  the 
borderer,  with  the  interest  such  an  event  would  be  likely 
to  create  in  the  mind  of  one  who  habitually  lived  in  so 
great  retirement. 

"  What  sayest  thou  to  a  second  visit  from  the  gentle- 
spoken  stranger?  he  who  favored  us  with  so  much  gay  dis- 
course, the  by-gone  fall  of  the  year.  That  would  be  a 
guest  fit  to  receive  !  I  warrant  me  his  knock  would  not  be 
heard  a  second  time." 

"  The  gallant  had  better  beware  the  moon  !  "  exclaimed 
Dudley,  striking  the  butt  of  his  musket  against  the  ice  with 
so  much  force  as  to  cause  his  companion  to  start  in  alarm, 
"  What  fool's  errand  hath  again  brought  him  to  prick  his 
nag  so  deep  into  the  forest  ?" 

"  Nay,  thy  wit  is  ever  like  the  unbroken  colt,  a  head- 
strong run-away.  I  said  not,  in  full  meaning,  that  the  man 
had  come  ;  I  only  invited  tiiee  to  give  an  opinion  in  the 
event  that  he  should  arrive  unexpectedly,  though  I  am 
far  from  certain  that  any  here  ever  expect  to  see  his  face 
again." 

"  This  is  foolish  prating,"  returned  the  youth,  provoked 
at  the  exhibition  of  jealousy  into  which  he  had  been  in- 
cautiously betrayed.  "  I  tell  thee  to  withdraw  the  bolt, 
for  I  have  great  need  to  speak  with  the  captain,  or  with  his 
son." 

"  Thou  may'st  open  thy  mind  to  the  first,  if  he  will  listen 
to  what  thou  hast  to  say,"  returned  the  girl,  removing  the 
impediment  to  his  entrance  ;  "  but  thou  wilt  sooner  get  the 
ear  of  the  other  by  remaining  at  the  gate,  since  he  has  not 
yet  come  in  from  the  forest." 

Dudley  recoiled  a  pace,  and  repeated  her  words  in  the 
tone  of  one  who  admitted  a  feeling  of  alarm  to  mingle  with 
his  surprise. 

"Not  in  from  the  forest!"  he  said;  "surely  there  are 
none  abroad,  now  that  I  am  home !  " 

"  Why  dost  say  it  ?  I  have  put  my  jibe  upon  thee  more 
in  payment  of  ancient  transgressions  than  for  any  present 
offence.  So  far  from  being  last,  thou  art  the  first  of  the 


loo  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

hunters  we  have  yet  seen.  Go  in  to  the  Madam  without 
delay,  and  tell  her  of  the  danger,  if  any  there  be,  that  we" 
take  speedy  measures  for  our  safety." 

"  That  would  do  little  good,  truly,"  muttered  the  borderer, 
like  one  musing.  "  Stay  thou  here,  and  watch  the  postern, 
Faith  ;  I  will  back  to  the  woods  ;  for  a  timely  word  or  a 
signal  blow  from  my  conch  might  quicken  their  footsteps." 

"  What  madness  hath  beset  thee,  Dudley  !  Thou  would'st 
not  go  into  the  forest  again,  at  this  hour,  and  alone,  if 
there  be  reason  for  fear  !  Come  further  within  the  gate, 
man,  that  I  may  draw  the  bolt.  The  Madam  will  wonder 
that  we  tarry  here  so  long." 

"  Ha  ! — I  hear  feet  moving  in  the  meadow  ;  I  know  it 
by  the  creaking  of  the  snow  ;  the  others  are  not  lagging." 

Notwithstanding  the  apparent  certainty  of  the  young 
man,  instead  of  going  forth  to  meet  his  friends,  he  with- 
drew a  step,  and  with  his  own  hand  drew  the  bolt  that 
Faith  had  just  desired  might  be  fastened  ;  taking  care  at 
the  same  time  to  let  fall  a  swinging  bar'  of  wood,  which 
gave  additional  security  to  the  fastenings  of  the  postern. 
His  apprehensions,  if  any  such  had  induced  this  caution, 
were  however  unnecessary  ;  for  ere  he  had  time  to  make, 
or  even  to  reflect  on  any  further  movement,  admission  was 
demanded  in  the  well-known  voice  of  the  son  of  him  who 
owned  the  valley.  The  bustle  of  the  arrival — for  with  Con- 
tent entered  a  group  of  companions  loaded  with  venison, 
put  an  end  to  the  dialogue.  Faith  seized  the  opportunity 
to  glide  away  in  the  obscurity,  in  order  to  announce  to  her 
mistress  that  the  hunters  had  returned — an  office  that  she 
performed  without  entering  at  all  into  the  particulars  of 
her  own  interview  with  Eben  Dudley. 

It  is  needless  to  dwell  on  the  satisfaction  with  which 
Ruth  received  her  husband  and  son,  after  the  uneasiness 
she  had  just  suffered.  Though  the  severe  manners  of  the 
province  admitted  of  no  violent  exhibition  of  passing 
emotions,  secret  joy  was  reigning  in  the  mild  eyes,  and 
glowing  about  the  flushed  cheeks  of  the  discreet''  matron, 
while  she  personally  officiated  in  the  offices  of  the  evening 
meal. 

The  party  had  returned,  teeming  with  no  extraordinary 
incidents  ;  nor  did  they  appear  to  be  disturbed  with  any  of 
that  seriousness  of  air  which  had  so  unequivocally  charac- 
terized the  deportment  of  him  who  had  preceded  them. 
On  the  contrary,  each  had  his  quiet  tale  to  relate,  now 
perhaps  at  the  expense  of  a  luckless  companion,  and  some. 


THE  WEPT  OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  lot 

times  in  order  that  no  part  of  his  own  individual  skill  as  a 
hunter  should  be  unknown.  The  delay  was  accounted  for, 
as  similar  delays  are  commonly  explained,  by  distance  and 
the  temptations  of  an  unusually  successful  chase.  As  the 
appetites  of  those  who  had  spent  the  day  in  the  exciting 
toil  were  keen,  and  the  viands  tempting,  the  first  half-hour 
passed  quickly,  as  all  such  half-hours  are  wont  to  pass,  in 
garrulous  recitals  of  personal  exploits,  and  of  the  hair- 
breadth escapes  of  deer,  which,  had  fortune  not  been 
fickle,  should  have  now  been  present  as  trophies  of  the 
skill  of  the  hand  by  which  they  fell.  It  was  only  after 
personal  vanity  was  sufficiently  appeased,  and  when  the 
hunger  even  of  a  border-man  could  achieve  no  more,  that 
the  hunters  began  to  look  about  them  with  a  diminished 
excitement,  and  to  discuss  the  events  of  the  day  with  a 
fitting  calmness,  and  with  a  discretion  more  suited  to 
their  ordinary  self-command. 

"  We  lost  the  sound  of  thy  conch,  wandering  Dudley,  as 
we  fell  into  the  deep  hollow  of  the  mountain,"  said  Con- 
tent, in  a  pause  of  the  discourse;  " since  which  time, 
neither  eye  nor  ear  of  any  has  had  trace  of  thy  move- 
ments, until  we  met  thee  at  the  postern,  stationed  like  a 
looker-out  on  his  watch." 

The  individual  addressed  had  mingled  in  none  of  the 
gayety  of  the  hour.  While  others  fed  freely,  or  joined  in 
the  quiet  joke,  which  could  escape  the  lips  of  even  men 
chastened  as  his  companions,  Eben  Dudley  had  tasted  spar- 
ingly of  the  viands.  Nor  had  the  muscles  of  his  hard  coun- 
tenance once  relaxed  in  a  smile.  A  gravity  and  a  silence 
so  extraordinary,  in  one  so  little  accustomed  to  exhibit 
either  quality,  did  not  fail  to  attract  attention.  It  was  uni- 
versally ascribed  to  the  circumstance  that  he  had  returned 
empty-handed  from  the  hunt  ;  and  now  that  one  having 
authority  had  seen  fit  to  give  such  a  direction  to  the  dis- 
course, the  imaginary  delinquent  was  not  permitted  to  es- 
cape unscathed. 

"  The  butcher  had  little  to  do  with  this  day's  killing,'* 
said  one  of  the  young  men  ;  "  as  a  punishment  for  his  ab- 
sence from  the  slaughter,  he  should  be  made  to  go  on  the 
hill  and  bring  in  the  two  bucks  he  will  find  hanging  from 
a  maple  sapling  near  to  the  drinking  spring.  Our  meat 
should  pass  through  his  hands  in  some  fashion  or  other, 
else  will  it  lack  savor." 

"  Ever  since  the  death  of  the  straggling  wether,  the  trade 
of  Eben  hath  been  at  a  stand,"  added  another  ;  "  the  down- 


ro2  THE  WEPT   OF  WISH-TON- WISH. 

hearted  youth  seems  like  one  ready  to  give  up  his  calling 
to  the  first  stranger  that  shall  ask  it." 

"  Creatures  which  run  at  large  prove  better  mutton  than 
the  stalled  wether,"  continued  a  third  ;  "  and  thereby  cus- 
tom was  getting  low  before  this  hunt.  Beyond  a  doubt  he 
has  a  full  supply  for  all  who  shall  be  likely  to  seek  venison 
in  his  stall." 

Ruth  observed  the  countenance  of  her  husband  grew 
grave,  at  these  allusions  to  an  event  he  had  always  seemed 
to  wish  forgotten  ;  and  she  interposed  with  a  view  to  lead 
the  minds  of  those  who  listened,  back  to  matter  more  fit- 
ting to  be  discussed. 

"  How  is  this  ?  "  she  exclaimed  in  haste  ;  "  hath  the  stout 
Dudley  lost  any  of  his  craft  ?  I  have  never  counted  with 
greater  certainty  on  the  riches  of  the  table,  than  when  he 
hath  been  sent  among  the  hills  for  the  fat  deer  or  the  ten- 
der turkey.  It  would  much  grieve  me  to  learn  that  he  be- 
ginneth  to  lack  the  hunter's  skill." 

"  The  man  is  getting  melancholy  with  over-feeding," 
muttered  the  wilful  tones  of  one  busied  among  the  vessels 
in  a  distant  part  of  the  room.  "  He  taketh  his  exercise 
alone,  in  order  that  none  need  discover  the  failing.  I  think 
he  be  much  disposed  to  go  over  sea,  in  order  to  become  a 
trooper." 

Until  now,  the  subject  of  these  mirthful  attacks  had  lis- 
tened like  one  too  confident  of  his  established  reputation 
to  feel  concern,  but  at  the  sound  of  the  last  speaker's  voice, 
he  grasped  the  bushy  covering  of  one  entire  cheek  in  his 
hand,  and  turning  a  reproachful  and  irritated  glance  at  the 
already  half-repentant  eye  of  Faith  Ring,  all  his  natural 
spirit  returned. 

"It  maybe  that  my  skill  hath  left  me,"  he  said,  "and 
that  I  love  to  be  alone,  rather  than  to  be  troubled  with  the 
company  of  some  that  might  readily  be  named,  no  reference 
being  had  to  such  gallants  as  ride  up  and  down  the  colony, 
putting  evil  opinions  into  the  thoughts  of  honest  men's 
daughters  ;  but  why  is  Eben  Dudley  to  bear  all  the  small 
shot  of  your  humors,  when  there  is  another  who,  it  might 
seem,  hath  strayed  even  further  from  your  trail  than 
he  ? " 

Eye  sought  eye,  and  each  youth  by  hasty  glances  en- 
deavored to  read  the  countenances  of  all  the  rest  of  the 
company,  in  order  to  learn  wTho  the  absentee  might  be. 
The  young  borderers  shook  their  heads,  as  the  features  of 
every  well-known  face  were  recognized,  and  a  general  ex- 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  103 

clamation  of  denial  was  about  to  break  trom  their  lips, 
when  Ruth  exclaimed — 

"  Truly,  the  Indian  is  wanting  ! " 

So  constant  was  the  apprehension  of  danger  from  the 
savages,  in  the  breasts  of  those  who  dwelt  on  that  exposed 
frontier,  that  every  man  arose  at  the  words,  by  a  sudden 
and  common  impulse,  and  each  individual  gazed  about  him 
in  a  surprise  that  was  a  little  akin  to  dismay. 

"The  boy  was  with  us  when  we  quitted  the  forest,"  said 
Content,  after  a  moment  of  death-like  stillness.  "  I  spoke 
to  him  in  commendation  of  his  activity,  and  of  the  knowl- 
edge he  had  shown  in  beating  up  the  secret  places  of  the 
deer  ;  though  there  is  little  reason  to  think  my  words  were 
understood." 

"  And  were  it  not  sinful  to  take  such  solemn  evidence  in 
behalf  of  so  light  a  matter,  I  could  be  qualified  on  the  Book 
itself,  that  he  was  at  my  elbow  as  we  entered  the  orchard," 
added  Reuben  Ring,  a  man  renowned  in  that  little  commu- 
nity for  the  accuracy  of  his  vision. 

"And  I  will  make  oath  or  declaration  of  any  sort,  lawful 
or  conscientious,  that  he  came  not  within  the  postern  when 
it  was  opened  by  my  own  hand,"  returned  Eben  Dudley. 
"  I  told  off  the  number  of  the  party  as  you  passed,  and 
right  sure  am  I  that  no  red-skin  entered." 

"  Canst  thou  tell  us  aught  of  the  lad  ? "  demanded  Ruth, 
quick  to  take  the  alarm  on  a  subject  that  had  so  long  exer- 
cised her  care,  and  given  food  to  her  imagination. 

"  Nothing.  With  me  he  hath  not  been  seen  since  the 
turn  of  the  day.  I  have  not  seen  the  face  of  living  man 
from  that  moment,  unless  in  truth  one  of  mysterious  char- 
acter, whom  I  met  in  the  forest,  may  be  so  called." 

The  manner  in  which  the  woodsman  spoke  was  too  seri- 
ous and  too  natural,  not  to  give  birth  in  his  auditors  to 
some  of  his  own  gravity.  Perhaps  the  appearance  of  the 
Puritan,  at  that  moment,  aided  in  quieting  the  levity  that 
had  been  uppermost  in  the  minds  of  the  young  men  ;  for 
it  is  certain  that,  when  he  entered,  a  deeper  and  a  general 
curiosity  came  over  the  countenances  of  all  present.  Con- 
tent waited  a  moment  in  respectful  silence,  till  his  father 
had  moved  slowly  through  the  circle,  and  then  he  prepared 
himself  to  look  further  into  an  affair  that  began  to  assume 
the  appearance  of  matter  worthy  of  investigation. 


104  THE  WEPT  OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

"  Last  night  of  all, 

When  yon  same  star,  that's  westward  from  the  pole, 
Had  made  its  course  to  illume  that  part  of  heaven 
Where  now  it  burns,  Marcellus,  and  myself, 

The  bell  then  beating  one " 

" Peace,  break  thee  off  ;  look  where  it  comes  again." 

— Hamlet. 

IT  is  our  duty  as  faithful  historians  of  the  events  re- 
corded in  this  homely  legend,  to  conceal  no  circumstance 
which  may  throw  the  necessary  degree  of  light  on  its  inci- 
dents, nor  any  opinion  that  may  serve  for  the  better  instruc- 
tion of  the  reader  in  the  characters  of  its  actors.  In  order 
that  this  obligation  may  be  discharged  with  sufficient 
clearness  and  precision,  it  has  now  become  necessary  to 
make  a  short  digression  from  the  immediate  action  of  the 
tale. 

Enough  has  been  already  shown,  to  prove  that  the 
Heathcotes  lived  at  a  time,  and  in  a  country,  where 
very  quaint  and  peculiar  religious  dogmas  had  the  ascen- 
dency. At  a  period  when  visible  manifestations  of  the 
goodness  of  Providence,  not  only  in  spiritual  but  in  tem- 
poral gifts,  were  confidently  expected  and  openly  pro- 
claimed, it  is  not  at  all  surprising  that  more  evil  agencies 
should  be  thought  to  exercise  their  power  in  a  manner 
that  is  somewhat  opposed  to  the  experience  of  our  own 
age.  As  we  have  no  wish,  however,  to  make  these  pages 
the  vehicle  of  a  theological  or  metaphysical  controversy, 
we  shall  deal  tenderly  with  certain  important  events,  that 
most  of  the  writers  who  were  contemporary  with  the  facts, 
assert  took  place  in  the  colonies  of  New  England,  at  and 
about  the  period  of  which  we  are  now  writing.  It  is  suf- 
ficiently known  that  the  art  of  witchcraft,  and  one  even 
still  more  diabolical  and  direct  in  its  origin,  were  then  be- 
lieved to  flourish  in  that  quarter  of  the  world,  to  a  degree 
that  was  probably  in  a  very  just  proportion  to  the  neglect 
with  which  most  of  the  other  arts  of  life  were  treated." 

There  is  so  much  grave  and  respectable  authority  to 
prove  the  existence  of  these  evil  influences,  that  it  re- 
quires a  pen  hardier  than  any  we  wield,  to  attack  them 
without  a  suitable  motive.  "  Flashy  people,"  says  the 
learned  and  pious  Cotton  Mather,  Doctor  of  Divinity  and 


THE  WEPT  OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  10$ 

Fellow  of  the  Royal  Society,  "may  burlesque  these 
things  ;  but  when  hundreds  of  the  most  sober  people,  in 
a  country  where  they  have  as  much  mother  wit,  certainly, 
as  the  rest  of  mankind,  know  them  to  be  true,  nothing  but 
the  absurd  and  froward  spirit  of  Sadducism  can  question 
them."  Against  this  grave  and  credited  authority,,  we 
pretend  to  raise  no  question  of  scepticism.  We  submit  to 
the  testimony  of  such  a  writer  as  conclusive,  though  as 
credulity  is  sometimes  found  to  be  bounded  by  geographi- 
cal limits,  and  to  possess  something  of  a  national  charac- 
ter, it  may  be  prudent  to  refer  certain  readers  who  dwell  in 
the  other  hemisphere  to  the  common  law  of  England  on 
this  interesting  subject,  as  it  is  ingeniously  expounded  by 
Keeble,  and  approved  of  by  the  twelve  judges  of  that 
highly  civilized  and  enlightened  island.  With  this  brief 
reference  to  so  grave  authorities  in  support  of  what  we 
have  now  to  offer,  we  shall  return  to  the  matter  of  the  nar- 
rative, fully  trusting  that  its  incidents  will  throw  some  addi- 
tional light  on  the  subject  of  so  deep  and  so  general  con- 
cern. 

Content  waited  respectfully  until  his  father  had  taken 
his  seat,  and  then  perceiving  that  the  venerable  Puritan 
had  no  immediate  intention  of  moving  personally  in  the 
affair,  he  commenced  the  examination  of  his  dependent 
as  follows  ;  opening  the  matter  with  a  seriousness  that  was 
abundantly  warranted  by  the  gravity  of  the  subject  itself. 

"Thou  hast  spoken  of  one  met  in  the  forest,"  he  said  ; 
"  proceed  with  the  purport  of  that  interview,  and  tell  us  of 
what  manner  of  man  it  was." 

Thus  directly  interrogated,  Eben  Dudley  disposed  him- 
self to  give  a  full  and  satisfactory  answer.  First  casting  a 
glance  around,  so  as  to  embrace  every  curious  and  eager 
countenance,  and  letting  his  look  rest  a  little  longer  than 
common  on  a  half-interested,  half-incredulous,  and  some- 
what ironical  dark  eye,  that  was  riveted  on  his  own  from  a 
distant  corner  of  the  room,  he  commenced  his  statement  as 
follows  : 

"  It  is  known  to  you  all,"  said  the  borderer,  "  that  when 
we  had  gained  the  mountain-top  there  was  a  division  of  our 
numbers,  in  such  a  fashion  that  each  hunter  should  sweep 
his  own  range  of  the  forest,  in  order  that  neither  moose, 
deer,  nor  bear,  might  have  reasonable  chance  of  escape. 
Being  of  large  frame,  and  it  may  be  of  swifter  foot  than 
common,  the  young  captain  saw  fit  to  command  Reuben 
Ring  to  flank  one  end  of  the  line,  and  a  man,  who  is  nothing 


io6  THE  WEPT  OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

short  of  him  in  either  speed  or  strength,  to  do  the  same 
duty  on  the  other.  There  was  nothing  particularly  worthy 
of  mention  that  took  place  on  the  flank  I  held  for  the  first 
two  hours  ;  unless  indeed  the  fact,  that  three  several  times 
did  I  fall  upon  a  maze  of  well-beaten  deer-tracks,  that  *u 
often  led  to  nothing " 

fl  These  are  signs  common  to  the  woods,  and  ther  are  no 
more  than  so  many  proofs  that  the  animal  has  lU  opoits, 
like  any  other  playful  creature,  when  not  pressed  c_y  huiiger 
or  by  danger,"  quietly  observed  Content. 

"  I  pretend  not  to  take  those  deceitful  tracks  vnisch  into 
the  account,"  resumed  Dudley;  "but  shortly  aKer  losing 
the  sound  of  the  conchs,  I  roused  a  noble  buck  from  his 
lair  beneath  a  thicket  of  hemlocks,  and  having  the  game  in 
view,  the  chase  led  me  wide-off  toward  the  wilderness,  it 
may  have  been  the  distance  of  two  leagues." 

"And  in  all  that  time  had  you  no  fitting  moment  to 
strike  the  beast  ?  " 

"  None  whatever  ;  nor,  if  opportunity  had  besn  given, 
am  I  bold  to  say  that  hand  of  mine  would  have  bi,en  hardy 
enough  to  aim  at  its  life." 

"Was  there  aught  in  the  deer  that  a  hunter  should  seek 
to  spare  it  ?" 

"  There  was  that  in  the  deer,  that  might  bring  a  Christian 
man  to  much  serious  reflection." 

"  Deal  more  openly  with  the  nature  and  appearance  of 
the  animal,"  said  Content,  a  little  less  tranquil  than  usual; 
while  the  youths  and  maidens  placed  themselves  in  atti- 
tudes still  more  strongly  denoting  attention. 

Dudley  pondered  an  instant,  and  then  he  commenced  a 
less  equivocal  enumeration  of  what  he  conceived  to  be  the 
marvels  of  his  tale. 

"  Firstly,"  he  said,  "  there  was  no  trail,  neither  to  nor 
from  the  spot  where  the  creature  had  made  its  lair  ;  sec- 
ondly, when  roused,  it  took  not  the  alarm,  but  leaped 
sportingly  ahead,  taking  sufficient  care  to  be  beyond  the 
range  of  musket,  without  ever  becoming  hid  from  the  eye  ; 
and  lastly,  its  manner  of  disappearance  was  as  worthy  of 
mention  as  any  other  of  its  movements." 

"  And  in  what  manner  didst  thou  lose  the  creature  ? " 

"  I  had  gotten  it  upon  the  crest  of  a  hillock,  where  true 
eye  and  steady  hand  might  make  sure  of  a  buck  of  much 
smaller  size,  when — did'st  hear  aught  that  might  be  ac- 
counted wonderful,  at  a  season  of  the  year  when  the  snows 
are  still  lying  on  the  earth  ? " 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  107 

The  auditors  regarded  one  another  curiously,  each  ep- 
deavoring  to  recall  some  unwonted  sound  which  might  sus- 
tain a  narrative  that  was  fast  obtaining  the  seducing  inter- 
est of  the  marvellous. 

"Wast  sure,  Charity,  that  the  howl  we  heard  from  the 
forest  was  the  yell  of  the  beaten  hound  ?"  demanded  a  hand- 
maiden of  Ruth,  of  a  blue-eyed  companion,  who  seemed 
equally  well  disposed  to  contribute  her  share  of  evidence 
in  support  of  any  exciting  legend. 

"  It  might  have  been  other,"  was  the  answer  ;  "  though 
the  hunters  do  speak  of  their  having  beaten  the  pup  for 
restiveness." 

"  There  was  a  tumult  among  the  echoes  that  sounded 
like  the  noises  which  follow  the  uproar  of  a  falling  tree," 
said  Ruth,  thoughtfully.  "  I  remember  to  have  asked  if  it 
might  not  be  that  some  fierce  beast  had  caused  a  general 
discharge  of  the  musketry,  but  my  father  was  of  opinion 
that  death  had  undermined  some  heavy  oak." 

"At  what  hour  might  this  have  happened  ?" 

"It  was  past  the  turn  of  the  day  ;  for  it  was  at  the  mo- 
ment I  bethought  me  of  the  hunger  of  those  who  had  toiled 
since  light  in  the  hills." 

"  That  then  was  the  sound  I  mean.  It  came  not  from 
falling  tree,  but  was  uttered  in  the  air,  far  above  all  for- 
ests. -.  Had  it  been  heard  by  one  better  skilled  in  the  se- 
crets of  nature " 

"  He  would  say  it  thundered,"  interrupted  Faith  Ring, 
who,  unlike  most  of  the  other  listeners,  manifested  little  of 
the  quality  which  was  expressed  by  her  name.  "  Truly, 
Eben  Dudley  hath  done  marvels  in  this  hunt  ;  he  hath  come 
in  with  a  thunderbolt  in  his  head,  instead  of  a  fat  buck  on 
his  shoulders  ! " 

"  Speak  reverently,  girl,  of  that  thou  dost  not  compre- 
hend," said  Mark  Heathcote,  with  stern  authority.  "  Mar- 
vels are  manifested  equally  to  the  ignorant  and  to  the 
learned  ;  and  although  vain-minded  pretenders  to  philoso- 
phy affirm  that  the  warring  of  the  elements  is  no  more  than 
nature  working  out  its  own  purification,  yet  do  we  know, 
from  all  ancient  authorities,  that  other  manifestations  are 
therein  exhibited.  Satan  may  have  control  over  the  maga- 
zines of  the  air  ;  he  can  'let  off  the  ordnance  of  Heaven.' 
That  'the  Prince  of  the  Powers  of  Darkness'  hath  as  good 
a  share  in  chemistry  as  goes  to  the  making  of  aurum 
fulminans,  is  asserted  by  one  of  the  wisest  writers  of  out 
age." 


io8  THE  WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

From  this  declaration,  and  more  particularly  from  the 
learning  discovered  in  the  Puritan's  speech,  there  was  no 
one  so  hardy  as  to  dissent.  Faith  was  glad  to  shrink  back 
among  the  bevy  of  awe-struck  maidens,  while  Content,  after 
a  sufficiently  respectful  pause,  invited  the  woodsman,  who 
was  yet  teeming  with  the  most  important  part  of  his  com- 
munication, to  proceed. 

"While  my  eye  was  searching  for  the  lightning  which 
should  in  reason  have  attended  that  thunder,  had  it  been 
uttered  in  the  manner  of  nature,  the  buck  had  vanished  ; 
and  when  I  rushed  upon  the  hillock,  in  order  to  keep  the 
game  in  view,  a  man  mounting  its  opposite  side  came  so 
suddenly  upon  me,  that  our  muskets  were  at  each  other's 
breasts  before  either  had  time  for  speech." 

"What  manner  of  man  was  he  ? " 

"  So  far  as  human  judgment  might  determine,  he  seemed 
a  traveller,  who  was  endeavoring  to  push  through  the  wil- 
derness, from  the  towns  below  to  the  distant  settlements  of 
the  Bay  Province  ;  but  I  account  it  exceedingly  wonderful 
that  the  trail  of  a  leaping  buck  should  have  brought  us 
together  in  so  unwonted  a  manner  !  " 

"  And  didst  thou  see  aught  of  the  deer,  after  that  encoun- 
ter?" 

"  In  the  first  hurry  of  the  surprise,  it  did  certainly  appear 
as  if  an  animal  were  bounding  along  the  wood  into  a  distant 
thicket ;  but  it  is  known  how  readily  one  may  be  led  by 
seeming  probabilities  into  a  false  conclusion,  and  so  I 
account  that  glimpse  a  delusion.  No  doubt  the  animal 
having  done  that  which  it  was  commissioned  to  perform,  did 
then  and  there  disappear,  in  the  manner  I  have  named." 

"  It  might  have  been  thus.  And  the  stranger — had  you 
discourse  with  him  before  parting  ? " 

"We  tarried  together  a  short  hour.  He  related  much 
marvellous  matter  of  the  experiences  of  the  people  near 
the  sea.  According  to  the  testimony  of  the  stranger,  the 
Powers  of  Darkness  have  been  manifested  in  the  provinces 
in  a  hideous  fashion.  Numberless  of  the  believers  have 
been  persecuted  by  the  invisibles,  and  greatly  have  they 
endured  suffering,  both  in  soul  and  body." 

"  Of  all  this  have  I  witnessed  surprising  instances  in  my 
day,"  said  Mark  Heathcote,  breaking  the  awful  stillness 
that  succeeded  the  annunciation  of  so  heavy  a  visitation 
on  the  peace  of  the  colony,  with  his  deep-toned  and  im- 
posing voice.  "  Did  he  with  whom  you  conferred,  enter 
Into  the  particulars  of  the  trials  ?  " 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  109 

"  He  spoke  also  of  certain  other  signs  that  are  thought 
to  foretell  the  coming  of  trouble.  When  I  named  the 
weary  chase  that  i  had  made,  and  the  sound  which  came 
from  the  air,  he  said  that  these  would  be  accounted  trifles 
in  the  towns  of  the  Bay,  where  the  thunder  and  its  light- 
nings had  done  much  evil  work  the  past  season,  Satan  hav- 
ing especially  shown  his  spite  by  causing  them  to  do  in- 
jury to  the  houses  of  the  Lord." 

''There  has  long  been  reason  to  think  that  the  pilgrim- 
age of  the  righteous  into  these  wilds,  will  be  visited  by 
some  fierce  opposition  of  those  envious  natures,  which,  fos- 
tering evil  themselves,  cannot  brook  to  look  upon  the  toil- 
ing of  such  as  strive  to  keep  the  narrow  path.  We  will 
now  resort  to  the  only  weapon  it  is  permitted  us  to  wield 
in  this  controversy,  but  which,  when  handled  with  diligence 
and  zeal,  never  fails  to  lead  to  victory." 

So  saying,  without  waiting  to  hear  more  of  the  tale  of 
Eben  Dudley,  old  Mark  Heathcote  arose,  and  assuming 
the  upright  attitude  usual  among  the  people  of  his  sect,  he 
addressed  himself  to  prayer.  The  grave  and  awe-struck 
but  deeply  confiding  congregation  imitated  his  example, 
and  the  lips  of  the  Puritan  had  parted  in  the  act  of  utter- 
ance, when  a  low,  faltering  note,  like  that  produced  by  a 
wind  instrument,  rose  on  the  outer  air,  and  penetrated  to 
the  place  where  the  family  was  assembled.  A  conch  was 
suspended  at  the  postern,  in  readiness  to  be  used  by  any  of 
the  family  whom  accident  or  occupation  should  detain  be- 
yond the  usual  hour  of  closing  the  gates  ;  and  both  by  the 
direction  and  nature  of  this  interruption,  it  would  seem 
that  an  applicant  for  admission  stood  at  the  portal.  The 
effect  on  the  auditors  was  general  and  instantaneous.  Not- 
withstanding the  recent  dialogue,  the  young  men  involun- 
tarily sought  their  arms,  while  the  startled  females  hud- 
dled together  like  a  flock  of  trembling  and  timid  deer. 

"There  is,  of  a  certainty,  a  signal  from  without!  "  Con- 
tent at  length  observed,  after  waiting  to  suffer  the  sounds 
to  die  away  among  the  angles  of  the  buildings.  "  Some 
hunter  who  hath  strayed  from  his  path,  claimeth  hospital- 
ity." 

Eben  Dudley  shook  his  head  like  one  who  dissented  ;  but, 
having  with  all  the  other  youths  grasped  his  musket,  he 
stood  as  undetermined  as  the  rest  concerning  the  course  it 
was  proper  to  pursue.  It  is  uncertain  how  long  this  inde- 
cision might  have  continued,  had  no  further  summons 
been  given  ;  but  he  without  appeared  too  impatient  of  de- 


no  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

lay  to  suffer  much  time  to  be  lost.  The  conch  sounded 
again,  and  with  far  better  success  than  before.  The  blast 
was  longer,  louder,  and  bolder,  than  that  which  had  first 
pierced  the  walls  of  the  dwelling,  rising  full  and  rich  on 
the  air,  as  though  one  well  practised  in  the  use  of  the  in- 
strument had  placed  lips  to  the  shell. 

Content  would  scarcely  have  presumed  to  disobey  a 
mandate  coming  from  his  father,  had  it  been  little  in  con- 
formity with  his  own  intentions.  But  second  thoughts  had 
already  shown  him  the  necessity  of  decision,  and  he  was  in 
the  act  of  motioning  to  Dudley  and  Reuben  Ring  to  fol- 
low, when  the  Puritan  bade  him  look  to  the  matter.  Mak- 
ing a  sign  for  the  rest  of  the  family  to  remain  where  they 
were,  and  arming  himself  with  a  musket  which  had  more 
than  once  that  day  been  proved  to  be  of  certain  aim,  he 
led  the  way  to  the  postern  which  has  already  been  so  of- 
ten mentioned. 

"  Who  sounds  at  my  gate  ? "  demanded  Content,  when 
he  and  his  followers  had  gained  a  position,  under  cover  of 
a  low  earthen  mound  erected  expressly  for  the  purpose  of 
commanding  the  entrance  ;  "  who  summons  a  peaceful 
family,  at  this  hour  of  the  night,  to  their  outer  defences  ? " 

"  One  who  hath  need  of  what  he  asketh,  or  he  would 
not  disturb  thy  quiet,"  was  the  answer.  "  Open  the  pos- 
tern, Master  Heathcote,  without  fear  ;  it  is  a  brother  in 
the  faith,  and  a  subject  of  the  same  laws,  that  asketh  the 
boon." 

"  Here  is  truly  a  Christian  man  without,"  said  Content, 
hurrying  to  the  postern,  which,  without  a  moment's  delay, 
he  threw  freely  open,  saying  as  he  did  so,  "enter  of 
Heaven's  mercy,  and  be  welcome  to  that  we  have  to  be- 
stow." 

A  tall,  and,  by  his  tread,  a  heavy  man,  wrapped  in  a 
riding  cloak,  bpwed  to  the  greeting,  and  immediately 
passed  beneath  the  low  lintel.  Every  eye  was  keenly  fast- 
ened on  the  stranger,  who,  after  ascending  the  acclivity  a 
short  distance,  paused,  while  the  young  men,  under  their 
master's  orders,  carefully  and  scrupulously  renewed  the 
fastenings  of  the  gate.  When  bolts  and  bars  had  done 
their  office,  Content  joined  his  guest  ;  and  after  making 
another  fruitless  effort,  by  the  feeble  light  which  fell  from 
the  stars,  to  scan  his  person,  he  said,  iii  his  own  meek  and 
quiet  manner — 

"  Thou  must  have  great  need  of  warmth  and  nourish- 
ment. The  distance  from  this  valley  to  the  nearest  habita- 


THE  WEPT  OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  in 

tion  is  wearisome,  and  one  who  hath  journeyed  it,  in  a  sea- 
son like  this,  may  well  be  nigh  fainting.  Follow,  and  deal 
with  that  we  have  to  bestow  as  fieely  as  if  it  were  thine 
own." 

Although  the  stranger  manifested  none  of  that  impa- 
tience which  the  heir  of  the  Wish-Ton-Wish  appeared  to 
think  one  so  situated  might  in  all  reason  feel,  thus  invited 
he  did  not  hesitate  to  comply.  As  he  followed  in  the  foot- 
steps of  his  host,  his  tread,  however,  was  leisurely  and  dig- 
nified ;  and,  once  or  twice,  when  the  other  half  delayed  in 
order  to  make  some  passing  observation  of  courtesy,  he 
betrayed  no  indiscreet  anxiety  to  enter  on  those  personal 
indulgences  which  might  in  reality  prove  so  grateful  to 
one  who  had  journeyed  far  in  an  inclement  season,  and 
along  a  road  where  neither  dwelling  nor  security  invited 
repose. 

"  Here  is  warmth  and  a  peaceful  welcome,"  pursued 
Content,  ushering  his  guest  into  the  centre  of  a  group  of 
fearfully  anxious  faces.  "  In  a  little  time,  other  matters 
shall  be  added  to  thy  comfort." 

When  the  stranger  found  himself  under  the  glare  of  a 
powerful  light,  and  confronted  to  so  many  curious  and 
wondering  eyes,  for  a  single  instant  he  hesitated.  Then 
stepping  calmly  forward,  he  cast  the  short  riding-cloak, 
which  had  closely  muffled  his  features,  from  his  shoulders, 
and  discovered  the  severe  eye,  the  stern  lineaments,  and 
the  athletic  form  of  him  who  had  once  before  been  known 
to  enter  the  doors  of  Wish-Ton-Wish  with  little  warning, 
and  to  have  quitted  them  so  mysteriously. 

The  Puritan  had  arisen,  with  quiet  and  grave  courtesy, 
to  receive  his  visitor  ;  but  obvious,  powerful,  and  extraor- 
dinary interest  gleamed  about  his  usually  subdued  visage, 
when,  as  the  features  of  the  other  were  exposed  to  view, 
he  recognized  the  person  of  the  man  who  advanced  to  meet 
him. 

"Mark  Heathcote,"  said  the  stranger,  "  my  visit  is  to 
thee.  It  may,  or  it  may  not,  prove  longer  than  the  last,  as 
thou  shalt  receive  my  tidings.  Affairs  of  the  last  moment 
demand  that  there  should  be  little  delay  in  hearing  that 
which  I  have  to  offer." 

Notwithstanding  the  excess  and  nature  of  the  surprise 
which  the  veteran  Mark  had  certainly  betrayed,  it  endured 
just  long  enough  to  allow  those  wondering  eyes,  which 
were  eagerly  devouring  all  that  passed,  to  note  its  exist- 
ence. Then,  the  subdued  and  characteristic  manner  which 


JIV  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

in  general  marked  his  air,  instantly  returned,  and  with  $ 
quiet  gesture,  like  that  which  friends  use  in  moments  of 
confidence  and  security,  he  beckoned  to  the  other  to  follow 
to  an  inner  room.  The  stranger  complied,  making  a  slight 
bow  of  recognition  to  Ruth,  as  he  passed  her  on  the  way 
to  the  apartment  chosen  for  an  interview  that  was  evi- 
dently intended  to  be  private. 


CHAPTER   X. 

"Mar.   Shall  I  strike  at  it  with  my  partisan? 
Hor.    Do,  if  it  will  not  stand. 
Mar.  'Tis  here ! 

Hor.  'Tis  here! 
Mar.  'Tis  gone  !  " — Hamlet. 

THE  time  that  this  unexpected  visitor  stood  uncloaked 
ard  exposed  to  recognition,  before  the  eyes  of  the  curious 

§roup  in  the  outer  room,  did  not  much  exceed  a  minute, 
till  it  was  long  enough  to  allow  men  who  rarely  over- 
looked the  smallest  peculiarity  of  dress  or  air,  to  note 
some  of  the  more  distinguishing  accompaniments  of  his 
attire.  The  heavy  horseman's  pistols,  once  before  exhib- 
ited, were  in  his  girdle,  and  young  Mark  got  a  glimpse  of 
a  silver-handled  dagger  which  had  pleased  his  eye  before 
that  night.  But  the  passage  of  his  grandfather  and  the 
stranger  from  the  room  prevented  the  boy  from  deter- 
mining whether  it  was  entirely  of  the  same  fashion  as  that, 
which,  rather  as  a  memorial  of  by-gone  scenes  than  for  any 
service  that  it  might  now  be  expected  to  perform,  hung 
above  the  bed  of  the  former. 

"The  man  hath  not  yet  parted  with  his  arms!"  ex- 
claimed the  quick-sighted  youth,  when  he  found  that 
every  other  tongue  continued  silent.  "  I  would  he  may 
now  leave  them  with  my  grand'ther,  that  I  may  chase  the 

skulking  Wampanoag  to  his  hiding " 

"  Hot-headed  boy !  Thy  tongue  •  is  too  much  given  to 
levity,"  said  Ruth,  who  had  not  only  resumed  her  seat,  but 
also  the  light  employment  that  had  been  interrupted  by 
the  blast  at  the  gate,  with  a  calmness  of  mien  that  did  not 
fail  in  some  degree  to  reassure  her  maidens.  *•  Instead 
of  cherishing  the  lessons  of  peace  that  are  taught  thee, 
thy  unruly  thoughts  are  ever  bent  on  strife." 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-IVISH.  \  ,3 


"  Is  there  harm  in  wishing  to  be  armed  w  &  a. 
suited  to  my  years,  that  I  may  do  service  in  heating  down 
the  power  of  our  enemies  ;  and  perhaps  aid  something, 
too,  in  affording  security  to  my  mother?  " 

"  Thy  mother  hath  no  fears,"  returned  the  matron, 
gravely,  while  grateful  affection  prompted  a  kind  but  fur- 
tive glance  toward  the  high-spirited  though  sometimes 
froward  lad.  "  Reason  hath  already  taught  me  the  folly 
of  alarm,  because  one  has  knocked  at  our  gate  in  the 
night-season.  Lay  aside  thy  arms,  men  ;  you  see  that  my 
husband  no  longer  clings  to  the  musket.  Be  certain  that 
his  eye  will  give  us  warning  when  there  shall  be  danger 
at  hand." 

The  unconcern  of  her  husband  was  even  more  strikingly 
true  than  the  simple  language  of  his  wife  would  appear  to 
convey.  Content  had  not  only  laid  aside  his  weapon,  but 
he  had  resumed  his  seat  near  the  fire,  with  an  air  as  calm, 
as  assured,  and  it  might  have  seemed  to  one  watchfully 
observant,  as  understanding,  as  her  own.  Until  now,  the 
stout  Dudley  had  remained  leaning  on  his  piece,  immova- 
ble and  apparently  unconscious  as  a  statue.  But,  follow- 
ing the  injunctions  of  one  he  was  accustomed  to  obey,  he 
placed  the  musket  against  the  wall,  with  the  care  of  a 
hunter,  and  then  running  a  hand  through  his  shaggy 
locks,  as  though  the  action  might  quicken  ideas  that  were 
never  remarkably  active,  he  bluntly  exclaimed  — 

"  An  armed  hand  is  well  in  these  forests,  but  an  armed 
heel  is  not  less  wanting  to  him  who  would  push  a  roadster 
from  the  Connecticut  to  the  Wish-Ton-Wish,  between  a 
rising  and  a  setting  sun  !  The  stranger  no  longer  journeys 
in  the  saddle,  as  is  plain  by  the  sign  that  his  boot  beareth 
no  spur.  When  he  worried,  by  dint  of  hard  pricking,  the 
miserable  hack  that  proved  food  for  the  wolves,  through 
the  forest,  he  had  better  appointments.  I  saw  the  bones 
of  the  animal  no  later  than  this  day.  They  have  been  pol- 
ished by  fowls  and  frost,  till  the  driven  snow  of  the  moun- 
tains is  not  whiter!" 

Meaning  and  uneasy,  but  hasty  glances  of  the  eye  were 
exchanged  between  Content  and  Ruth,  as  Eben  Dudley 
thus  uttered  the  thoughts  which  had  been  suggested  by 
the  unexpected  return  of  the  stranger. 

"  Go  you  to  the  look-out  at  the  western  palisadoes," 
said  the  latter  ;  "and  see  if  perchance  the  Indian  may  not 
be  lurking  near  the  dwellings,  ashamed  of  his  delay,  and 
perchance  fearful  of  calling  us  to  his  admission.  I  cannot 


ti4  THE  WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

think  that  the  child  means  to  desert  us,  with  no  sign  of 
kindness,  and  without  leave-taking." 

"  I  will  not  take  upon  me  to  say,  how  much  or  how 
little  of  ceremony  the  youngster  may  fancy  to  be  due  to 
the  master  of  the  valley  and  his  kin  ;  but  if  not  gone  al- 
ready, the  snow  will  not  melt  more  quietly  in  the  thaw, 
than  the  lad  will  one  day  disappear.  Reuben  Ring,  thou 
hast  an  eye  for  light  or  darkness  ;  come  forth  with  me, 
that  no  sign  escape  us.  Should  thy  sister,  Faith,  make 
one  of  our  party,  it  would  not  be  easy  for  the  red-skin  to 
pass  the  clearing  without  a  hail." 

"Go  to,"  hurriedly  answered  the  female;  "it  is  more 
womanly  that  I  tarry  to  see  to  the  wants  of  him  who  hath 
journeyed  far  and  hard,  since  the  rising  of  the  sun.  If 
the  boy  pass  thy  vigilance,  wakeful  Dudley,  he  will  have 
little  cause  to  fear  that  of  others." 

Though  Faith  so  decidedly  declined  to  make  one  of  the 
party,  her  brother  complied  without  reluctance.  The 
young  men  were  about  to  quit  the  place  together,  when 
the  latch,  on  which  the  hand  of  Dudley  was  already  laid, 
rose  quietly  without  aid  from  his  finger,  the  door  opened, 
and  the  object  of  their  intended  search  glided  past  them, 
and  took  his  customary  position  in  one  of  the  more  re- 
tired corners  of  the  room.  There  was  so  much  of  the 
ordinary  noiseless  manner  of  the  young  captive  in  this  en- 
trance, that  for  a  moment  they  who  witnessed  the  passage 
of  his  dark  form  across  the  apartment,  were  led  to  think 
the  movement  no  more  than  the  visit  he  was  always  per- 
mitted to  make  at  that  hour.  But  recollection  soon  came, 
and  with  it  not  only  the  suspicious  circumstance  of  his 
disappearance,  but  the  inexplicable  manner  of  his  admis- 
sion within  the  gates. 

"  The  pickets  must  be  looked  to  ! "  exclaimed  Dudley, 
the  instant  a  second  look  assured  him  that  his  eyes  in 
truth  beheld  him  who  had  been  missing.  "  The  place  that 
a  stripling  can  scale  might  well  admit  a  host." 

"  Truly,"  said  Content,  "  this  needeth  explanation. 
Hath  not  the  boy  entered  when  the  gate  was  opened 
for  the  stranger  ?  Here  cometh  one  that  may  speak  to  the 
fact  ! " 

"It  is  so,"  said  the  individual  named,  who  re-entered 
from  the  inner  room  in  season  to  hear  the  nature  of  the 
remark.  "  I  found  this  native  child  near  thy  gate,  and 
took  upon  me  the  office  of  a  Christian  man  to  bid  him 
welcome.  Certain  am  I,  that  one,  kind  of  heart  and  gently 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  115 

disposed,  like  the  mistress  of  this  family,  will  not  turn  him 
away  in  anger." 

"  He  is  no  stranger  at  our  fire,  or  at  our  board,"  said 
Ruth  ;  "  had  it  been  otherwise  thou  wouldst  have  done 
well." 

Eben  Dudley  looked  incredulous.  His  mind  had  been 
powerfully  exercised  that  day  with  visions  of  the  marvel- 
lous, and  of  a  certainty,  there  was  some  reason  to  distrust 
the  manner  in  which  the  re-appearance  of  the  youth  had 
been  made. 

"  It  will  be  well  to  look  to  the  fastenings,"  he  muttered, 
"lest  others,  less  easy  to  dispose  of,  should  follow.  Now 
that  invisible  agencies  are  at  work  in  the  Colony  one  may 
not  sleep  too  soundly  \  " 

"  Then  go  thou  to  the  look-out,  and  keep  the  watch,  till 
the  clock  shall  strike  the  hour  of  midnight,"  said  the 
Puritan,  who  uttered  the  command  in  a  manner  to  show 
that  he  was  in  truth  moved  by  considerations  far  deeper 
than  the  vague  apprehensions  of  his  dependent.  "  Ere 
sleep  overcome  thee  another  shall  be  ready  for  the  re- 
lief." 

Mark  Heathcote  seldom  spoke,  but  respectful  silence 
permitted  the  lowest  of  his  syllables  to  be  audible.  On 
the  present  occasion,  when  his  voice  was  first  heard,  such 
a  stillness  came  over  all  in  presence,  that  he  finished  the 
sentence  amid  the  nearly  imperceptible  breathings  of  the 
listeners.  In  this  momentary  but  death-like  quiet,  there 
arose  a  blast  from  the  conch  at  the  gate,  that  might  have 
seemed  an  echo  of  that  which  had  so  lately  startled  the 
already-excited  inmates  of  the  dwelling.  At  the  repetition 
of  sounds  so  unwonted  all  sprang  to  their  feet,  but  no  one 
spoke.  Content  cast  a  hurried  and  inquiring  glance  at  his 
father,  who  in  his  turn  had  anxiously  sought  the  eye  of 
the  stranger.  The  latter  stood  firm  and  unmoved.  One 
hand  was  clenched  upon  the  back  of  the  chair  from  which 
he  had  arisen,  and  the  other  grasped,  perhaps  uncon- 
sciously, the  handle  of  one  of  those  weapons  which  had  at- 
tracted the  attention  of  young  Mark,  and  which  still 
continued  thrust  through  the  broad  leathern  belt  that 
girded  his  doublet. 

"The  sound  is  like  that  which  one  little  used  to  deal 
with  earthly  instruments  might  raise  ! "  muttered  one  of 
those  whose  minds  had  been  prepared,  by  the  narrative  of 
Dudley,  to  believe  in  anything  marvellous. 

"  Come  from  what  quarter  it  may,  it  is  a  summons  that 


Ii6  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

must  be  answered,"  returned  Content.  "  Dudley,  thy  mus- 
ket ;  this  visit  is  so  unwonted,  that  more  than  one  hand 
should  do  the  office  of  porter." 

The  borderer  instantly  complied,  muttering  between  his 
teeth  as  he  shook  the  priming  deeper  into  the  barrel  of  his 
piece,  "  Your  over-sea  gallants  are  quick  on  the  trail  to- 
night ! "  Then  throwing  the  musket  into  the  hollow  of  his 
arm,  he  cast  a  look  of  discontent  and  resentment  to- 
ward Faith  Ring,  and  was  about  to  open  the  door  for  the 
passage  of  Content,  when  another  blast  arose  on  the  silence 
without.  The  second  touch  of  the  shell  was  firmer,  longer, 
louder,  and  more  true,  than  that  by  which  it  had  just  been 
preceded. 

"One  might  fancy  the  conch  was  speaking  in  mockery," 
observed  Content,  looking  with  meaning  towards  their 
guest.  "  Never  did  sound  more  resemble  sound  than  these 
we  have  just  heard,  and  those  thou  drew  from  the  shell 
when  asking  admission." 

A  sudden  light  appeared  to  break  in  upon  the  intelli- 
gence of  the  stranger.  Advancing  more  into  the  circle, 
rather  with  the  freedom  of  long  familiarity  than  with  the 
diffidence  of  a  newly-arrived  guest,  he  motioned  for  silence 
as  he  said — 

"  Let  none  move,  but  this  stout  woodsman,  the  young 
captain,  and  myself.  We  will  go  forth,  and  doubt  not  that 
the  safety  of  those  within  shall  be  regarded." 

Notwithstanding  the  singularity  of  this  proposal,  as  it 
appeared  to  excite  neither  surprise  nor  opposition  in  the 
Puritan  or  his  son,  the  rest  of  the  family  offered  no  ob- 
jection. The  stranger  had  no  sooner  spoken,  than  he 
advanced  near  to  the  torch,  and  looked  closely  into  the 
condition  of  his  pistols.  Then  turning  to  old  Mark,  he 
continued  in  an  undertone — 

"  Peradventure  there  will  be  more  worldly  strife  than 
any  which  can  flow  from  the  agencies  that  stir  up  the  un- 
quiet spirits  of  the  colonies.  In  such  an  extremity,  it  may 
be  well  to  observe  a  soldier's  caution." 

"  I  like  not  this  mockery  of  sound,"  returned  the  Puri- 
tan ;  "it  argueth  a  taunting  and  fiend-like  temper.  We 
have,  of  late,  had  in  this  colony  tragical  instances  of  what 
the  disappointed  malice  of  Azazel  can  attempt ;  and  it 
would  be  vain  to  hope  that  the  evil  agencies  are  not  vexed 
with  the  sight  of  my  Bethel." 

Though  the  stranger  listened  to  the  words  of  his  host 
with  respect,  it  was  plain  that  his  thoughts  dwelt  on  dan' 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON- WISH.  117 

gers  of  a  different  character.  The  member  that  still  rested 
on  the  handle  of  his  weapon,  was  clenched  with  greater 
firmness  ;  and  a  grim,  though  a  melancholy  expression  was 
seated  about  a  mouth,  that  was  compressed  in  a  manner  to 
denote  the  physical,  rather  than  the  spiritual  resolution  of 
the  man.  He  made  a  sign  to  the  two  companions  he  had 
chosen,  and  led  the  way  to  the  court. 

By  this  time,  the  shades  of  night  had  materially  thick- 
ened, and,  although  the  hour  was  still  early,  a  darkness 
had  come  over  the  valley  that  rendered  it  difficult  to  dis- 
tinguish objects  at  any  distance  from  the  eye.  The  ob- 
scurity made  it  necessary  that  they  who  now  issued  from  the 
door  of  the  dwelling,  should  advance  with  caution,  lest,  ere 
roperly  admonished  of  its  presence,  their  persons  should 
e  exposed  to  some  lurking  danger.  When  the  three, 
however,  were  safely  established  behind  the  thick  curtain 
of  plank  and  earth  that  covered  and  commanded  the  en- 
trance, and  where  their  persons,  from  the  shoulders  down- 
ward, were  completely  protected  alike  from  shot  and  ar- 
row, Content  demanded  to  know,  who  applied  at  his  gates 
for  admission  at  an  hour  when  they  were  habitually  closed 
for  the  night.  Instead  of  receiving,  as  before,  a  ready 
answer,  the  silence  was  so  profound,  that  his  own  words 
were  very  distinctly  heard  repeated,  as  was  not  uncommon 
at  that  quiet  hour,  among  the  recesses  of  the  neighboring 
woods. 

"  Come  it  from  Devil,  or  come  it  from  man,  here  is 
treachery  !  "  whispered  the  stranger  after  a  fitting  pause. 
"Artifice  must  be  met  by  artifice  ;  but  thou  art  much  abler 
to  advise  against  the  wiles  of  the  forest,  than  one  trained, 
as  I  have  been,  in  the  less  cunning  deceptions  of  Christian 
warfare." 

"What  think'st,  Dudley  ?  "  asked  Content—"  Will  it  be 
well  to  sally,  or  shall  we  wait  another  signal  from  the 
conch  ? " 

"  Much  dependeth  on  the  quality  of  the  guests  expected," 
returned  he  of  whom  counsel  was  asked.  "As  for  the 
braggart  gallants,  that  are  over-valiant  among  the  maidens, 
and  heavy  of  heart  when  they  think  the  screech  of  the  jay 
an  Indian  whoop,  I  care  not  if  ye  beat  the  pickets  to  the 
earth,  and  call  upon  them  to  enter  on  the  gallop.  I  know 
the  manner  to  send  them  to  the  upper  story  of  the  block, 
quicker  than  the  cluck  of  the  turkey  can  muster  its  young  ; 
but " 

"  'Tis  well  to  be  discreet  in  language,  in  a  moment  of 


n8  THE  WEPT  OF  WISH-TON- WISH. 

such  serious  uncertainty ! "  interrupted  the  stranger.  "  We 
look  for  no  gallants  of  the  kind." 

"  Then  will  I  give  you  a  conceit  that  shall  know  the 
reason  of  the  music  of  yon  conch.  Go  ye  two  back  into 
the  house,  making  much  conversation  by  the  way,  in  order 
that  any  without  may  hear.  When  ye  have  entered,  it 
shall  be  my  task  to  find  such  a  post  nigh  the  gate,  that 
none  shall  knock  again,  and  no  porter  be  at  hand  to  ques- 
tion them  in  the  matter  of  their  errand." 

"This  soundeth  better,"  said  Content ;  "and  that  it  may 
be  done  with  all  safety,  some  others  of  the  young  men, 
who  are  accustomed  to  this  species  of  artifice,  shall  issue 
by  the  secret  door  and  lie  in  wait  behind  the  dwellings,  in 
order  that  support  shall  not  be  wanting  in  case  of  violence. 
Whatever  else  thou  dost,  Dudley,  remember  that  thou  dost 
not  undo  the  fastenings  of  the  postern." 

"  Look  to  the  support,"  returned  the  woodsman  ;  "  should 
it  be  keen-eyed  Reuben  Ring,  I  shall  feel-  none  the  less 
certain  that  good  aid  is  at  my  back.  The  whole  of  that 
family  are  quick  of  wit  and  ready  of  invention,  unless  it 
may  be  the  wight  who  hath  got  the  form  without  the  rea- 
son of  a  man." 

"Thou  shalt  have  Reuben,  and  none  other  of  his  kin," 
said  Content.  "  Be  well  advised  of  the  fastenings,  and  so 
I  wish  thee  all  fitting  success,  in  a  deception  that  cannot 
be  sinful,  since  it  aims  only  at  our  safety." 

With  this  injunction,  Content  and  the  stranger  left  Dud- 
ley to  the  practice  of  his  own  devices,  the  former  observing 
the  precaution  to  speak  aloud  while  returning,  in  order 
that  any  listeners  without  might  be  led  to  suppose  the 
whole  party  had  retired  from  the  search,  satisfied  of  its 
fruitlessness. 

In  the  meantime^  the  youth  left  nigh  the  postern  set 
about  the  accomplishment  of  the  task  he  had  undertaken, 
in  sober  earnest.  Instead  of  descending  in  a  direct  line  to 
the  palisadoes,  he  also  ascended,  and  made  a  circuit  among 
the  out-buildings  on  the  margin  of  the  acclivity.  Then 
bending  so  low  as  to  blend  his  form  with  objects  on  the 
snow,  he  gained  an  angle  of  the  palisadoes,  at  a  point  re- 
mote from  the  spot  he  intended  to  watch,  and,  as  he  hoped, 
aided  by  the  darkness  of  the  hour  and  the  shadows  of  the 
hill,  completely  protected  from  observation.  When  be- 
neath the  palisadoes,  the  sentinel  crouched  to  the  earth, 
creeping  with  extreme  caution  along  the  timber  which 
bound  their  lower  ends,  until  he  found  himself  arrived  at 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  1 19 

a  species  of  sentry-box,  that  was  erected  for  the  very  pur- 
pose to  which  he  now  intended  it  should  be  applied.  Once 
within  the  cover  of  this  little  recess,  the  sturdy  woodsman 
bestowed  his  large  frame  with  as  much  attention  to  com- 
fort and  security  as  the  circumstances  would  permit.  Here 
he  prepared  to  pass  many  weary  minutes,  before  there 
should  be  further  need  of  his  services. 

The  reader  will  find  no  difficulty  in  believing  that  one 
of  opinions  like  those  of  the  borderer,  did  not  enter  on 
his  silent  watch  without  much  distrust  of  the  character 
of  the  guests  that  he  might  be  called  upon  to  receive. 
Enough  has  been  shown  to  prove  that  the  suspicion  up- 
permost in  his  mind  was,  that  the  unwelcome  agents  of  the 
government  had  returned  on  the  heels  of- the  stranger. 
But,  notwithstanding  the  seeming  probability  of  this 
opinion,  there  were  secret  misgivings  of  the  earthly  origin 
of  the  two  last  windings  of  the  shell.  All  the  legends, 
and  all  the  most  credited  evidence  in  cases  of  prestigious 
agency,  as  it  had  been  exhibited  in  the  colonies  of  New 
England,  went  to  show  the  malignant  pleasure  the  Evil 
Spirits  found,  in  indulging  their  wicked  mockeries,  or  in 
otherwise  tormenting  those  who  placed  their  support  on  a 
faith  that  was  believed  to  be  so  repugnant  to  their  own 
ungrateful  and  abandoned  natures.  Under  the  impressions 
naturally  excited  by  the  communication  he  had  held  with 
the  traveller  in  the  mountains,  Eben  Dudley  found  his 
mind  equally  divided  between  the  expectation  of  seeing, 
at  each  moment,  one  of  the  men  wrhom  he  had  induced  to 
quit  the  valley  so  unceremoniously,  returning  to  obtain 
surreptitiously  admission  within  the  gate,  or  of  being  made 
an  unwilling  witness  of  some  wicked  manifestation  of  that 
power  which  was  temporarily  committed  to  the  invisibles. 
In  both  of  these  expectations,  however,  he  was  fated  to  be 
disappointed.  Notwithstanding  the  strong  spiritual  bias 
of  the  opinions  of  the  credulous  sentinel,  there  was  too 
much  of  the  dross  of  temporal  things  in  his  composition 
to  elevate  him  altogether  above  the  weakness  of  humanity. 
A  mind  so  encumbered  began  to  weary  with  its  own  con- 
templations ;  and,  as  it  grew  feeble  with  its  extraordinary 
efforts,  the  dominion  of  matter  gradually  resumed  its 
sway.  Thought,  instead  of  being  clear  and  active,  as  the 
emergency  would  have  seemed  to  require,  began  to  grow 
misty.  Once  or  twice  the  borderer  half  arose,  and  ap- 
peared to  look  about  him  with  observation  ;  and  then  as 
his  large  frame  fell  heavily  back  into  its  former  semi-re- 


T2o  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON- WISH. 

cumbent  attitude,  he  grew  tranquil  and  stationary.  This 
movement  was  several  times  repeated,  at  intervals  of  in- 
creasing length,  till,  at.  the  end  of  an  hour,  forgetting  alike 
the  hunt,  the  troopers,  and  the  mysterious  agents  of  evil, 
the  young  man  .yielded  to  the  fatigue  of  the  day.  The  tall 
oaks  of  the  adjoining  forest  stood  not  more  immovable  in 
the  quiet  of  the  tranquil  hour,  than  his  frame  now  leaned 
against  the  side  of  its  narrow  habitation.  ' 

How  much  time  was  thus  lost  in  inactivity,  Eben  Dudley 
could  never  precisely  tell.  He  always  stoutly  maintained  it 
could  not  have  been  long,  since  his  watch  was  not  disturbed 
by  the  smallest  of  those  sounds  from  the  woods,  which 
sometimes  occur  in  deep  night,  and  which  may  be  termed 
the  breathing  of  the  forest  in  its  slumbers.  His  first  distinct 
recollection,  was  that  of  feeling  a  hand  grasped  with  the 
power  of  a  giant.  Springing  to  his  feet,  the  young  man 
eagerly  stretched  forth  an  arm,  saying  as  he  did  so,  in  words 
sufficiently  confused — 

"  If  the  buck  hath  fallen  by  a  shot  in  the  head,  I  grant 
him  to  be  thine,  Reuben  Ring  ;  but  if  struck  in  limb  or 
body,  I  claim  the  venison  for  a  surer  hand." 

"  Truly,  a  very  just  division  of  the  spoil,"  returned  one  in 
an  undertone,  and  speaking  as  if  sounds  too  loud  might  be 
dangerous.  "  Thou  givest  the  head  of  the  deer  for  a  target 
to  Reuben  Ring,  and  keepest  the  rest  of  the  creature  to 
thine  own  uses." 

"Who  hath  sent  thee,  at  this  hour,  to  the  postern  ?  Dost 
not  know  that  there  are  thought  to  be  strangers  outlying 
in  the  fields?" 

"  I  know  that  there  are  some,  who  are  not  strangers,  in- 
lying: on  their  watch  !  "  said  Faith  Ring.  "  What  shame 
would  come  upon  thee,  Dudley,  did  the  captain,  and  they 
who  have  been  so  strongly  exercised  in  prayer  within, 
but  suspect  how  little  care  thou  hast  had  of  their  safety,  the 
while  !  " 

"  Have  they  come  to  harm  !  If  the  captain  hath  held 
them  to  spiritual  movements,  I  hope  that  he  will  allow  that 
nothing  earthly  hath  passed  this  postern  to  disturb  the  ex- 
ercise. As  I  hope  to  be  dealt  honestly  by,  in  all  matters  of 
character,  I  have  not  once  quitted  the  gate  since  the  watch 
was  set." 

"  Else  would'st  thou  be  the  famousest  sleep-walker  in 
the  Connecticut  Colony  !  Why,  drowsy  one,  conch  cannot 
raise  a  louder  blast  than  that  thou  soundest,  when  eyes  are 
fairly  shut  in  sleep.  This  may  be  watching,  according  to  thy 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  121 

meaning  of  the  word  ;  but  infant  in  its  cradle  is  not  half 
so  ignorant  of  that  which  passeth  around  it,  as  thou  hast 
been." 

u  I  think,  Faith  Ring,  that  thou  hast  gotten  to  be  much 
given  to  backbiting,  and  evil  saying  against  friends,  since 
the  visit  of  the  gallants  from  over  sea." 

"  Out  upon  gallants  from  over  sea,  and  thee  too,  man  !  I 
am  not  a  girl  to  be  flouted  with  bold  speech  from  one  who 
doth  not  know  whether  he  be  sleeping  or  waking.  I  tell 
thee,  thy  good  name  would  be  lost  in  the  family,  did  it 
come  to  the  ears  of  the  captain,  and  more  particularly  to 
the  knowledge  of  that  soldier  stranger,  up  in  the  dwelling, 
of  whom  even  the  madam  maketh  so  great  ceremony,  that 
thou  hast  been  watching  with  a  tuneful  nose,  an  open  mouth, 
and  a  sealed  eye." 

"  If  any  but  thee  had'st  said  this  slander  of  me,  girl,  it 
would  go  nigh  to  raise  hot  speech  between  us  !  Thy  brother, 
Reuben  Ring,  knows  better  than  to  stir  my  temper  by  such 
falsity  of  accusation." 

"Thou  dealest  so  generously  by  him,  that  he  is  prone  to 
forget  thy  misdeeds.  Truly  he  hath  the  head  of  the  buck, 
while  thou  contentest  thyself  with  the  offals  and  all  the  less 
worthy  parts  !  Go  to,  Dudley  ;  thou  wast  in  a  heavy  dream 
when  I  caused  thee  to  awake." 

"  A  pretty  time  have  we  fallen  upon,  when  petticoats  are 
used  instead  of  beards  and  strong-armed  men,  to  go  the 
rounds  of  the  sentinels,  and  to  say  who  sleepeth  and  who 
is  watchful  !  What  hath  brought  thee  so  far  from  the  exer- 
cises and  so  nigh  the  gates,  Mistress  Faith,  now  that  there 
is  no  over-sea  gallant  to  soothe  thy  ears  with  lying  speech 
and  light  declarations." 

"  If  speech  not  to  be  credited  is  that  I  seek,"  returned  the 
girl,  "  truly  the  errand  hath  not  been  without  its  reward. 
What  brought  me  hither,  sooth !  Why,  the  madam  hath 
need  of  articles  from  the  outer  buttery — and — aye — and  my 
ears  led  me  to  the  postern.  Thou  knovvest,  musical  Dudley, 
that  I  have  had  occasion  to  hearken  to  thy  watchful  notes 
before  this  night.  But  my  time  is  too  useful  to  be  wasted  in 
idleness  ;  thou  art  now  awake,  and  may  thank  her  who  hath 
done  thee  a  good  turn  with  no  wish  to  boast  of  it,  that  one 
of  a  black  beard  is  not  the  laughing-stock  of  all  the  youths 
in  the  family.  If  thou  keepest  thine  own  counsel,  the  cap- 
tain may  yet  praise  thee  for  a  vigilant  sentinel ;  though 
Heaven  forgive  him  the  wrong  he  will  do  the  truth !  " 

"  Perhaps  a  little  anger  at  unjust  suspicions  may  have 


122  THE   WEPT  OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

prompted  more  than  the  matter  needed,  Faith,  when  I  taxed 
thee  with  the  love  of  backbiting,  and  I  do  now  recall  that 
word  ;  though  I  will  ever  deny  that  aught  more  than  some 
wandering  recollection  concerning  the  hunt  of  this  day 
hath  come  over  my  thoughts,  and  perhaps  made  me  even 
forgetful  that  it  was  needful  to  be  silent  at  the  postern  ; 
and,  therefore,  on  the  truth  of  a  Christian  man,  I  do  forgive 
thee,  the " 

But  Faith  was  already  out  of  sight  and  out  of  hearing. 
Dudley  himself,  who  began  to  have  certain  prickings  of 
conscience  concerning  the  ingratitude  he  had  manifested 
to  one  who  had  taken  so  mucli  interest  in  his  reputation, 
now  bethought  him  seriously  of  that  which  remained  to  be 
done.  He  had  much  reason  to  suspect  that  there  was  less 
of  the  night  before  him  than  he  had  at  first  believed,  and 
he  became  in  consequence  more  sensible  of  the  necessity 
of  making  some  report  of  the  events  of  his  watch.  Ac- 
cordingly, he  cast  a  scrutinizing  glance  around  in  order  to 
make  sure  that  the  facts  should  not  contradict  his  testi- 
mony, and  then,  first  examining  the  fastenings  of  the  pos- 
tern, he  mounted  the  hill  and  presented  himself  before 
the  family.  The  members  of  the  latter,  having  in  truth 
passed  most  of  the  long  interval  of  his  absence  in  spirit- 
ual exercises  and  in  religious  conversation,  were  not  so 
sensible  of  his  delay  in  reporting,  as  they  might  otherwise 
have  been. 

"  What  tidings  dost  thou  bring  us  from  without  ?  "  said 
Content,  so  soon  as  the  self-relieved  sentinel  appeared. 
"  Hast  seen  any,  or  hast  heard  that  which  is  suspicious  ? " 

Ere  Dudley  would  answer,  his  eye  did  not  fail  to  study 
the  half-malicious  expression  of  the  countenance  of  her  who 
was  busy  in  some  domestic  toil,  directly  opposite  to  the 
place  where  he  stood.  But  reading  there  no  more  than  a 
glance  of  playful  though  smothered  irony,  he  was  encour- 
aged to  proceed  in  his  report. 

"  The  watch  has  been  quiet,"  was  the  answer  ;  "  and 
there  is  little  cause  to  keep  the  sleepers  longer  from  their 
beds.  Some  vigilant  eyes,  like  those  of  Reuben  Ring  and 
my  own,  had  better  be*  open  until  the  morning  ;  further 
than  that,  there  is  no  reason  to  be  wakeful." 

Perhaps  the  borderer  would  have  dwelt  more  at  large 
on  his  own  readiness  to  pass  the  remainder  of  the  hours  of 
rest  in  attending  to  the  security  of  those  who  slept,  had 
not  another  wicked  glance  from  the  dark,  laughing  eye  of 
her  who  stood  so  favorably  placed  to  observe  his  counte* 


THE   IVEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  123 

nance,  admonished  him  of  the  prudence  of  being  modest  in 
his  professions. 

"  This  alarm  hath  then  happily  passed  away,"  said  the 
Puritan,  rising.  "  We  will  now  go  to  our  pillows  in  thank- 
fulness and  peace.  Thy  service  shall  not  be  forgotten, 
Dudley  ;  for  thou  hast  exposed  thyself  to  seeming  danger, 
at  least,  in  our  behalf." 

"  That  hath  he  !  "  half-whispered  Faith  ;  "  and  sure  am  I 
that  we  maidens  will  not  forget  his  readiness  to  lose  the 
sweets  of  sleep  in  order  that  the  feeble  may  not  come  to 
harm." 

"  Speak  not  of  the  trifle,"  hurriedly  returned  the  other. 
"  There  has  been  some  deception  in  the  sound,  for  it  is  now 
my  opinion,  except  to  summon  us  to  the  gate,  that  this 
stranger  might  enter — the  conch  has  not  been  touched  at 
all  to-night." 

"  Then  is  it  a  deception  which  is  repeated  !  "  exclaimed 
Content,  rising  from  his  chair  as  a  faint  and  broken  blast 
from  the  shell,  like  that  which  had  first  announced  their 
visitor,  again  struggled  among  the  buildings,  until  it 
reached  every  ear  in  the  dwelling. 

"  Here  is  wrarning  as  mysterious  as  it  may  prove  porten- 
tous ! "  said  old  Mark  Heathcote,  when  the  surprise,  not 
to  say  the  consternation  of  the  moment,  had  subsided. 
"  Hast  seen  nothing  that  might  justify  this  ?  " 

Eben  Dudley,  like  most  of  the  auditors,  was  too  much 
confounded  to  reply.  All  seemed  to  attend  anxiously  for 
the  second  and  more  powerful  blast,  which  was  to  complete 
the  imitation  of  the  stranger's  summons.  It  was  not  neces- 
sary to  wait  long  ;  for  in  a  time  as  near  as  might  be  to  that 
which  had  intervened  between  the  two  first  peals  of  the 
horn,  followecf  another,  and  in  a  note  so  true  again,  as  to 
give  it  the  semblance  of  an  echo. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

"  I  will  watch  to-night ; 
Perchance  'twill  walk  again." — Hamlet. 

"  MAY  not  this  be  a  warning  given  in  mercy  ?  "  the  Puri- 
tan, at  all  times  disposed  to  yield  credit  to  supernatural 
manifestations  of  the  care  of  Providence,  demanded  with 


124  THE   WEPT  OP  WISH-TON-WISH. 

a  solemnity  that  did  not  fail  to  produce  its  impression  on 
most  of  his  auditors.  "  The  history  of  our  colonies  is  full 
of  the  evidences  of  these  merciful  interpositions." 

"We  will  thus  consider  it,"  returned  the  stranger,  to 
whom  the  question  seemed  more  particularly  addressed. 
"The  first  measure  shall  be  to  seek  out  the  danger  to  which 
it  points.  Let  the  youth  they  call  Dudley,  give  me  the  aid 
of  his  powerful  frame  and  manly  courage,  then  trust  the 
discovery  of  the  meaning  of  these  frequent  speakings  of 
the  conch  to  me." 

"  Surely,  Submission,  thou  wilt  not  again  be  first  to  go 
forth  !  "  exclaimed  Mark,  in  a  surprise  that  was  equally 
manifested  by  Content  and  Ruth,  the  latter  of  whom 
pressed  her  little  image  to  her  side  as  though  the  bare  pro- 
posal presented  a  powerful  picture  of  supernatural  dan- 
ger. "  'Twill  be  well  to  think  maturely  on  the  step,  ere 
thou  runnest  the  hazard  of  such  an  adventure. " 

"  Better  it  should  be  I,"  said  Content,  "  who  am  accus- 
tomed to  forest  signs,  and  all  the  usual  testimonials  of  the 
presence  of  those  who  may  wish  us  harm." 

"  No,"  said  he,  who  for  the  first  time  had  been  called 
"  Submission,"  a  name  that  savored  of  the  religious  enthu- 
siasm of  the  times,  and  which  might  have  been  adopted  as 
an  open  avowal  of  his  readiness  to  bow  beneath  some  pe- 
culiar dispensation  of  Providence.  ''This  service  shall  be 
mine.  Thou  art  both  husband  and  father  ;  and  many  are 
there  who  look  to  thy  safety  as  to  their  rock  of  earthly 
support  and  comfort,  while  neither  kindred,  nor — but  we 
will  not  speak  of  things  foreign  to  our  purpose  !  Thou 
knowest,  Mark  Heathcote,  that  peril  and  I  are  no  strangers. 
There  is  little  need  to  bid  me  be  prudent^  Come,  bold 
woodsman  ;  shoulder  thy  musket,  and  be  ready  to  do  credit 
to  thy  manhood  should  there  be  reason  to  prove  it." 

"And  why  not  Reuben  Ring?  "said  a  hurried  female 
voice,  that  all  knew  to  proceed  from  the  lips  of  the  sister 
of  the  youth  just  named.  "  He  is  quick  of  eye  and  ready 
of  hand  in  trials  like  these  ;  would  it  not  be  well  to  succor 
thy  party  with  such  aid  ?" 

"  Peace,  girl,"  meekly  observed  Ruth.  "  This  matter 
is  already  in  the  ordering  of  one  used  to  command  ;  there 
needeth  no  counsel  from  thy  short  experience." 

Faith  shrank  back,  abashed  ;  the  flush  which  had  man- 
tled over  her  brown  cheek  deepening  to  a  tint  like  that 
of  blood. 

Submission  (we  use  the  appellation  in  the  absence  of  alJ 


THE   WEPT  OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  125 

others)  fastened  a  searching  glance  for  a  single  moment  on 
the  countenance  of  the  girl ;  and  then,  as  if  his  intention 
had  not  been  diverted  from  the  principal  subject  in  hand, 
ne  rejoined  coolly — 

"  We  go  as  scouters  and  observers  of  that  which  may 
hereafter  call  for  the  ready  assistance  of  this  youth  ;  but 
numbers  would  expose  us  to  observation,  without  adding 
to  our  usefulness — and  yet,"  he  added,  arresting  his  foot- 
step, which  was  already  turned  toward  the  door,  and  look- 
ing earnestly  and  long  at  the  Indian  boy,  "  perhaps  there 
standeth  one  who  might  much  enlighten  us,  would  he  but 
speak  !  " 

This  remark  drew  every  eye  on  the  person  of  the  cap- 
tive. The  lad  stood  the  scrutiny  with  the  undismayed  and 
immovable  composure  of  his  race.  But  though  his  eye 
met  the  looks  of  those  around  him  haughtily  and  in  pride, 
it  was  not  gleaming  with  any  of  that  stern  defiance  which 
had  so  often  been  known  to  glitter  in  his  glances,  when  he 
had  reason  to  think  that  his  fortunes  or  his  person  was  the 
subject  of  /the  peculiar  observation  of  those  with  whom  he 
dwelt.  On  the  contrary,  the  expression  of  his  dark  visage 
was  rather  that  of  amity  than  of  hatred,  and  there  was  a 
moment  when  the  look  he  cast  upon  Ruth  and  her  off- 
spring was  visibly  touched  with  a  feeling  of  concern.  A 
glance,  charged  with  such  a  meaning,  could  not  escape  the 
quick-sighted  vigilance  of  a  mother. 

"The  child  hath  proved  himself  worthy  to  be  trusted," 
she  said  ;  "and  in  the  name  of  Him  who  looketh  into  and 
knoweth  all  hearts,  let  him  once  more  go  forth." 

Her  lips  became  sealed,  for  again  the  conch  announced 
the  seeming  impatience  of  those  without  to  be  admitted. 
The  full  tones  of  the  shell  thrilled  on  the  nerves  of  the  lis- 
teners, as  though  they  proclaimed  the  coming  of  some 
great  and  fearful  judgment. 

In  the  midst  of  these  often-repeated  and  mysterious 
sounds,  Submission  alone  seemed  calm  and  unmoved. 
Turning  his  look  from  the  countenance  of  the  boy,  whose 
head  had  dropped  upon  his  breast  as  the  last  notes  of  the 
conch  rang  among  the  buildings,  he  motioned  hurriedly  to 
Dudley  to  follow/and  left  the  place. 

There  was,  in  good  truth,  that  in  the  secluded  situation 
of  the  valley,  the  darkness  of  the  hour,  and  the  nature  of 
the  several  interruptions,  which  might  readily  awaken  deep 
concern  in  the  breasts  of  men  as  firm  even  as  those  who 
now  issued  into  the  open  air,  in  quest  of  the  solution  of 


126  THE   WEPT  OF  WISH-TON- WISH. 

doubts  that  were  becoming  intensely  painful.  The  stranger, 
or  Submission,  as  we  may  in  future  have  frequent  occasion 
to  call  him,  led  the  way  in  silence  to  a  point  of  the  emi- 
nence, without  the  buildings,  where  the  eye  might  over- 
look the  palisadoes  that  hedged  the  sides  of  the  acclivity, 
and  command  a  view  beyond  of  all  that  the  dusky  and 
imperfect  light  would  reveal. 

It  was  a  scene  that  required  familiarity  with  a  border  life 
to  be  looked  on  at  any  moment  with  indifference.  The 
broad,  nearly  interminable,  and  seemingly  trackless  forest 
lay  about  them,  bounding  the  view  to  the  narrow  limits  of 
the  valley,  as  though  it  were  some  straitened  oasis  amidst 
an  ocean  of  wilderness.  Within  the  boundaries  of  the 
cleared  land  objects  were  less  indistinct,  though  even  those 
nearest  and  most  known  were  now  seen  only  in  the  con- 
fused and  gloomy  outlines  of  night. 

Across  this  dim  prospect  Submission  and  his  companion 
gazed  long  and  cautiously. 

"  There  is  naught  but  motionless  stumps  and  fences 
loaded  with  snow,"  said  the  former,  when  his  eye  had 
roamed  over  the  whole  circuit  of  the  view  which  lay  on 
the  side  of  the  valley  where  they  stood.  "  We  must  go 
forth,  that  we  may  look  nearer  to  the  fields." 

"  This  way,  then,  is  the  postern,"  said  Dudley,  observing 
that  the  other  took  a  direction  opposite  to  that  which  led 
to  the  gate.  But  a  gesture  of  authority  induced  him  at  the 
next  instant  to  restrain  his  voice,  and  to  follow  whither  his 
companion  chose  to  lead  the  way. 

The  stranger  made  a  circuit  of  half  the  hill  ere  he  de- 
scended to  the  palisadoes,  at  a  point  where  lay  long  and 
massive  piles  of  wood,  which  had  been  collected  for  the 
fuel  of  the  family.  This  spot  was  one  that  overlooked  the 
steepest  acclivity  of  the  eminence,  which  was  in  itself,  just 
there,  so  difficult  of  ascent,  as  to  render  the  provision  of 
the  pickets  far  less  necessary  than  in  its  more  even  faces. 
Still  no  useful  precaution  for  the  security  of  the  family 
had  been  neglected,  even  at  this  strong  point  of  the  works. 
The  piles  of  wood  were  laid  at  such  a  distance  from  the 
pickets  as  to  afford  no  facilities  for  scaling  them,  while,  on 
the  other  hand,  they  formed  platforms  and  breast-works 
that  might  have  greatly  added  to  the  safety  of  those  who 
should  be  required  to  defend  this  portion  of  the  fortress. 
Taking  his  way  directly  amid  the  parallel  piles,  the  stranger 
descended  rapidly  through  the  whole  of  their  mazes,  until 
he  had  reached  the  open  space  between  the  outer  of  the 


THE  WEPT   OF  WISH-TON'-WISH.  127 

rows  and  the  palisadoes,  a  space  that  was  warily  left  too 
wide  to  be  passed  by  the  leap  of  man. 

"  'Tis  many  a  day  since  foot  of  mine  has  been  in  this 
spot,"  said  Eben  Dudley,  feeling  his  way  along  a  path  that 
his  companion  threaded  without  any  apparent  hesitation. 
"  My  own  hand  laid  this  outer  pile  some  winters  since,  and 
certain  am  I,  that  from  that  hour  to  this,  man  hath  not 
touched  a  billet  of  the  wood.  And  yet,  for  one  who  hath 
come  from  over  sea,  it  would  appear  that  thou  hast  no 
great  difficulty  in  making  way  among  the  narrow  lanes  ! " 

u  He  that  hath  sight  may  well  choose  between  air  and 
beechen  logs,"  returned  the  other,  stopping  at  the  palisa- 
does, and  in  a  place  that  was  concealed  from  any  prying 
eyes  within  the  works,  by  triple  and  quadruple  barriers  of 
wood.  Feeling  in  his  girdle,  he  then  drew  forth  something 
which  Dudley  was  not  long  in  discovering  to  be  a  key. 
While  the  latter,  aided  by  the  little  light  that  fell  from  the 
heavens,  was  endeavoring  to  make  the  most  of  his  eyes, 
Submission  applied  the  instrument  to  a  lock  that  was  art- 
fully sunk  in  one  of  the  timbers,  at  the  height  of  a  man's 
breast  from  the  ground,  and  giving  a  couple  of  vigorous 
turns,  a  piece  of  the  palisado,  some  half  a  fathom  long, 
yielded  on  a  powerful  hinge  below,  and  falling,  made  an 
opening  sufficiently  large  for  the  passage  of  a  human  body. 

"  Here  is  a  sally-port  ready  provided  for  our  sortie,"  the 
stranger  coolly  observed,  motioning  to  the  other  to  precede 
him.  When  Dudley  had  passed,  his  companion  followed, 
and  the  opening  was  then  carefully  closed  and  locked. 

"  Now  is  all  fast  again,  and  we  are  in  the  fields  without 
raising  alarm  to  any  of  mortal  birth,  at  least,"  continued 
the  guide,  thrusting  a  hand  into  the  folds  of  his  doublet,  as 
if  to  feel  for  a  weapon,  and  preparing  to  descend  the  diffi- 
cult declivity  which  still  lay  between  him  and  the  base  of 
the  hill.  Eben  Dudley  hesitated  to  follow.  The  interview 
with  the  traveller  in  the  mountains  occurred  to  his  heated 
imagination,  and  the  visions  of  a  prestigious  agency  revived 
with  all  their  original  force.  The  whole  manner  and  the 
mysterious  character  of  his  companion  was  little  likely  to 
re-assure  a  mind  disturbed  with  such  images. 

"  There  is  a  rumor  going  in  the  Colony,"  muttered  the 
borderer,  "  that  the  invisibles  are  permitted  for  a  time  to 
work  their  evil  ;  and  it  may  well  happen  that  some  of  their 
ungodly  members  shall  journey  to  the  Wish-Ton-Wish,  in 
lack  of  better  employment." 

"Thou  sayest  truly,"   replied  the  stranger;    "  but  the 


128  THE   WEPT   OF  W1SI1-TON-W1SIL 

power  that  allows  of  their  wicked  torments  may  have  seen 
fit  to  provide  an  agent  of  his  own  to  defeat  their  subtleties. 
We  will  now  draw  near  to  the  gate,  in  order  that  an  eye 
may  be  kept  on  their  malicious  designs." 

Submission  spoke  with  gravity,  and  not  without  a  certain 
manner  of  solemnity.  Dudley  yielded,  though  with  a  di- 
vided and  a  disturbed  mind,  to  his  suggestion.  Still  he 
followed  in  the  footsteps  of  the  stranger,  with  a  caution 
that  might  wrell  have  eluded  the  vigilance  of  any  agency 
short  of  that  which  drew  its  means  of  information  from 
sources  deeper  than  ary  of  human  power. 

When  the  two  watchers  had  found  a  secret  and  suitable 
place,  not  far  from  the  postern,  they  disposed  themselves  in 
silence  to  await  the  result.  The  out-buildings  lay  in  deep 
quiet,  not  a  sound  of  any  sort  arising  from  all  of  the  many 
tenants  they  were  known  to  contain.  The  lines  of  ragged 
fences  ;  the  blackened  stumps,  capped  with  little  pyramids 
of  snow  ;  the  taller  and  sometimes  suspicious-looking  stubs ; 
an  insulated  tree,  and  finally  the  broad  border  of  forest — 
were  alike  motionless,  gloomy,  and  clothed  in  the  doubtful 
forms  of  night.  Still,  the  space  around  the  well-secured 
and  trebly-barred  postern  was  vacant.  A  sheet  of  spotless 
snow  served  as  a  background,  that  would  have  been  sure 
to  betray  the  presence  of  any  object  passing  over  its  sur- 
face. Even  the  conch  might  be  seen  suspended  from  one 
of  the  timbers,  as  mute  and  inoffensive  as  the  hour  when  it 
had  been  washed  by  the  waves  on  the  sands  of  the  seashore. 

"  Here  will  we  watch  for  the  coming  of  the  stranger,  be 
he  commissioned  by  the  powers  of  air,  or  be  he  one  sent  on 
an  errand  of  earth,"  whispered  Submission,  preparing  his 
arms  for  immediate  use,  and  disposing  of  his  person,  at  the 
same  time,  in  a  manner  most  convenient  to  endure  the 
weariness  of  a  patient  watch. 

"  I  would  my  mind  were  at  ease  on  the  question  of  right- 
doing  in  dealing  harm  to  one  who  disturbs  the  quiet  of  a 
border  family,  "said  Dudley,  in  a  tone  sufficiently  repressed 
for  caution  ;  "  it  may  be  found  prudent  to  strike  the  first 
blow,  should  one  like  an  over-sea  gallant,  after  all,  be  in- 
clined to  trouble  us  at  this  hour." 

"  In  that  strait,  thou  wilt  do  well  to  give  little  heed  to 
the  order  of  the  offences,"  gloomily  returned  the  other. 
"  Should  another  messenger  of  England  appear " 

He  paused,  for  a  note  of  the  conch  was  heard  rising  grad- 
ually on  the  air,  until  the  whole  of  the  wide  valley  was 
filled  with  its  rich  and  melancholv  sound. 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  129 

"  Lip  of  man  is  not  at  the  shell ! "  exclaimed  the  stranger, 
who  like  Dudley  had  made  a  forward  movement  toward  the 
postern,  the  instant  the  blast  reached  his  ear,  and  who  like 
Dudley  recoiled  in  an  amazement  that  even  his  practised 
self-command  could  not  conceal,  as  he  undeniably  per- 
ceived the  truth  of  that  his  speech  affirmed.  "  This  exceed- 
eth  all  former  instances  of  marvellous  visitations  !  " 

"  It  is  vain  to  pretend  to  raise  the  feeble  nature  of  man  to 
the  level  of  things  coming  from  the  invisible  world,"  re- 
turned the  woodsman  at  his  side.  "  In  such  a  strait,  it  is 
seemly  that  sinful  men  should  withdraw  to  the  dwellings, 
where  we  may  sustain  our  feebleness  by  the  spiritual  striv- 
ings of  the  captain." 

To  this  discreet  proposal  the  stranger  raised  no  objec- 
tion. Without  taking  the  time  necessary  to  effect  their 
retreat  with  the  precaution  that  had  been  observed  in 
their  advance,  the  two  adventurers  quickly  found  them- 
selves at  the  secret  entrance  through  which  they  had  so 
lately  issued. 

"  Enter,"  said  the  stranger,  lowering  the  piece  of  the 
palisado  for  the  passage  of  his  companion.  "  Enter  of  a 
Heaven's  sake !  for  it  is  truly  meet  that  we  assemble  all 
our  spiritual  succor." 

Dudley  was  in  the  act  of  complying,  wrhen  a  dark  line, 
accompanied  by  a  low  rushing  sound,  cut  the  air  between 
his  head  and  that  of  his  companion.  At  the  next  instant,  a 
flint-headed  arrow  quivered  in  the  timber. 

"The  heathen!"  shouted  the  borderer,  recovering  all  his 
manhood  as  the  familiar  danger  became  apparent,  and 
throwing  back  a  stream  of  fire  in  the  direction  from  which 
the  treacherous  missile  had  come.  "To  the  palisadoes, 
men  !  the  bloody  heathen  is  upon  us  !  " 

"The  heathen  !"  echoed  the  stranger,  in  a  deep,  steady, 
commanding  voice,  that  had  evidently  often  raised  the 
warning  in  scenes  of  even  greater  emergency,  and  levelling 
a  pistol,  which  brought  a  dark  form  that  was  gliding  across 
the  snow  to  one  knee,  "  The  heathen  !  the  bloody  heathen 
is  upon  us  !  " 

As  if  both  assailants  and  assailed  paused,  one  moment 
of  profound  stillness  succeeded  this  fierce  interruption  of 
the  quiet  of  the  night.  Then  the  cries  of  the  two  advent- 
urers were  answered  by  a  burst  of  yells  from  a  wide  circle, 
that  nearly  environed  the  hill.  At  the  same  moment  each 
dark  object  in  the  fields  gave  up  a  human  form.  The 
shouts  were  followed  by  a  cloud  of  arrows,  that  rendered 


1 30  THE  WEPT   OF  WISPI-TON'-WISH. 

further  delay  without  the  cover  of  the  palisadoes  eminently 
hazardous.  Dudley  entered  ;  but  the  passage  of  the  stranger 
would  have  been  cut  off  by  a  leaping,  whooping  band  that 
pressed  fiercely  on  his  rear,  had  not  a  broad  sheet  of  flame, 
glancing  from  the  hill  directly  in  their  swarthy  and  grim 
countenances,  driven  the  assailants  back  upon  their  own 
footsteps.  In  another  moment,  the  bolts  of  the  lock  were 
passed,  and  the  two  fugitives  were  in  safety  behind  the 
ponderous  piles  of  wood. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

"  There  need  no  ghost,  my  lord,  come  from  the  grave 
To  tell  us  this." — Hamlet. 

ALTHOUGH  the  minds  of  most,  if  not  of  -all  the  inmates 
of  the  Wish-Ton-Wish,  had  been  so  powerfully  exercised 
that  night  with  the  belief  that  the  powers  of  the  invisible 
world  were  about  to  be  let  loose  upon  them,  the  danger 
had  now  presented  itself  in  a  shape  too  palpable  to  admit 
of  further  doubt.  The  cry  of  "the  heathen  "  had  been 
raised  from  every  lip  ;  even  the  daughter  and  eleve  of 
Ruth  repeated  it,  as  they  fled  wailing  through  the  build- 
ings ;  and,  for  a  moment,  terror  and  surprise  appeared  to 
involve  the  assailed  in  inextricable  confusion.  But  the 
promptitude  of  the  young  men  in  rushing  to  the  rescue, 
with  the  steadiness  of  Content,  soon  restored  order.  Even 
the  females  assumed  at  least  the  semblance  of  composure, 
the  family  having  been  too  long  trained  to  meet  the  exi- 
gencies of  such  an  emergency  to  be  thrown  entirely  off 
its  guard,  for  more  than  the  first  and  the  most  appalling 
moments  of  the  alarm. 

The  effect  of  the  sudden  repulse  was  such  as  all  experi- 
ence had  taught  the  colonists  to  expect,  in  their  Indian 
warfare.  The  uproar  of  the  onset  ceased  as  abruptly  as 
it  had  commenced,  and  a  calmness  so  tranquil,  and  a  still- 
ness so  profound,  succeeded,  that  one  who  had  for  the 
first  time  witnessed  such  a  scene,  might  readily  have  fan- 
cied it  the  effects  of  some  wild  and  fearful  illusion. 

During  these  moments  of  general  and  deep  silence,  the 
two  adventurers,  whose  retreat  had  probably  hastened  the 
assault  by  offering  the  temptation  of  an  easy  passage 
within  the  works,  left  the  cover  of  the  piles  of  wood,  and 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  131 

ascended  the  hill  to  the  place  where  Dudley  knew  Con- 
tent was  to  be  posted  in  the  event  of  a  summons  to  the 
defences. 

"  Unless  much  inquiry  hath  deceived  me  in  the  nature 
of  the  heathen's  craftiness,"  said  the  stranger,  "  we  shall 
have  breathing-time  ere  the  onset  be  renewed.  The  ex- 
perience of  a  soldier  bids  me  say,  that  prudence  now  urges 
us  to  look  into  the  number  and  position  of  our  foes,  that 
we  may  order  our  resistance  with  better  understanding  of 
their  force." 

"  In  what  manner  of  way  may  this  be  done  ?  Thou  seest 
naught  about  us  but  the  quiet  and  the  darkness  of  night. 
Speak  of  the  number  of  our  enemies  we  cannot,  and  sally 
forth  we  may  not,  without  certain  destruction  to  all  who 
quit  the  palisadoes." 

"  Thou  forgettest  that  we  have  a  hostage  in  the  boy ;  he 
may  be  turned  to  some  advantage,  if  our  power  over  his 
person  be  used  with  discretion." 

"I  doubt  that  we  deceive  ourselves  with  a  hope  that  is 
vain,"  returned  Content,  leading  the  way  as  he  spoke,  how- 
ever, toward  the  court  which  communicated  with  the  prin- 
cipal dwelling.  "  I  have  closely  studied  the  eye  of  that 
lad,  since  his  unaccountable  entrance  within  the  works,  and 
little  do  I  find  there  that  should  teach  us  to  expect  confi- 
dence. It  will  be  happy  if  some  secret  understanding  with 
those  without  has  not  aided  him  in  passing  the  palisadoes, 
and  that  he  prove  not  a  dangerous  spy  on  our  force  and 
movements." 

"  In  regard  to  that  he  hath  entered  the  dwelling  without 
sound  of  conch  or  aid  of  postern,  be  not  disturbed,"  re- 
turned the  stranger  with  composure.  "Were  it  fitting, 
this  mystery  might  be  of  easy  explanation  ;  but  it  may 
truly  need  all  our  sagacity  to  discover  whether  he  hath 
connection  with  our  foes  !  The  mind  of  a  native  does  not 
give  up  its  secrets  like  the  surface  of  a  vanity-feeding 
mirror." 

The  stranger  spoke  like  a  man  who  wrapped  a  portion 
of  his  thoughts  in  reserve,  and  his  companion  listened  as 
one  who  comprehended  more  than  it  might  be  seemly  or 
discreet  to  betray.  With  this  secret  and  yet  equivocal  under- 
standing of  each  other's  meaning,  they  entered  the  dwell- 
ing, and  soon  found  themselves  in  the  presence  of  those 
they  sought. 

The  constant  danger  of  their  situation  had  compelled 
the  family  to  bring  themselves  within .  the  habits  of  a 


132  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

methodical  and  severely  regulated  order  of  defence.  Du- 
ties were  assigned,  in  the  event  of  alarm,  to  the  feeblest 
bodies  and  the  faintest  hearts  ;  and  during  the  moments 
which  preceded  the  visit  of  her  husband,  Ruth  had  been 
endeavoring  to  commit  to  her  female  subordinates  the 
several  necessary  charges  that  usage,  and  more  particu- 
larly the  emergency  of  the  hour,  appeared  so  imperiously 
to  require. 

"  Hasten,  Charity,  to  the  block,"  she  said  ;  "  and  look 
into  the  condition  of  the  buckets  and  the  ladders,  that 
should  the  heathen  drive  us  to  its  shelter,  provision  of 
water,  and  means  of  retreat,  be  not  wanting  in  our  ex- 
tremity ;  and  hie  thee,  Faith,  into  the  upper  apartments,  to 
see  that  no  lights  may  direct  their  murderous  aim  at  any 
in  the  chambers.  Thoughts  come  tardily,  when  the  arrowT 
or  the  Ipullet  hath  already  taken  its  flight !  And  now  that 
the  first  assault  is  over,  Mark,  and  we  may  hope  to  meet 
the  wiles  of  the  enemy  by  some  prudence  of  our  own, 
thou  mayest  go  forth  to  thy  father.  It  would  have  been 
tempting  Providence  too  rashly,  hadst  thou  rushed,  un- 
bidden and  uninformed,  into  the  first  hurry  of  the  danger. 
Come  hither,  child,  and  receive  the  blessing  and  prayers 
of  thy  mother  ;  after  which  thou  shalt,  with  better  trust 
in  Providence,  place  thy  young  person  among  the  com- 
batants in  the  hope  of  victory.  Remember  that  thou  art 
now  of  an  age  to  do  justice  to  thy  name  and  origin,  and 
yet  art  thou  of  years  too  tender  to  be  foremost  in  speech, 
and  far  less  in  action  on  such  a  night  as  this." 

A  momentary  flush,  that  only  served  to  render  the  suc- 
ceeding paleness  more  obvious,  passed  across  the  brow  of 
the  mother.  She  stooped  and  imprinted  a  kiss  on  the 
forehead  of  the  impatient  boy,  who  scarcely  wraited  to  re- 
ceive this  act  of  tenderness,  ere  he  hurried  to  place  him- 
self in  the  ranks  of  her  defenders. 

"And  now,"  said  Ruth,  slowly  turning  her  eye  from  the 
door  by  which  the  lad  had  disappeared,  and  speaking 
with  a  sort  of  unnatural  composure,  "  and  now  wre  will 
look  to  the  safety  of  those  who  can  be  of  little  service,  ex- 
cept as  sentinels  to  sound  the  alarm.  When  thou  art 
certain,  Faith,  that  no  neglected  light  is  in  the  rooms 
above,  take  the  children  to  the  secret  chamber  ;  thence 
they  may  look  upon  the  fields  without  danger  from  any 
chance  direction  of  the  savages'  aim.  Thou  knowest, 
Faith,  my  frequent  teaching  in  this  matter  ;  let  no  sounds 
of  alarm  nor  frightful  whoopings  of  the  people  without, 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON- WISH.  133 

cause  thee  to  quit  the  spot  ;  since  thou  wilt  there  be  safer 
than  in  the  block,  against  which  many  missiles  will  doubt- 
less be  driven,  on  account  of  its  seeming  air  of  strength. 
Timely  notice  shall  be  given  of  the  change,  should  we  seek 
its  security.  Thou  wilt  descend  only  should'st  thou  see 
enemies  scaling  the  palisadoes  on  the  side  which  overhangs 
the  stream  ;  since  there  have  we  the  fewest  eyes  to  watch 
their  movements.  Remember  on  the  side  of  the  outbuild- 
ings and  of  the  fields,  our  force  is  chiefly  posted  ;  there  can 
be  less  reason,  therefore,  that  thou  should'st  expose  thy 
lives  by  endeavoring  to  look  too  curiously  into  that  which 
passeth  in  the  fields.  Go,  my  children  ;  and  a  heavenly 
Providence  prove  thy  guardian  !  " 

Ruth  stooped  to  kiss  the  cheek  that  her  daughter  offered 
to  the  salute.  The  embrace  was  then  given  to  the  other 
child,  who  was,  in  truth  scarcely  less  near  her  heart,  being 
the  orphan  daughter  of  one  who  had  been  as  a  sister  in 
her  affections.  But,  unlike  the  kiss  she  had  impressed  on 
the  forehead  of  Mark,  the  present  embraces  were  hasty, 
and  evidently  awakened  less  intense  emotion.  She  had  com- 
mitted the  boy  to  a  known  and  positive  danger,  but,  under 
the  semblance  of  some  usefulness,  she  sent  the  others  to  a 
place  believed  to  be  even  less  exposed,  so  long  as  the  enemy 
could  be  kept  without  the  works,  than  the  citadel  itself.  Still, 
a  feeling  of  deep  and  maternal  tenderness  came  over  her 
mind,  as  her  daughter  retired  ;  and  yielding  to  its  sudden 
impulse,  she  recalled  the  girl  to  her  side. 

"  Thou  wilt  repeat  the  prayer  for  especial  protection 
against  the  dangers  of  the  wilderness,"  she  solemnly  con- 
tinued. "  In  thy  asking,  fail  not  to  remember  him  to 
whom  thou  owest  being,  and  who  now  exposeth  life,  that 
we  may  be  safe.  Thou  knowest  the  Christian's  rock  ; 
place  thy  faith  on  its  foundation." 

"And  they  who  seek  to  kill  us,"  demanded  the  well-in- 
structed child;  "are  they  too  of  the  number  of  those  for 
whom  He  died  ?" 

"  It  may  not  be  doubted,  though  the  manner  of  the  dis- 
pensation be  so  mysterious  !  Barbarians  in  their  habits, 
and  ruthless  in  their  enmities,  they  are  creatures  of  our 
nature,  and  equally  objects  of  His  care." 

Flaxen  locks,  that  half  covered  a  forehead  and  face 
across  which  ran  the  most  delicate  tracery  of  veins,  added 
lustre  to  a  skin  as  spotlessly  fair  as  if  the  warm  breezes  of 
that  latitude  had  never  fanned  the  countenance  of  the  girl. 
Through  this  maze  of  ringlets,  the  child  turned  her  full, 


I34  THE   WEPT  OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

clear,  blue  eyes,  bending  her  looks,  in  wonder  and  in 
fear,  on  the  dark  visage  of  the  captive  Indian  youth,  who 
at  that  moment  was  to  her  a  subject  of  secret  horror. 
Unconscious  of  the  interest  he  excited,  the  lad  stood 
calm,  haughty,  and  seemingly  unobservant,  cautious  to 
let  no  sign  of  weakness  or  of  concern  escape  him,  in  this 
scene  of  womanly  emotion. 

"  Mother,"  whispered  the  still  wondering  child  ;  "  may 
we  not  let  him  go  into  the  forest  ?  I  do  not  love  to " 

"This  is  no  time  for  speech.  Go  to  thy  hiding-place, 
my  child,  and  remember  both  thy  askings  and  the  cautions 
I  have  named.  Go,  and  heavenly  care  protect  thy  inno- 
cent head  ! " 

Ruth  again  stooped,  and  bowing  her  face  until  the  feat- 
ures were  lost  in  the  rich  tresses  of  her  daughter,  a  moment 
passed  during  which  there  was  an  eloquent  silence.  When 
she  arose,  a  tear  glistened  on  the  cheek  of  the  child.  The 
latter  had  received  the  embrace  more  in  apathy  than  in 
concern  ;  and  now,  when,  led  toward  the 'upper  rooms,  she 
moved  from  the  presence  of  her  mother,  it  was  with  an  eye 
that  never  bent  its  riveted  gaze  from  the  features  of  the 
young  Indian,  until  the  intervening  walls  hid  him  entirely 
from  her  sight. 

"  Thou  hast  been  thoughtful  and  like  thyself,  my  good 
Ruth,"  said  Content,  who  at  that  moment  entered,  and  who 
rewarded  the  self-command  of  his  wife  by  a  look  of  the 
kindest  approbation.  "The  youths  have  not  been  more 
prompt  in  meeting  the  foe  at  the  stockades,  than  thy  maid- 
ens in  looking  to  their  less  hardy  duties.  All  is  again  quiet 
without  ;  and  we  come,  now,  rather  for  consultation,  than 
for  any  purposes  of  strife." 

"  Then  must  we  summon  our  father  from  his  post  at  the 
artillery,  in  the  block." 

"  It  is  not  needful,"  interrupted  the  stranger.  "  Time 
presses,  for  this  calm  may  be  too  shortly  succeeded  by  a 
tempest  that  all  our  power  shall  not  quell.  Bring  forth  the 
captive." 

Content  signed  to  the  boy  to  approach,  and  when  he 
was  in  reach  of  his  hand,  he  placed  him  full  before  the 
stranger. 

"  I  know  not  thy  name,  nor  even  that  of  thy  people," 
commenced  the  other,  after  a  long  pause,  in  which  he 
seemed  to  study  deeply  the  countenance  of  the  lad  ;  "  but 
certain  am  I,  though  a  more  wicked  spirit  may  still  be 
struggling  for  the  mastery  in  thy  wild  mind,  that  nobleness 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  ^35 

oi  feeling  is  no  stranger  to  thy  bosom.  Speak  ;  hast  thou 
aught  to  impart  concerning  the  danger  that  besets  this 
family?  I  have  learned  much  this  night  from  thy  manner, 
but  to  be  clearly  understood,  it  is  now  time  that  thou 
should'st  speak  in  words." 

The  youth  kept  his  eye  fastened  on  that  of  the  speaker, 
until  the  other  had  ended,  and  then  he  bent  it  slowly,  but 
with  searching  observation,  on  the  anxious  countenance  of 
Ruth.  It  seemed  as  if  he  balanced  between  his  pride  and 
his  sympathies.  The  latter  prevailed  ;  for,  conquering  the 
deep  reluctance  of  an  Indian,  he  spoke  openly,  and  for  the 
first  Time  since  his  captivity,  in  the  language  of  the  hated 
race. 

"  I  hear  the  whoops  of  warriors,"  was  his  calm  answer. 
"  Have  the  ears  of  the  pale  men  been  shut  ?  " 

"Thou  hast  spoken  with  the  young  men  of  thy  tribe  in 
the  forest,  and  thou  had'st  knowledge  of  this  onset  ?" 

The  youth  made  no  reply,  though  the  keen  look  of  his 
interrogator  was  met  steadily,  and  without  fear.  Perceiv- 
ing that  he  had  demanded  more  than  would  be  answered, 
the  stranger  changed  his  mode  of  investigation,  masking 
his  inquiries  with  a  little  more  of  artifice. 

"  It  may  not  be  that  a  great  tribe  is  on  the  bloody  path  !" 
he  said  ;  "warriors  would  have  walked  over  the  timbers  of 
the  palisadoes  like  bending  reeds !  'Tis  a  Pequot,  who 
hath  broken  faith  with  a  Christian,  and  who  is  now  abroad, 
prowling  as  a  wolf  in  the  night." 

A  sudden  and  wild  expression  gleamed  over  the  swarthy 
features  of  the  boy.  His  lips  moved,  and  the  words  that 
issued  from  between  them  were  uttered  in  the  tones  of 
biting  scorn.  Still  he  rather  muttered  than  pronounced 
aloud — 

"  The  Pequot  is  a  dog  ! " 

"  It  is  as  I  had  thought  :  the  knaves  are  out  of  their  vil- 
lages, that  the  Yengeese  may  feed  their  squaws.  But  a 
Narragansett,  or  a  Wampanoag,  is  a  man  ;  he  scorns  to 
lurk  in  the  darkness.  When  he  comes,  the  sun  will  light 
his  path.  The  Pequot  steals  in  silence,  for  he  fears  that 
the  warriors  will  hear  his  tread." 

It  was  not  easy  to  detect  any  evidence  that  the  captive 
listened,  either  to  the  commendation  or  the  censure,  with 
answering  sympathy  ;  for  marble  is  not  colder  than  were 
the  muscles  of  his  unmoved  countenance. 

The  stranger  studied  the  expression  of  his  features  in 
frain,  and  drawing  so  near  as  to  lay  his  hand  on  the  naked 


136  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON- WISH. 

shoulder  of  the  lad,  he  added — "  Boy,  thou  hast  heard 
much  moving  matter  concerning  the  nature  of  our  Chris- 
tian faith,  and  thou  hast  been  the  subject  of  many  a  fer- 
vent asking  ;  it  may  not  be  that  so  much  good  seed  hath 
been  altogether  scattered  by  the  way-side  !  Speak  ;  may 
I  again  trust  thee  ? " 

k<  Let  my  father  look  on  the  snow.  The  print  of  the 
moccason  goes  and  comes." 

"  It  is  true.  Thus  far  hast  thou  proved  honest.  But 
when  the  war-whoop  shall  be  thrilling  through  thy  young 
blood,  the  temptation  to  join  the  warriors  may  ije  too 
strong.  Hast  any  gage,  any  pledge,  in  which  we  may  find 
warranty  for  letting  thee  depart  ?" 

The  boy  regarded  his  interrogator  with  a  look  that 
plainly  denoted  ignorance  of  his  meaning. 

"  I  Avould  know  what  thou  canst  leave  with  me,  to  show 
that  our  eyes  shall  again  look  upon  thy  face,  when  we 
have  opened  the  gate  for  thy  passage  into  the  fields." 

Still  the  gaze  of  the  other  was  wondering  and  con- 
fused. 

"When  the  white  man  goes  upon  the  war  path,  and 
would  put  trust  in  his  foe,  he  takes  surety  for  his  faith,  by 
holding  the  life  of  one  dear  as  a  warranty  of  its  truth. 
What  can'st  offer,  that  I  may  know  thou  wilt  return  from 
the  errand  on  which  I  would  fain  send  thee  ? " 

"  The  path  is  open." 

"  Open,  but  not  certain  to  be  used.  Fear  may  cause 
thee  to  forget  the  way  it  leads." 

The  captive  now  understood  the  meaning  of  the  other's 
doubts,  but,  as  if  disdaining  to  reply,  he  bent  his  eyes  aside, 
and  stood  in  one  of  those  immovable  attitudes  which  so 
often  gave  him  the  air  of  a  piece  of  dark  statuary. 

Content  and  his  wife  had  listened  to  this  short  dialogue, 
in  a  manner  to  prove  that  they  possessed  some  secret 
knowledge,  which  lessened  the  wonder  they  might  other- 
wise have  felt,  at  witnessing  so  obvious  proofs  of  a  secret 
acquaintance  between  the  speakers.  Both,  however,  man- 
ifested unequivocal  signs  of  astonishment,  when  they  first 
heard  English  sounds  issuing  from  the  lips  of  the  boy. 
There  was,  at  least,  the  semblance  of  hope  in  the  medita- 
tion of  one  who  had  received,  and  who  had  appeared  to 
acknowledge,  so  much  kindness  from  herself  ;  and  Ruth 
clung  to  the  cheering  expectation  with  the  quickness  of 
maternal  care. 

"  Let  the  boy  depart,"  she  said.     "  I  will  be  his  hostage  ; 


THE  WEPT  OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  137 

and  should  he  prove  false,  there  can  be  less  to  fear  in  his 
absence  than  in  his  presence." 

The  obvious  truth  of  the  latter  assertion  probably 
weighed  more  with  the  stranger  than  the  unmeaning 
pledge  of  the  woman. 

"There  is  reason  in  this,"  he  resumed.  "  Go,  then,  into 
the  fields,  and  say  to  thy  people  that  they  have  mistaken 
the  path  ;  that,  they  are  on,  hath  led  them  to  the  dwelling 
of  a  friend.  Here  are  no  Pequots,  nor  any  of  the  men  of 
the  Manhattoes  ;  but  Christian  Yengeese,  who  have  long 
dealt  with  the  Indian  as  one  just  man  dealeth  with  another. 
Go,  and  when  thy  signal  shall  be  heard  at  the  gate,  it  shall 
be  opened  to  thee  for  readmission." 

Thus  saying,  the  stranger  motioned  to  the  boy  to  follow, 
taking  care  as  they  left  the  room  together,  to  instruct  him 
in  all  such  minor  matters  as  might  assist  in  effecting  the 
pacific  object  of  the  mission  on  which  he  was  employed. 

A  few  minutes  of  doubt  and  of  fearful  suspense  suc- 
ceeded this  experiment.  The  stranger,  after  seeing  that 
egress  was  permitted  to  his  messenger,  had  returned  to  the 
dwelling  and  rejoined  his  companions.  He  passed  the 
moments  in  pacing  the  apartment,  \vith  the  strides  of  one 
in  whom  powerful  concern  was  strongly  at  work.  At  times, 
the  sound  of  his  heavy  footstep  ceased,  and  then  all  lis- 
tened intently,  in  order  to  catch  any  sound  that  might  in- 
struct them  in  the  nature  of  the  scene  that  was  passing 
without  In  the  midst  of  one  of  these  pauses,  a  yell  like 
that  of  savage  delight  arose  in  the  fields.  It  was  succeeded 
by  the  death-like  and  portentous  calm  which  had  rendered 
the  time  since  the  momentary  attack  even  more  alarming 
than  when  the  danger  had  a  positive  and  known  character. 
But  all  the  attention  the  most  intense  anxiety  could  now 
lend,  furnished  no  additional  clew  to  the  movements  of 
their  foes.  For  many  minutes  the  quiet  of  midnight 
reigned  both  within  and  without  the  defences.  In  the 
midst  of  this  suspense  the  latch  of  the  door  was  lifted,  and 
their  messenger  appeared  with  that  noiseless  tread  and 
collected  mien  which  distinguished  the  people  of  his 
race. 

"  Thou  hast  met  the  warriors  of  thy  tribe  ? "  hastily  de- 
manded the  stranger. 

"  The  noise  did  not  cheat  the  Yengeese.  It  was  not  a 
girl  laughing  in  the  woods." 

"  And  thou  hast  said  to  thy  people,  'we  are  friends  '  ?  " 

"  The  words  of  my  father  were  spoken.  ' 


138  THE  WEPT  OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

"  And  heard — Were  they  loud  enough  to  enter  the  ears 
of  the  young  men  ?  " 

The  boy  was  silent. 

"  Speak,"  continued  the  stranger,  elevating  his  forra 
proudly,  like  one  ready  to  breast  a  more  severe  shock. 
"  Thou  hast  men  for  thy  listeners.  Is  the  pipe  of  the 
savage  filled  ?  Will  he  smoke  in  peace,  or  holdeth  he  the 
tomahawk  in  a  clenched  hand  ? " 

The  countenance  of  the  boy  worked  with  a  feeling  that 
it  was  not  usual  for  an  Indian  to  betray.  He  bent  his  look 
with  concern  on  the  mild  eyes  of  the  anxious  Ruth  ;  then 
drawing  a  hand  slowly  from  beneath  the  light  robe  that 
partly  covered  his  body,  he  cast  at  the  feet  of  the  stranger 
a  bundle  of  arrows,  wrapped  in  the  glossy  and  striped  skin 
of  the  rattlesnake. 

"  This  is  a  warning  we  may  not  misconceive  !  "  said  Con- 
tent, raising  the  well-known  emblem  of  ru.thless  hostility  to 
the  light,  and  exhibiting  it  before  the  eyes  of  his  less  in- 
structed companion.  "  Boy,  what  have  the  people  of  my 
race  done,  that  thy  warriors  should  seek  their  blood  to  this 
extremity  ? " 

When  the  boy  had  discharged  his  duty  he  moved  aside, 
and  appeared  unwilling  to  observe  the  effect  which  his 
message  might  produce  on  his  companions.  But  thus 
questioned,  all  gentle  feelings  were  near  being  forgotten 
in  the  sudden  force  of  passion.  A  hasty  glance  at  Ruth 
quelled  the  emotion,  and  he  continued  calm  as  ever,  and 
silent. 

"  Boy,"  repeated  Content,  "  I  ask  thee  why  thy  people 
seek  our  blood  ?" 

The  passage  of  the  electric  spark  is  not  more  subtle,  nor 
is  it  scarcely  more  brilliant  than  was  the  gleam  that  shot 
into  the  dark  eye  of  the  Indian.  The  organ  seemed  to 
emit  rays  coruscant  as  the  glance  of  the  serpent.  His  form 
appeared  to  swell  with  the  inward  strivings  of  the  spirit, 
and  for  a  moment  there  was  every  appearance  of  a  fierce 
and  uncontrollable  burst  of  ferocious  passion.  The  con- 
quest of  feeling  was,  however,  but  momentary.  He  re- 
gained his  self-command  by  a  surprising  effort  of  will,  and 
advancing  so  near  to  him  who  had  asked  this  bold  ques- 
tion, as  to  lay  a  finger  on  his  breast,  the  young  savage 
haughtily  said — 

"  See  !  this  world  is  very  wide.  There  is  room  on  it  for 
the  panther  and  the  deer.  Why  have  the  Yengeese  an£ 
the  red-men  met  ? " 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  139 

"  We  waste  the  precious  moments  in  probing  the  stern 
nature  of  a  heathen,"  said  the  stranger.  "The  object  of 
his  people  is  certain,  and,  with  the  aid  of  the  Christian's 
staff,  we  will  beat  back  their  power.  Prudence  requireth 
at  our  hands  that  the  lad  be  secured  ;  after  which,  will  we 
repair  to  the  stockades  and  prove  ourselves  men." 

Against  this  proposal  no  reasonable  objection  could  be 
raised.  Content  was  about  to  secure  the  person  of  his 
captive  in  a  cellar,  when  a  suggestion  of  his  wife  caused 
him  to  change  his  purpose.  Notwithstanding  the  sudden 
and  fierce  mien  of  the  youth,  there  had  been  such  an  in- 
telligence created  between  them  by  looks  of  kindness  and 
interest,  that  the  mother  was  reluctant  to  abandon  all  hope 
of  his  aid. 

"  Miantonimoh  !  "  she  said,  "  though  others  distrust  thy 
purpose,  I  will  have  confidence.  Come,  then,  with  me  ; 
and  while  I  give  thee  promise  of  safety  in  thine  own 
person,  I  ask  at  thy  hands  the  office  of  a  protector  for  my 
babes." 

The  boy  made  no  reply  ;  but  as  he  passively  followed  his 
conductress  to  the  chambers,  Ruth  fancied  she  read  assur- 
ance of  his  faith  in  the  expression  of  his  eloquent  eye.  At 
the  same  moment  her  husband  and  Submission  left  the 
house  to  take  their  stations  at  the  palisadoes. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

"  Thou  art  my  good  youth  :  my  page  ; 
I'll  be  thy  master  :  walk  with  me  ;  speak  freely." — Cymbeline. 

THE  apartment  in  which  Ruth  had  directed  the  children 
to  be  placed  was  in  the  attic,  and,  as  already  stated,  on  the 
side  of  the  building  which  faced  the  stream  that  ran  at  the 
foot  of  the  hill.  It  had  a  single  projecting  window,  through 
which  there  was  a  view  of  the  forest  and  of  the  fields  on 
that  side  of  the  valley.  Small  openings  in  its  sides  ad- 
mitted also  of  glimpses  of  the  grounds  which  lay  further 
in  the  rear.  In  addition  to  the  covering  of  the  roofs,  and 
of  the  massive  frame-work  of  the  building,  an  interior 
partition  of  timber  protected  the  place  against  the  entrance 
of  most  missiles  then  known  in  the  warfare  of  the  country. 
During  the  infancy  of  the  children  this  room  had  been 
their  sleeping  apartment  ;  nor  was  it  abandoned  for  that 


I4o  THE  WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

purpose  until  the  additional  outworks,  which  increased 
with  time  around  the  dwellings,  had  emboldened  the  fam- 
ily to  trust  themselves  at  night  in  situations  more  con- 
venient, and  which  were  believed  to  be  no  less  equally 
secure  against  surprise. 

"  I  know  thee  to  be  one  who  feeleth  the  obligations  ol 
a  warrior,"  said  Ruth,  as  she  ushered  her  follower  into  the 
presence  of  the  children.  "  Thou  wilt  not  deceive  me  ;  the 
lives  of  these  tender  ones  are  in  thy  keeping.  Look  to 
them,  Miantonimoh,  and  the  Christian's  God  will  remem- 
ber thee  in  thine  own  hour  of  necessity !" 

The  boy  made  no  reply,  but  in  a  gentle  expression  which 
was  visible  in  his  dark  visage,  the  mother  endeavored  to 
find  the  pledge  she  sought.  Then,  as  the  youth,  with  the 
delicacy  of  his  race,  moved  aside  in  order  that  they  who 
were  bound  to  each  other  by  ties  so  near  might  indulge 
their  feelings  without  observation,  Ruth  again  drew  near 
her  offspring  with  all  the  tenderness  of  a  mother  beaming 
in  her  eyes. 

"  Once  more  I  bid  thee  not  to  look  too  curiously  at  the 
fearful  strife  that  may  arise  in  front  of  our  habitation,"  she 
said.  "The  heathen  is  truly  upon  us,  with  bloody  mind. 
Young  as  well  as  old  must  now  show  faith  in  the  protection 
of  our  master,  and  such  courage  as  befitteth  believers." 

"And  why  is  it,  mother,"  demanded  her  child,  "that 
they  seek  to  do  us  harm  ?  Have  we  ever  done  evil  to 
them?" 

"  I  may  not  say.  He  that  hath  made  the  earth,  hath 
given  it  to  us  for  our  uses,  and  reason  would  seem  to  teach 
that  if  portions  of  its  surface  are  vacant,  he  that  needeth 
truly,  may  occupy." 

"  The  savage  !  "  whispered  the  child,  nestling  still  nearer 
to  the  bosom  of  her  stooping  parent.  "  His  eye  glittereth 
like  the  star  which  hangs  above  the  trees." 

"  Peace,  daughter  ;  his  fierce  nature  broodeth  over  some 
fancied  wrong ! " 

"  Surely,  we  are  here  rightfully.  I  have  heard  my  father 
say  that  when  the  Lord  made  me  a  present  to  his  arms,  our 
valley  was  a  tangled  forest,  and  that  much  toil  only  has 
made  it  as  it  is." 

"  I  hope  that  what  we  enjoy,  we  enjoy  rightfully !  And 
yet  it  seemeth  that  the  savage  is  ready  to  deny  our  claims." 

"  And  where  do  these  bloody  enemies  dwell  ?  Have 
they,  too,  valleys  like  this,  and  do  the  Christians  break  into 
them  to  shed  blood  in  the  night  ? " 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  141 

"  They  are  of  wild  and  fierce  habits,  Ruth,  and  little  do 
they  know  of  our  manner  of  life.  Woman  is  not  cherished 
as  among  the  people  of  thy  father's  race  ;  for  force  of  body 
is  more  regarded  than  kinder  ties." 

The  little  auditor  shuddered,  and  when  she  buried  her 
face  deeper  in  the  bosom  of  her  parent,  it  was  with  a  more 
quickened  sense  of  maternal  affection,  and  with  a  livelier 
view  than  her  infant  perception  had  ever  yet  known  of  the 
gentle  charities  of  kindred.  When  she  had  spoken,  the 
matron  impressed  the  final  kiss  on  the  forehead  of  each 
of  the  children,  and  asking  aloud  that  God  might  bless 
them,  she  turned  to  go  to  the  performance  of  duties  that 
called  for  the  exhibition  of  very  different  qualities.  Before 
quitting  the  room,  however,  she  once  more  approached  the 
boy,  and  holding  the  light  before  his  steady  eye,  she  said 
solemnly — 

"  I  trust  my  babes  to  the  keeping  of  a  young  warrior  !  " 

The  look  he  returned  was  like  the  others,  cold  but  not 
discouraging.  A  gaze  of  many  moments  elicited  no  reply ; 
and  Ruth  prepared  to  quit  the  place,  troubled  by  uncer- 
tainty concerning  the  intentions  of  the  guardian  she  left 
with  the  girls,  while  she  still  trusted  that  the  many  acts  of 
kindness  which  she  had  shown  him  during  his  captivity, 
would  not  go  without  their  reward.  Her  hand  rested  on 
the  bolt  of  the  door,  in  indecision.  The  moment  was 
favorable  to  the  character  of  the  youth  ;  for  she  recalled 
the  manner  of  his  return  that  night,  no  less  than  his  former 
acts  of  faith,  and  she  was  about  to  leave  the  passage  for  his 
egress  open,  when  an  uproar  arose  on  the  air  which  filled 
the  valley  with  all  the  hideous  cries  and  yells  of  a  savage 
onset.  Drawing  the  bolt,  the  startled  woman  descended, 
without  further  thought,  and  rushed  to  her  post,  with  the 
hurry  of  one  who  saw  only  the  necessity  of  exertion  in 
another  scene. 

"Stand  to  the  timbers,  Reuben  Ring!  Bear  back  the 
skulking  murderers  on  their  bloody  followers  !  The  pikes ! 
Here,  Dudley,  is  opening  for  thy  valor.  The  Lord  have 
mercy  on  the  souls  of  the  ignorant  heathen  !  "  mingled  with 
the  reports  of  musketry,  the  whoops  of  the  warriors,  the 
whizzing  of  bullets  and  arrows,  with  all  the  other  accompa- 
niments of  such  a  contest,  were  the  fearful  sounds  that 
saluted  the  senses  of  Ruth  as  she  issued  into  the  court.  The 
valley  was  occasionally  lighted  by  the  explosion  of  fire- 
arms, and  then,  at  times,  the  horrible  din  prevailed  in  the 
gloom  of  deep  darkness.  Happily,  in  the  midst  of  all  this 


142  THE  WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

confusion  and  violence,  the  young  men  of  the  valley  were 
true  to  their  duties.  An  alarming  attempt  to  scale  the 
stockade  had  already  been  repulsed,  and  the  true  character 
of  two  or  three  feints  having  been  ascertained,  the  principal 
force  of  the  garrison  was  now  actively  employed  in  resist- 
ing the  main  attack. 

"  In  the  name  of  Him  who  is  with  us  in  every  danger  !  " 
exclaimed  Ruth,  advancing  to  two  figures  that  were  so 
busily  engaged  in  their  own  concerns,  as  not  to  heed  her 
approach,  "  tell  me  how  goes  the  struggle  ?  Where  are 
my  husband  and  the  boy  ?  Or  has  it  pleased  Providence 
that  any  of  our  people  should  be  stricken  ?" 

"  It  hath  pleased  the  Devil,"  returned  Eben  Dudley, 
somewhat  irreverently  for  one  of  that  chastened  school,  "  to 
send  an  Indian  arrow  through  jerkin  and  skin  into  this  arm 
of  mine  !  Softly,  Faith  ;  dost  think,  girl,  that  the  cover- 
ing of  man  is  like  the  coat  of  a  sheep,  .from  which  the 
fleece  may  be  plucked  at  will  ?  I  am  no  moulting  fowl, 
nor  is  this  arrow  a  feather  of  my  wing.  The  Lord  forgive 
the  rogue  for  the  ill  turn  he  hath  done  my  flesh,  say  I,  and 
amen  like  a  Christian  !  Fie  will  have  occasion  too  for  the 
mercy,  seeing  he  hath  nothing  further  to  hope  for  in  this 
world.  Now,  Faith,  I  acknowledge  the  debt  of  thy  kind- 
ness, and  let  there  be  no  more  cutting  speech  between  us. 
Thy  tongue  often  pricketh  more  sorely  than  the  Indian's 
arrow." 

"Whose  fault  is  it  that  old  acquaintance  hath  sometimes 
been  overlooked  in  new  conversations  ?  Thou  knowest 
that,  wooed  by  proper  speech,  no  maiden  in  the  Colony 
is  wont  to  render  gentler  answer.  Dost  feel  uneasiness  in 
thine  arm,  Dudley  ?" 

"  'Tis  not  tickling  with  a  straw,  to  drive  a  flint-headed 
arrow  to  the  bone!  I  forgive  thee  the  matter  of  too  much 
discourse  with  the  trooper,  and  all  the  side-cuts  of  thy  over- 
ambling  tongue,  on  conditions  that " 

"  Out  upon  thee,  brawler  !  Would'st  be  prating  here 
the  night  long  on  pretence  of  a  broken  skin,  and  the  savage 
at  our  gates  ?  A  fine  character  will  the  madam  render  of 
thy  deeds  when  the  other  youths  have  beaten  back  the  In- 
dian, and  thou  loitering  among  the  buildings!" 

The  discomfited  borderer  was  about  to  curse  in  his  heart 
the  versatile  humor  of  his  mistress,  when  he  saw,  by  a  side 
glance,  that  ears  which  had  no  concern  in  the  subject  had 
like  to  have  shared  in  the  matter  of  their  discourse.  Seiz- 
ing the  weapon  which  was  leaning  against  the  foundation 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  143 

of  the  block,  he  hurried  past  the  mistress  of  the  family, 
and  in  another  minute  his  voice  and  his  musket  were  again 
heard  ringing  in  the  uproar. 

"  Does  he  bring  tidings  from  the  palisadoes  ?  "  repeated 
Ruth,  too  anxious  that  the  young  man  should  return  to  his 
post,  to  arrest  his  retreat.  "  What  saith  he  of  the  onset  ?  " 

"The  savage  hath  suffered  for  his  boldness,  and  little 
harm  hath  yet  come  to  our  people.  Except  that  yon  block 
of  a  man  hath  managed  to  put  arm  before  the  passage  of 
an  arrow,  I  know  not  that  any  of  our  people  have  been 
harmed." 

"  Harken  !  they  retire,  Ruth.  The  yells  are  less  near, 
and  our  young  men  will  prevail !  Go  thou  to  thy  charge 
among  the  piles  of  the  fuel,  and  see  that  no  lurker  remain- 
eth  to  do  injury.  The  Lord  hath  remembered  mercy,  and 
it  may  yet  arrive  that  this  evil  shall  pass  away  from  before 
us!" 

The  quick  ear  of  Ruth  had  not  deceived  her.  The  tu- 
mult of  the  assault  was  gradually  receding  from  the  works, 
and  though  the  flashings  of  the  muskets  and  the  bellowing 
reports  that  rang  in  the  surrounding  forest  were  not  less 
frequent  than  before,  it  was  plain  that  the  critical  moment 
of  the  onset  was  already  past.  In  place  of  the  fierce  effort 
to  carry  the  stockade  by  surprise,  the  savages  had  now  re- 
sorted to  means  that  were  more  methodical,  and  which, 
though  not  so  appalling  in  appearance,  were  perhaps  quite 
as  certain  of  final  success.  Ruth  profited  by  a  momentary 
cessation  in  the  flight  of  the  missiles,  to  seek  those  in 
whose  welfare  she  had  placed  her  chief,  concern. 

"  Has  otherthan  brave  Dudley  suffered  by  this  assault  ?" 
demanded  the  anxious  wife,  as  she  passed  swiftly  among  a 
group  of  dusk}  figures  that  were  collected  in  consultation 
on  the  brow  of  the  declivity  ;  "  has  any  need  of  such  care 
as  a  woman's  hand  may  bestow  ?  Heathcote,  thy  person 
is  unharmed  !  " 

"  Truly,  One  of  great  mercy  hath  watched  over  it,  for 
little  opportunity  hath  been  given  to  look  to  our  own 
safety.  I  fear  that  some  of  our  young  men  have  not  re- 
garded the  covers  with  the  attention  that  prudence  re- 
quires." 

"  The  thoughtless  Mark  hath  not  forgotten  my  admo- 
nitions !  Boy,  thou  hast  never  lost  sight  of  duty  so  far  as 
to  precede  thy  father  ?  " 

"  One  sees  or  thinks  little  but  of  the  red-skins  when  the 
whoop  is  ringing  among  the  timbers  of  the  palisadoes, 


144  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

mother,"  returned  the  boy,  dashing  his  hand  across  his  brow, 
in  order  that  the  drops  of  blood  which  were  trickling  from 
a  furrow  left  by  the  passage  of  an  arrow,  might  not  be  seen. 
"  I  have  kept  near  my  father,  but  whether  in  his  front  or  in 
his  rear  the  darkness  hath  not  permitted  me  to  note." 

"The  lad  hath  behaved  in  a  bold  and  seemly  manner," 
said  the  stranger  ;  "and  he  hath  shown  the  metal  of  his 
grandsire's  stock.  Ha  !  what  is't  we  see  gleaming  among 
the  sheds  ?  A  sortie  may  be  needed  to  save  the  granaries 
and  thy  folds  from  destruction  ! " 

"  To  the  barns !  to  the  barns  !  "  shouted  two  of  the  youths, 
from  their  several  look-outs.  "  The  brand  is  in  the  build- 
ings !"  exclaimed  a  maiden,  who  discharged  a  similar  duty 
under  cover  of  the  dwellings.  Then  followed  a  discharge 
of  muskets,  all  of  which  were  levelled  at  the  glancing  light 
that  was  glaring  in  fearful  proximity  to  the  combustible 
materials  which  filled  the  most  of  the  out-buildings.  A 
savage  yell,  and  the  sudden  extinguishment  of  the  blazing 
knot,  announced  the  fatal  accuracy  of  the  aim. 

"  This  may  not  be  neglected ! "  exclaimed  Content,  moved 
to  extraordinary  excitement  by  the  extremity  of  the  danger. 
"  Father  !  "  he  called  aloud,  "  'tis  fitting  time  to  show  our 
utmost  strength." 

A  moment  of  suspense  succeeded  this  summons.  The 
whole  valley  was  then  as  suddenly  lighted  as  if  a  torrent  of 
the  electric  fluid  had  flashed  across  its  gloomy  bed  ;  a  sheet 
of  flame  glanced  from  the  attic  of  the  block,  and  then  came 
the  roar  of  the  little  piece  of  artillery,  which  had  so  long 
dwelt  there  in  silence.  The  rattling  of  a  shot  among  the 
sheds,  and  the  rending  of  timber,  followed.  Fifty  dark 
forms  were  seen  by  the  momentary  light  gliding  from 
among  the  out-buildings,  in  an  alarm  natural  to  their  igno- 
rance, and  with  an  agility  proportioned  to  their  alarm. 
The  moment  was  propitious.  Content  silently  motioned  to 
Reuben  Ring  ;  they  passed  the  postern  together,  and  dis- 
appeared in  the  direction  of  the  barns.  The  period  of  their 
absence  was  one  of  intense  care  to  Ruth,  and  it  was  not 
without  its  anxiety  even  to  those  whose  nerves  were  better 
steeled.  A  few  moments,  however,  served  to  appease  these 
feelings  ;  for  the  adventurers  Returned  in  safety  and  as 
silently  as  they  had  quitted  the  defences.  The  trampling 
of  feet  on  the  crust  of  the  snow,  the  neighing  of  horses, 
and  the  bellowing  of  frightened  cattle,  as  the  terrified  beasts 
scattered  about  the  fields,  soon  proclaimed  the  object  of  the 
risk  which  had  just  been  run. 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  145 

"  Enter,"  whispered  Ruth,  who  held  the  postern  with  her 
own  hand.  "  Enter  of  Heaven's  mercy  !  Thou  hast  given 
liberty  to  every  hoof,  that  no  living  creature  perish  by  the 
flames  ? " 

"  All  ;  and  truly  not  too  speedily — for,  see — the  brand  is 
fit  work  !  " 

Content  had  much  reason  to  felicitate  himself  on  his  ex- 
pedition ;  for,  even  while  he  spoke,  half-concealed  torches, 
made  as  usual  of  blazing  knots  of  pine,  were  again  seen 
glancing  across  the  fields,  evidently  approaching  the  out- 
buildings, by  such  indirect  and  covered  paths  as  might  pro- 
tect those  who  bore  them  from  the  shot  of  the  garrison.  A 
final  and  common  effort  was  made  to  arrest  the  danger. 
The  muskets  of  the  young  men  were  active,  and  more  than 
once  did  the  citadel  of  the  stern  old  Puritan  give  forth  its 
flood  of  flame,  in  order  to  beat  back  the  dangerous  visitants. 
A  few  shrieks  of  savage  disappointment  and  of  bodily  an- 
guish announced  the  success  of  these  discharges;  but  though 
most  of  those  who  approached  the  barns  were  either  driven 
back  in  fear  or  suffered  for  their  temerity,  one  among 
them,  more  wary  or  more  practised  than  his  companions, 
found  means  to  effect  his  object.  The  firing  had  ceased, 
and  the  besieged  were  congratulating  themselves  on  suc- 
cess, when  a  sudden  light  glared  across  the  fields.  A  sheet 
of  flame  soon  came  curling  over  the  crest  of  a  wheat-stack, 
and  quickly  wrapped  the  inflammable  material  in  its  fierce 
torrent.  Against  this  destruction  there  remained  no  rem- 
edy. The  barns  and  inclosures,  which  so  lately  had  been 
lying  in  the  darkness  of  the  hour,  were  instantly  illumi- 
nated, and  life  would  have  been  the  penalty  paid  by  any  of 
either  party  who  should  dare  to  trust  his  person  within  the 
bright  glare.  The  borderers  were  soon  compelled  to  fall 
back,  even  within  the  shadows  of  the  hill,  and  to  seek  such 
covers  as  the  stockades  offered  in  order  to  avoid  the  aim  of 
the  arrow  or  the  bullet. 

"  This  is  a  mournful  spectacle  to  one  that  has  harvested 
in  charity  with  all  men,"  said  Content  to  the  trembler  who 
convulsively  grasped  his  arm,  as  the  flame  whirled  in  the 
currents  of  the  heated  air,  and  sweeping  once  or  twice 
across  the  roof  of  a  shed,  left  a  portion  of  its  torrent  creep- 
ing insidiously  along  the  wooden  covering.  "The  ingather- 
ing of  a  blessed  season  is  about  to  melt  into  ashes  before 
the  brand  of  these  accur " 

"  Peace,  Heathcote  !  What  is  wealth,  or  the  fulness  of 
thy  granaries,  to  that  which  remains?  Check  these  repin- 

10 


146  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

ings  of  thy  spirit,  and  bless  God  that  he  leaveth  us  out 
babes,  and  the  safety  of  our  inner  roofs." 

"  Thou  sayest  truly,"  returned  the  husband,  endeavoring 
to  imitate  the  meek  resignation  of  his  companion.  "  What 
indeed  are  the  gifts  of  the  world,  set  in  the  balance  against 
the  peace  of  mind — ha !  that  evil  blast  of  wind  sealeth  the 
destruction  of  our  harvest !  The  fierce  element  is  in  the 
heart  of  the  granaries." 

Ruth  made  no  reply,  for  though  less  moved  by  worldly 
cares  than  her  husband,  the  frightful  progress  of  the  con- 
flagration alarmed  her  with  a  sense  of  personal  danger. 
The  flames  had  passed  from  roof  to  roof,  and  meeting 
everywhere  with  fuel  of  the  most  combustible  nature,  the 
whole  of  the  vast  range  of  barns,  sheds,  granaries,  cribs, 
and  out-buildings,  was  just  breaking  forth  in  the  brightness 
of  a  torrent  of  fire.  Until  this  moment,  suspense,  with 
hope  on  one  side  and  apprehension  on  the  other,  had  kept 
both  parties  mute  spectators  of  the  scene.  But  yells  of 
tiiumph  soon  proclaimed  the  delight  with  which  the  In- 
dians witnessed  the  completion  of  their  fell  design.  Then 
whoops  followed  this  burst  of  pleasure,  and  a  third  onset 
was  made. 

The  combatants  now  fought  under  a  brightness  which, 
though  less  natural,  was  scarcely  less  brilliant  than  that  of 
noonday.  Stimulated  by  the  prospect  of  success  which 
was  offered  by  the  conflagration,  the  savages  rushed  upon 
the  stockade  with  more  audacity  than  it  was  usual  to  dis- 
play in  their  cautious  warfare.  A  broad  shadow  was  cast, 
by  the  hill  and  its  buildings,  across  the  fields  on  the  side 
opposite  to  the  flames,  and  through  this  belt  of  compara- 
tive gloom,  the  fiercest  of  the  band  made  their  way  to  the 
very  palisadoes  with  impunity.  Their  presence  was  an- 
nounced by  the  yell  of  delight,  for  too  many  curious  eyes 
had  been  drinking  in  the  fearful  beauty  of  the  conflagra- 
tion to  note  their  approach  until  the  attack  had  nearly 
proved  successful.  The  rushes  to  the  defence  and  to  the 
attack  were  now  alike  quick  and  headlong.  Volleys  were 
useless,  for  the  timbers  offered  equal  security  to  both  as- 
sailant and  assailed.  It  was  a  struggle  of  hand  to  hand,  in 
which  numbers  would  have  prevailed,  had  it  not  been  the 
good  fortune  of  the  weaker  party  to  act  on  the  defensive. 
Blows  of  the  knife  were  passed  swiftly  between  the  tim- 
bers, and  occasionally  the  discharge  of  the  musket,  or  the 
twanging  of  the  bow,  was  heard. 

"  Stand  to  the  timbers,  my  men  ! "  said  the  deep  tones  of 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  147 

the  stranger,  who  spoke  in  the  midst  of  the  fierce  struggle 
with  that  commanding  and  stirring  cheerfulness  that  fa- 
miliarity with  danger  can  alone  inspire.  "  Stand  to  the  de- 
fences, and  they  are  impassable.  Ha  !  'twas  well  meant, 
friend  savage,"  he  muttered  between  his  teeth,  as  he  par- 
ried, at  some  jeopardy  to  one  hand,  a  thrust  aimed  at  his 
throat,  while  with  the  other  he  seized  the  warrior  who  had 
inflicted  the  blow,  and  drawing  his  naked  breast  with  the 
power  of  a  giant,  full  against  the  opening  between  the 
timbers,  he  buried  his  own  keen  blade  to  its  haft  in  the 
body.  The  eyes  of  the  victim  rolled  wildly,  and  when  the 
iron  hand  which  bound  him  to  the  wood  with  the  power 
of  a  vice,  loosened  its  grasp,  he  fell  motionless  on  the 
earth.  This  death  was  succeeded  by  the  usual  yell  of  dis- 
appointment, and  the  assailants  disappeared  as  swiftly  as 
they  had  approached. 

"  God  be  praised,  that  we  have  to  rejoice  in  this  advan- 
tage ! "  said  Content,  enumerating  the  individuals  of  his 
force,  with  an  anxious  eye,  when  all  were  again  assembled 
at  the  stand  on  the  hill,  where,  favored  by  the  glaring 
light,  they  could  overlook  in  comparative  security  the  more 
exposed  parts  of  their  defences.  "We  count  our  own, 
though  I  fear  me  many  may  have  suffered." 

The  silence  and  the  occupations  of  his  listeners,  most  of 
whom  were  stanching  their  blood,  was  a  sufficient  an- 
swer. 

"  Hist,  father!"  said  the  quick-eyed  and  observant  Mark  ; 
"  one  remaineth  on  the  palisado  nearest  the  wicket.  Is  it 
a  savage  ?  or  do  I' see  a  stump  in  the  field  beyond  ? " 

All  eyes  followed  the  direction  of  the  hand  of  the  speak- 
er, and  there  was  seen,  of  a  certainty,  something  clinging 
to  the  inner  side  of  one  of  the  timbers,  that  bore  a  marked 
resemblance  to  the  human  form.  The  part  of  the  stock- 
ades, where  the  seeming  figure  clung,  lay  more  in  obscu- 
rity than  the  rest  of  the  defences,  and  doubts  as  to  its  char- 
acter were  not  alone  confined  to  the  quick-sighted  lad  who- 
had  first  detected  its  presence. 

"  Who  hangs  upon  our  palisadoes  ?  "  called  Eben  Dudley. 
"  Speak,  that  we  do  not  harm  a  friend  ! " 

The  wood  itself  was  not  more  immovable  than  the  dark 
object,  until  the  report  of  the  borderer's  musket  was  heard, 
and  then  it  came  tumbling  to  the  earth  like  an  insensible 
mass. 

"  Fallen  like  a  stricken  bear  from  his  tree  !  Life  was  in 
it,  or  no  bullet  of  mine  could  have  loosened  the  hold!" 


148  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

exclaimed  Dudley,  a  little  in  exultation,  as  he  saw  the  suc« 
cess  of  his  aim. 

"  I  will  go  forward,  and  see  that  he  is  past 'r 

The  mouth  of  young  Mark  was  stopped  by  the  hand  of 
the  stranger,  who  calmly  observed — 

"  I  will  look  into  the  fate  of  the  heathen,  myself."  He 
was  about  to  proceed  to  the  spot,  when  the  supposed  dead 
or  wounded  man  sprang  to  his  feet,  with  a  yell  that  rang 
in  echoes  along  the  margin  of  the  forest,  and  bounded  to- 
ward the  cover  of  the  buildings  with  high  and  active  leaps. 
Two  or  three  muskets  sent  their  streaks  of  flame  across 
his  path,  but  seemingly  without  success.  Jumping  in  a 
manner  to  elude  the  certainty  of  their  fire,  the  unharmed 
savage  gave  forth  another  yell  of  triumph,  and  disappeared 
among  the  angles  of  the  dwellings.  His  cries  were  under- 
stood, for  answering  whoops  were  heard  in  the  fields,  and 
the  foe  without  again  rallied  to  the  attack. 

"  This  may  not  be  neglected,"  said  he  who,  more  by  his 
self-possession  and  air  of  authority,  than  by  any  known 
right  to  command,  had  insensibly  assumed  so  much  con- 
trol in  the  important  business  of  that  night.  "  One  like 
this,  within  our  walls,  may  quickly  bring  destruction  on  the 
garrison.  The  postern  may  be  opened  to  an  inroad " 

"A  triple  lock  secures  it,"  interrupted  Content.  "The 
key  is  hid  where  none  know  to  seek  it,  other  than  such  as 
are  of  our  household." 

"  And  happily  the  means  of  passing  the  private  wicket 
are  in  my  possession,"  muttered  the  other,  in  an  under- 
tone. "  So  far,  well  ;  but  the  brand  !  the  brand  !  the 
maidens  must  look  to  the  fires  and  lights,  while  the  youths 
make  good  the  stockade,  since  this  assault  admitteth  not  of 
further  delay." 

So  saying,  the  stranger  gave  an  example  of  courage  by 
proceeding  to  his  stand  at  the  pickets,  where,  supported 
by  his  companions,  he  continued  to  defend  the  approaches 
against  a  discharge  of  arrows  and  bullets  that  was  more 
distant,  but  scarcely  less  dangerous  to  the  safety  of  those 
who  showed  themselves  on  the  side  of  the  acclivity,  than 
those  which  had  been  previously  showered  upon  the  gar- 
rison. 

In  the  meantime,  Ruth  summoned  her  assistants,  and 
hastened  to  discharge  the  duty  which  had  just  been  pre- 
scribed. Water  was  cast  freely  on  all  the  fires,  and,  as  the 
still  raging  conflagration  continued  to  give  far  more  light 
than  was  either  necessary  or  safe,  care  was  taken  to  extin- 


THE  WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  149 

guish  any  torch  or  candle  that,  in  the  hurry  of  alarm,  might 
have  been  left  to  moulder  in  its  socket,  throughout  the  ex- 
tensive range  of  the  dwellings  and  the  offices. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

"  Thou  mild,  sad  mother — 

Quit  him  not  so  soon  ! 
Mother,  in  mercy,  stay ! 

Despair  and  death  are  with  him  ;  and  canst  thoit, 
With  that  kind,  earthward  look,  go  leave   him  now  ?  " 

— DANA. 

WHEN  these  precautions  were  taken,  the  females  returned 
to  their  several  look-outs,  and  Ruth,  whose  duty  it  was  in 
moments  of  danger  to  exercise  a  general  superintendence, 
was  left  to  her  meditations  and  to  such  watchfulness  as  her 
fears  might  excite.  Quitting  the  inner  rooms,  she  ap- 
proached the  door  that  communicated  with  the  court,  and 
for  a  moment  lost  the  recollection  of  her  immediate  cares 
in  a  view  of  the  imposing  scene  by  which  she  was  sur- 
rounded. 

By  this  time,  the  whole  of  the  vast  range  of  out-build- 
ings which  had  been  constructed— as  was  usual  in  the  col- 
onies— of  the  most  combustible  materials  and  with  no 
regard  to  the  expenditure  of  wood,  was  wrapt  in  fire. 
Notwithstanding  the  position  of  the  intermediate  edifices, 
broad  flashes  of  light  were  constantly  crossing  the  court 
itself,  on  whose  surface  she  was  able  to  distinguish  the 
smallest  object,  while  the  heavens  above  her  were  glaring 
with  a  lurid  red.  Through  the  openings  between  the 
buildings  of  the  quadrangle,  the  eye  could  look  out  upon 
the  fields,  where  she  saw  every  evidence  of  a  sullen  inten- 
tion on  the  part  of  the  savages  to  persevere  in  their  ob 
ject.  Dark,  fierce-looking,  and  nearly  naked  human  forms 
were  seen  flitting  from  cover  to  cover,  while  there  was  no 
stump  nor  log  within  arrow's  flight  of  the  defences,  that 
did  not  protect  the  person  of  a  daring  and  indefatigable 
enemy.  It  was  plain  the  Indians  were  there  in  hundreds, 
and  as  the  assaults  continued  after  the  failure  of  a  surprise, 
it  was  too  evident  that  they  wrere  bent  on  victory,  at  some 
hazard  to  themselves.  No  usual  means  of  adding  to  the 
horrors  of  the  scene  were  neglected.  Whoops  and  yells 
were  incessantly  ringing  around  the  olace^  while  the  loud 


150  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON- WISH. 

and  often-repeated  tones  of  a  conch  betrayed  the  artifice 
by  which  the  savages  had  so  often  endeavored,  in  the  ear* 
Her  part  of  the  night,  to  lure  the  garrison  out  of  the  palisa* 
does.  A  few  scattering  shot,  discharged  with  deliberation 
and  from  every  exposed  point  within  the  works,  proclaimed 
both  the  coolness  and  the  vigilance  of  the  defendants.  The 
little  gun  in  the  block-house  was  silent  ;  for  the  Puritan 
knew  too  well  its  real  power  to  lessen  its  reputation  by  a 
too  frequent  use.  The  weapon  was  therefore  reserved  for 
those  moments  of  pressing  danger  that  would  be  sure  to 
arrive. 

On  this  spectacle  Ruth  gazed  in  fearful  sadness.  The 
long-sustained  and  sylvan  security  of  her  abode  was  vio-, 
lently  destroyed,  and  in  the  place  of  a  quiet  which  had 
approached  as  near  as  may  be  on  earth  to  that  holy  peace 
for  which  her  spirit  strove,  she  and  all  she  most  loved  were 
suddenly  confronted  to  the  most  frightful  exhibition  of 
human  horrors.  In  such  a  moment,  the  feelings  of  a 
mother  were  likely  to  revive  ;  and  ere  time  was  given  for 
reflection,  aided  by  the  light  of  the  conflagration,  the  ma- 
tron was  moving  swiftly  through  the  intricate  passages  of 
the  dwelling,  in  quest  of  those  whom  she  had  placed  in 
the  security  of  the  chambers. 

"  Thou  hast  remembered  to  avoid  looking  on  the  fields, 
my  children,"  said  the  nearly  breathless  woman  as  she 
entered  the  room.  "  Be  thankful,  babes  ;  hitherto  the 
efforts  of  the  savages  have  been  vain,  and  we  still  remain 
masters  of  our  habitations." 

"  Why  is  the  night  so  red  ?  Come  hither,  mother ; 
thou  mayest  look  into  the  wood  as  if  the  sun  were  shin- 
ing!" 

"  The  heathens  have  fired  our  granaries,  and  what  thou 
seest  is  the  light  of  the  flames.  But  happily  they  cannot 
put  brand  into  the  dwellings,  while  thy  father  and  the 
young  men  stand  to  their  weapons.  We  must  be  grateful 
for  this  security,  frail  as  it  seemeth.  Thou  hast  knelt,  my 
Ruth,  and  hast  remembered  to  think  of  thy  father  and 
brother  in  thy  prayers." 

"  I  will  do  so  again,  mother,"  whispered  the  child,  bend- 
ing to  her  knees,  and  wrapping  her  young  features  in  the 
garments  of  the  matron. 

"  Why  hide  thy  countenance  ?  One  young  and  innocent 
as  thou  may  lift  thine  eyes  to  Heaven  with  confidence" 

"Mother,  I  see  the  Indian  unless  my  face  be  hid.  He 
looketh  at  me,  I  fear,  with  wish  to  do  us  harm." 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  151 

"Thou  art  not  just  to  Miantonimoh,  child,"  answered 
Ruth,  as  she  glanced  her  eye  rapidly  round  to  seek  the 
boy,  who  had  modestly  withdrawn  into  a  remote  and 
shaded  corner  of  the  room.  u  I  left  him  with  thee  for  a 
guardian,  and  not  as  one  who  would  wish  to  injure.  Now 
think  of  thy  God,  child,"  imprinting  a  kiss  on  the  cold, 
marble-like  forehead  of  her  daughter,  "and  have  reliance 
in  His  goodness.  Miantonimoh,  I  again  leave  you  with  a 
charge  to  be  their  protector,"  she  added,  quitting  her 
daughter  and  advancing  toward  the  youth. 

"  Mother  !  "  shrieked  the  child,  "  come  to  me,  or  I  die  !  " 

Ruth  turned  from  the  listening  captive  with  the  quick- 
ness of  instinct.  A  glance  showed  her  the  jeopardy  of  her 
offspring.  A  naked  savage,  dark,  powerful  of  frame,  and 
fierce  in  the  frightful  masquerade  of  his  war-paint,  stood 
winding  the  silken  hair  of  the  girl  in  one  hand,  while  he 
already  held  the  glittering  axe  above  a  head  that  seemed 
inevitably  devoted  to  destruction. 

"  Mercy  !  mercy  ! "  exclaimed  Ruth,  hoarse  with  horror, 
and  dropping  to  her  knees,  as  much  from  inability  to  stand 
as  with  intent  to  petition.  "  Monster,  strike  me  ;  but  spare 
the  child  !" 

The  eyes  of  the  Indian  rolled  over  the  person  of  the 
speaker,  but  it  was  with  an  expression  that  seemed  rather 
to  enumerate  the  number  of  his  victims  than  to  announce 
any  change  of  purpose.  With  a  fiend-like  coolness  that 
bespoke  much  knowledge  of  the  ruthless  practice,  he 
again  swung  the  quivering  but  speechless  child  in  the  air, 
and  prepared  to  direct  the  weapon  with  a  fell  certainty  of 
aim.  The  tomahawk  had  made  its  last  circuit,  and  an  in- 
stant would  have  decided  the  fate  of  the  victim,  when  the 
captive  boy  stood  in  front  of  the  frightful  actor  in  this 
revolting  scene.  By  a  quick,  forward  movement  of  his 
arm,  the  blow  was  arrested.  The  deep  guttural  ejacula- 
tion which  betrays  the  surprise  of  an  Indian,  broke  from 
the  chest  of  the  savage,  while  his  hand  fell  to  his  side,  and 
the  form  of  the  suspended  girl  was  suffered  again  to  touch 
the  floor.  The  look  and  gesture  with  which  the  boy  had 
interfered,  expressed  authority  rather  than  resentment  or 
horror.  His  air  was  calm,  collected,  and,  as  it  appeared  by 
the  effect,  imposing. 

"  Go,"  "he  said,  in  the  language  of  the  fierce  people  from 
whom  he  had  sprung;  "the  warriors  of  the  pale  men  are 
calling  thee  by  name." 

"  The  snow  is  red  with  the   blood  of  our  yQung  men/ 


152  THE  WEPT  OF  WISH-TON- WISH. 

the  other  fiercely  answered  ;  "  and  not  a  scalp  is  at  the  belt 
of  my  people." 

'  "  These  are  mine,"  returned  the  boy,  with  dignity,  sweep* 
ing  his  arm  while  speaking,  in  a  manner  to  show  that  he 
extended  protection  to  all  present. 

The  warrior  gazed  about  him  grimly,  and  like  one  but 
half-convinced.  He  had  incurred  a  danger  too  fearful  in 
entering  the  stockade  to  be  easily  diverted  from  his  pur- 
pose. 

"  Listen  ! "  he  continued,  after  a  short  pause,  during 
which  the  artillery  of  the  Puritan  had  again  bellowed  in 
the  uproar  without.  "  The  thunder  is  with  the  Yengeese  ! 
Our  young  women  will  look  another  way,  and  call  us 
Pequots,  should  there  be  no  scalps  on  our  pole." 

For  a  single  moment  the  countenance  of  the  boy 
changed,  and  his  resolution  seemed  to  waver.  The  other, 
who  watched  his  eyes  with  longing  eagerness,  again  seized 
his  victim  by  the  hair,  when  Ruth  shrieked  in  the  accents 
of  despair — 

"  Boy  !  boy  !  if  thou  art  not  with  us,  God  hath  deserted 
us!" 

"  She  is  mine,"  burst  fiercely  from  the  lips  of  the  lad. 
"  Hear  my  words,  Wompahwisset  :  the  blood  of  my  father 
is  very  warm  within  me." 

The  other  paused,  and  the  blow  was  once  more  sus- 
pended. The  glaring  eyeballs  of  the  savage  rested  in- 
tently on  the  swelling  form  and  stern  countenance  of  the 
young  hero,  whose  uplifted  hand  appeared  to  menace  in- 
stant punishment,  should  he  dare  to  disregard  the  media- 
tion. The  lips  of  the  warrior  severed,  and  the  word 
"  Miantonimoh  "  was  uttered  as  softly  as  if  it  recalled  a 
feeling  of  sorrow.  Then,  as  a  sudden  burst  of  yells  rose 
above  the  roar  of  the  conflagration,  the  fierce  Indian 
turned  in  his  tracks,  and  abandoning  the  trembling  and 
nearly  insensible  child,  he  bounded  away  like  a  hound 
loosened  on  a  fresh  scent  of  blood. 

"  Boy  !  boy  ! "  murmured  the  mother  ;  heathen  or 
Christian,  there  is  one  that  will  bless  thee " 

A  rapid  gesture  of  the  hand  interrupted  the  fervent  ex- 
pression of  her  gratitude.  Pointing  after  the  form  of  the 
retreating  savage,  the  lad  encircled  his  own  head  with  a 
finger,  in  a  manner  that  could  not  be  mistaken,  as  he 
uttered  steadily,  but  with  the  deep  emphasis  of  an  In- 
dian— 

"  The  young  pale-face  has  a  scalp  ! " 


THE  WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  153 

Ruth  heard  no  more.  With  instinctive  rapidity,  every 
feeling  of  her  soul  quickened  nearly  to  agony,  she  rushed 
below,  in  order  to  warn  Mark  against  the  machinations  of 
so  fearful  an  enemy.  Her  step  was  heard  but  for  a  mo- 
ment in  the  vacant  chambers,  and  then  the  Indian  boy, 
whose  steadiness  and  authority  had  just  been  so  signally 
exerted  in  favor  of  the  children,  resumed  his  attitude  of 
meditation  as  quietly  as  if  he  took  no  further  interest  in 
the  frightful  events  of  the  night. 

The  situation  of  the  garrison  was  now,  indeed,  to  the 
last  degree  critical.  A  torrent  of  fire  had  passed  from 
the  further  extremity  of  the  out-houses  to  that  which 
stood  nearest  to  the  defences  ;  and  as  building  after 
building  melted  beneath  its  raging  power,  the  palisadoes 
became  heated  nearly  to  the  point  of  ignition.  The  alarm 
created  by  this  imminent  danger  had  already  been  given, 
and  when  Ruth  issued  into  the  court  a  female  was  rush- 
ing past  her,  seemingly  on  some  errand  of  the  last  neces- 
sity. 

"Hast  seen  him?"  demanded  the  breathless  mother, 
arresting  the  steps  of  the  quick-moving  girl. 

"Not  since  the  savage  made  his  last  onset  ;  but  I  war- 
rant me  he  may  be  found  near  the  western  loops,  making 
good  the  works  against  the  enemy  !  " 

"  Surely  he  is  not  foremost  in  the  fray !  Of  whom 
speakest  thou,  Faith?  I  questioned  thee  of  Mark.  There 
is  one,  even  now,  raging  within  the  pickets,  seeking  a 
victim." 

"  Truly,  I  thought  it  had  been  a  question  of the  boy 

is  with  his  father  and  the  stranger  soldier,  who  does  such 
deeds  of  valor  in  our  behalf.  I  have  seen  no  enemy  with- 
in the  palisadoes,  Madam  H<?athcote,  since  the  entry  of  the 
man  who  escaped,  by  favor  of  the  powers  of  darkness,  from 
the  shot  of  Eben  Dudley's  musket." 

"  And  is  this  evil  like  to  pass  from  us,"  resumed  Ruth, 
breathing  more  freely,  as  she  learned  the  safety  of  her 
son,  "  or  does  Providence  veil  its  face  in  anger  ?" 

u  We  keep  our  own,  though  the  savage  hath  pressed  the 
young  men  to  extremity.  Oh  !  it  gladdened  heart  to  see 
how  brave  a  guard  Rueben  Ring  and  others  near  him  made 
in  our  behalf.  I  do  think  me,  Madam  Heathcote,  that  af^ 
ter  all  there  is  real  manhood  in  the  brawler  Dudley  !  Tru- 
ly, the  youth  hath  done  marvels  in  the  way  of  exposure 
and  resistance.  Twenty  times  this  night  have  I  expected 
to  see  him  slain." 


154  THE   WEPT  OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

"And  he  that  lieth  there  ?"  half-whispered  the  alarmed 
Ruth,  pointing  to  a  spot  near  them,  where,  aside  from  the 
movements  of  those  that  still  acted  in  the  bustle  of  the 
combat,  one  lay  stretched  on  the  earth—"  who  hath  fal- 
len?" 

The  cheek  of  Faith  blanched  to  a  whiteness  that  nearly 
equalled  that  of  the  linen,  which,  even  in  the  hurry  of  such 
a  scene,  some  friendly  hand  had  found  leisure  to  throw  in 
decent  sadness  over  the  form. 

"  That  !  "  said  the  faltering  girl ;  "  though  hurt  and 
bleeding,  my  brother  Reuben  surely  keepeth  the  loop  at 
the  western  angle  ;  nor  is  Whittal  wanting  in  sufficient 
sense  to  take  heed  of  danger.  This  may  not  be  the  stran- 
ger, for  under  the  covers  of  the  postern  breastwork  he  hold- 
eth  counsel  with  the  young  captain." 

"  Art  certain,  girl  ?" 

"  I  saw  them  both  within  the  minute.  Would  to  God 
we  could  hear  the  shout  of  noisy  Dudley,  Madam  Heath- 
cote  ;  his  cry  cheereth  the  heart,  in  a  moment  awful  as 
this  !  " 

"Lift  the  cloth,"  said  Ruth,  with  calm  solemnity,  "that 
we  may  know  which  of  our  friends  hath  been  called  to  the 
great  account." 

Faith  hesitated  ;  and  when  by  a  powerful  effort,  in  which 
secret  interest  had  as  deep  an  influence  as  obedience,  she 
did  comply,  it  was  with  a  sort  of  desperate  resolution.  On 
raising  the  linen,  the  eyes  of  the  two  women  rested  on  the 
pallid  countenance  of  one  who  had  been  transfixed  by  an 
iron-headed  arrow.  The  girl  dropped  the  linen,  and  in  a 
voice  that  sounded  like  a  burst  of  hysterical  feeling,  she 
exclaimed — 

"  'Tis  but  the  youth  that  came  lately  among  us  !  We 
are  spared  the  loss  of  any  ancient  friend." 

"Tis  one  who  died  for  our  safety.  I  would  give  large- 
ly of  this  world's  comforts,  that  this  calamity  might  not 
have  been,  or  that  greater  leisure  for  the  last  fearful  reck- 
oning had  been  accorded.  But  we  may  not  lose  the  mo- 
ments in  mourning.  Hie  thee,  girl,  and  sound  the  alarm 
that  a  savage  lurketh  within  our  walls,  and  that  he  skulk- 
eth  in  quest  of  a  secret  blow.  Bid  all  be  wary.  If  the 
young  Mark  should  cross  thy  path,  speak  to  him  twice  of 
this  danger  ;  the  child  hath  a  froward  spirit,  and  may  not 
hearken  to  words  uttered  in  too  great  hurry." 

With  this  charge  Ruth  quitted"  her  maiden.  While  the 
latter  proceeded  to  give  the  necessary  notice,  the  other 


THE   WEPT  OF  WISH-TON- WISH.  155 

sought  the  spot  where  she  had  just  learned  there  was  ica- 
son  to  believe  her  husband  might  be  found.- 

Content  and  the  stranger  were  in  fact  met  in  consulta- 
tion over  the  danger  which  threatened  destruction  to  their 
most  important  means  of  defence.  The  savages  themselves 
appeared  to  be  conscious  that  the  flames  were  working  in 
their  favor  ;  for  their  efforts  sensibly  slackened,  and  having 
already  severely  suffered  in  their  attempts  to  annoy  the 
garrison,  they  had  fallen  back  to  their  covers,  and  awaited 
the  moment  when  their  practised  cunning  should  tell  them 
they  might,  with  more  flattering  promises  of  success,  again 
rally  to  the  onset.  A  brief  explanation  served  to  make 
Ruth  acquainted  with  the  imminent  jeopardy  of  their  sit- 
uation. Under  a  sense  of  a  more  appalling  danger  she 
lost  the  recollection  of  her  former  purpose,  and  with  a  con- 
tracted and  sorrowing  eye  she  stood  like  her  companions, 
in  impotent  helplessness,  an  entranced  spectator  of  the 
progress  of  the  destruction. 

"  A  soldier  should  not  waste  words  in  useless  plaints,"  ob- 
served the  stranger,  folding  his  arms  like  one  who  was  con- 
scious that  human  effort  could  do  no  more,  "  else  should  I 
say,  'tis  pity  that  he  who  drew  yon  line  of  stockade  hath 
not  remembered  the  uses  of  the  ditch." 

"  I  will  summon  the  maidens  to  the  wells,"  said  Ruth. 

"  'Twill  not  avail  us.  The  arrow  would  be  among  them, 
nor  could  mortal  long  endure  the  heat  of  yon  glowing  fur- 
nace. Thou  seest  that  the  timbers  already  smoke  and  blacken 
under  its  fierceness." 

The  stranger  was  still  speaking,  when  a  small  quivering 
flame  played  on  the  corners  of  the  palisado  nearest  the 
burning  pile.  The  element  fluttered  like  a  waving  line 
along  the  edges  of  the  heated  wood,  after  which  it  spread 
over  the  whole  surface  of  the  timber,  from  its  larger  base 
to  the  pointed  summit.  As  if  this  had  merely  been  the  sig- 
nal of  a  general  destruction,  the  flames  kindled  in  fifty 
places  at  the  same  instant,  and  then  the  whole  line  of  the 
stockade,  nearest  the  conflagration,  was  covered  with  fire. 
A  yell  of  triumph  arose  in  the  fields,  and  a  flight  of  ar- 
rows, sailing  tauntingly  into  the  works,  announced  the 
fierce  impatience  of  those  who  watchecj  the  increase  of  the 
conflagration. 

"We  shall  be  driven  to  our  block,"  said  Content.  "As- 
semble thy  maidens,  Ruth,  and  make  speedy  preparation 
for  the  last  retreat." 

"  T.  go  ;  but  hazard  not  thy  life  in  any  vain  endeavor  to 


i$6  THE   WEPT  OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

retard  the  flames.     There  will  yet  be  time  for  all  that  is» 
needful  to  our  security." 

"  I  know  not,"  hurriedly  observed  the  stranger.  "  Here 
cometh  the  assault  in  a  new  aspect ! " 

The  feet  of  Ruth  were  arrested.  On  looking  upwards 
she  saw  the  object  which  had  drawn  this  remark  from  the 
last  speaker.  A  small  bright  ball  of  fire  had  arisen  out  of 
the  fields,  and,  describing  an  arc  in  the  air,  it  sailed  above 
their  heads  and  fell  on  the  shingles  of  a  building  which 
formed  part  of  the  quadrangle  of  the  inner  court.  The 
movement  was  that  of  an  arrow  thrown  from  a  distant  bow, 
and  its  way  was  to  be  traced  by  a  long  trail  of  light,  that 
followed  its  course  like  a  blazing  meteor.  This  burning 
arrow  had  been  sent  with  a  cool  and  practised  judgment. 
It  lighted  upon  a  portion  of  the  combustibles  that  were 
nearly  as  inflammable  as  gunpowder,  and  the  eye  had 
scarcely  succeeded  in  tracing  it  to  its  fall,  ere  the  bright 
flames  were  seen  stealing  over  the  heated  roof. 

"  One  struggle  for  our  habitations  ! "  cried  Content — 
but  the  hand  of  the  stranger  was  placed  firmly  on  his 
shoulder.  At  that  instant,  a  dozen  similar  meteor-looking 
balls  shot  into  the  air,  and  fell  in  as  many  different 
places  on  the  already  half-kindled  pile.  Further  efforts 
would  have  been  useless.  Relinquishing  the  hope  of 
saving  his  property,  every  thought  was  now  given  to  per- 
sonal safety. 

Ruth  recovered  from  her  short  trance,  and  hastened 
with  hurried  steps  to  perform  her  well-known  office.  Then 
came  a  few  minutes  of  exertion,  during  which  the  females 
transferred  all  that  was  necessary  to  their  subsistence,  and 
which  had  not  been  already  provided  in  the  block,  to  their 
little  citadel.  The  glowing  light,  which  penetrated  the 
darkest  passages  among  the  buildings,  prevented  this 
movement  from  being  made  without  discovery.  The 
whoop  summoned  their  enemies  to  another  attack.  The 
arrows  thickened  in  the  air,  and  the  important  duty  was 
not  performed  without  risk,  as  all  were  obliged,  in  some 
degree,  to  expose  their  persons,  while  passing  to  and  fro. 
loaded  with  necessaries.  The  gathering  smoke,  however, 
served  in  some  measure  for  a  screen  ;  and  it  was  not  long 
before  Content  received  the  welcome  tidings  that  he  might 
command  the  retreat  of  his  young  men  from  the  palisadoes. 
The  conch  sounded  the  necessary  signal,  and  ere  the  foe 
had  time  to  understand  its  meaning,  or  profit  by  the  de- 
fenceless state  of  the  works,  every  individual  within  them 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  157 

had  reached  the  door  of  the  block  in  safety.  Still,  there 
was  more  of  hurry  and  confusion  than  altogether  com- 
ported with  their  safety.  They  who  were  assigned  to  that 
duty,  however,  mounted  eagerly  to  the  loops,  and  stood 
m  readiness  to  pour  out  their  fire  on  whoever  might  dare 
to  come  within  its  reach,  while  a  few  still  lingered  in 
the  court,  to  see  that  no  necessary  provision  for  resist- 
ance, or  of  safety,  was  forgotten.  Ruth  had  been  fore- 
most in  exertion,  and  she  now  stood  pressing  her  hands 
to  her  temples,  like  one  whose  mind  was  bewildered  by  her 
own  efforts. 

"  Our  fallen  friend  !  "  she  said.  "  Shall  we  leave  his  re- 
mains to  be  mangled  by  the  savage  ?  " 

"  Surely  not  ;  Dudley,  thy  hand.  We  will  bear  the  body 
within  the  lower — ha !  death  hath  struck  another  of  our 
family." 

The  alarm  with  which  Content  made  this  discovery 
passed  quickly  to  all  in  hearing.  It  was  but  too  apparent, 
by  the  shape  of  the  linen,  that  two  bodies  lay  beneath  its 
folds.  Anxious  and  rapid  looks  were  cast  from  face  to  face, 
in  order  to  learn  who  was  missing  ;  and  then,  conscious  of 
the  hazard  of  further  delay,  Content  raised  the  linen,  in 
order  to  remove  all  doubts  by  certainty.  The  form  of  the 
young  borderer,  who  was  known  to  have  fallen,  was  first 
slowly  and  reverently  uncovered  ;  but  even  the  most  self- 
restrained  among  the  spectators  started  back  in  horror,  as 
his  robbed  and  reeking  head  showed  that  a  savage  hand 
had  worked  its  ruthless  will  on  the  unresisting  corpse. 

"  The  other !  "  Ruth  struggled  to  say,  and  it  was  only  as 
her  husband  had  half  removed  the  linen  that  she  could 
succeed  in  uttering  the  words — "  Beware  the  other  !  " 

The  warning  was  not  useless,  for  the  linen  waved  vio- 
lently as  it  rose  under  the  hand  of  Content,  and  a  grim 
Indian  sprang  into  the  very  centre  of  the  startled  group. 
Sweeping  his  armed  hand  widely  about  him,  the  savage 
broke  through  the  receding  circle,  and  giving  forth  the 
appalling  whoop  of  his  tribe,  he  bounded  into  the  open 
door  of  the  principal  dwelling,  so  swiftly  as  utterly  to  defeat 
any  design  of  pursuit.  The  arms  of  Ruth  were  frantically 
extended  towards  the  place  where  he  had  disappeared,  and 
she  was  about  to  rush  madly  on  his  footsteps,  when  the 
hand  of  her  husband  stopped  the  movement. 

"  Would'st  hazard  life,  to  save  some  worthless  trifle?" 

"  Husband,  release  me  !  "  returned  the  woman,  nearly 
choked  with  her  agony — "  nature  hath  slept  within  me." 


158  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

"  Fear  blindeth  thy  reason  !  " 

The  form  of  Ruth  ceased  to  struggle.  All  the  madness 
which  had  been  glaring  wildly  about  her  eyes,  disappeared 
in  the  settled  look  of  an  almost  preternatural  calm.  Col- 
lecting the  whole  of  her  mental  energy  in  one  desperate 
effort  of  self-command,  she  turned  to  her  husband,  and,  as 
her  bosom  swelled  with  the  terror  that  seemed  to  stop  her 
breath,  she  said  in  a  voice  that  was  frightful  by  its  com 
posure — 

"  If  thou  hast  a  father's  heart,  release  me.  Our  babes 
have  been  forgotten  !  " 

The  hand  of  Content  relaxed  its  hold,  and,  in  another 
instant,  the  form  of  his  wife  was  lost  to  view  on  the  track 
that  had  just  been  taken  by  the  successful  savage.  This 
was  the  luckless  moment  chosen  by  the  foe  to  push  his  ad- 
vantage. A  fierce  burst  of  yells  proclaimed  the  activity 
of  the  assailant,  and  a  general  discharge  from  the  loops  of 
the  block-house  sufficiently  apprised  those  in  the  court 
that  the  onset  of  the  enemy  was  now  pushed  into  the  very 
heart  of  the  defences.  All  had  mounted,  but  the  few  who 
lingered  to  discharge  the  melancholy  duty  to  the  dead. 
They  were  too  few  to  render  resistance  prudent,  and  yet 
too  many  to  think  of  deserting  the  distracted  mother  and 
her  offspring  without  an  effort. 

"  Enter,"  said  Content,  pointing  to  the  door  of  the  block. 
"  It  is  my  duty  to  share  the  fate  of  those  nearest  my 
blood." 

The  stranger  made  no  answer.  Placing  his  powerful 
hands  on  the  nearly  stupefied  husband,  he  thrust  his  per- 
son, by  an  irresistible  effort,  within  the  basement  of  the 
building,  and  then  he  signed,  by  a  quick  gesture,  for  all 
around  him  to  follow.  After  the  last  form  had  entered,  he 
commanded  that  the  fastenings  of  the  door  should  be  se- 
cured, remaining  himself,  as  he  believed,  alone  without. 
But  when  by  a  rapid  glance  he  saw  there  was  another  gaz- 
ing in  dull  awe  on  the  features  of  the  fallen  man,  it  was 
too  late  to  rectify  the  mistake.  Yells  were  now  rising  out 
of  the  black  smoke  that  was  rolling  in  volumes  from  the 
heated  buildings,  and  it  was  plain  that  only  a  few  feet  di- 
vided them  from  their  pursuers.  Beckoning  the  man  who 
had  been  excluded  from  the  block  to  follow,  the  stern 
soldier  rushed  into  the  principal  dwelling,  which  was  still 
but  little  injured  by  the  fire.  Guided  rather  by  chance 
than  by  any  knowledge  of  the  windings  of  the  building, 
he  soon  found  himself  in  the  chambers.  He  was  now  at  a 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  159 

loss  whither  to  proceed.  At  that  moment,  his  companion^ 
who  was  no  other  than  Whittal  Ring,  took  the  lead,  and  in 
another  instant  they  were  at  the  door  of  the  secret  apart- 
ment. 

"  Hist !  "  said  the  stranger,  raising  a  hand  to  command 
silence  as  he  entered  the  room.  "  Our  hope  is  in  secrecy." 

"  And  how  may  we  escape  without  detection  ? ','  de- 
manded the  mother,  pointing  about  her  at  objects  illumi- 
nated by  a  light  so  powerful  as  to  penetrate  every  cranny 
of  the  ill-constructed  building.  "  The  noonday  sun  is  scarce 
brighter  than  this  dreadful  fire  !  " 

"  God  is  in  the  elements  !  His  guiding  hand  shall  point 
the  way.  But  here  we  may  not  tarry,  for  the  flames  are 
already  on  the  shingles.  Follow,  and  speak  not." 

Ruth  pressed  the  children  to  her  side,  and  the  whole 
party  left  the  apartment  of  the  attic  in  a  body.  Their  de- 
scent to  a  lower  room  was  made  quickly,  and  without  dis- 
covery. But  here  their  leader  paused,  for  the  state  of  things 
without  was  one  to  demand  the  utmost  steadiness  of  nerve, 
and  great  reflection. 

The  Indians  had  by  this  time  gained  command  of  the 
whole  of  Mark  Heathcote's  possessions,  with  the  exception 
of  the  block-house  ;  and  as  their  first  act  had  been  to  apply 
the  brand  wherever  it  might  be  wanting,  the  roar  of  the 
conflagration  was  now  heard  in  every  direction.  The  dis- 
charge of  muskets  and  the  whoops  of  the  combatants,  how- 
ever, while  they  added  to  the  horrible  din  of  such  a  scene, 
proclaimed  the  unconquered  resolution  of  those  who  held 
the  citadel.  A  window  of  the  room  they  occupied  enabled 
the  stranger  to  take  a  cautious  survey  of  what  was  passing 
without.  The  court,  lighted  to  the  brilliancy  of  day,  was 
empty  ;  for  the  increasing  heat  of  the  fires,  no  less  than 
the  discharges  from  the  loops,  still  kept  the  cautious  sav- 
ages to  their  covers.  There  was  barely  hope,  that  the  space 
between  the  dwelling  and  the  block-house  might  yet  be 
passed  in  safety. 

"  I  would  I  had  asked  that  the  door  of  the  block  should 
be  held  in  hand,"  muttered  Submission  ;  <l  it  would  be 
death  to  linger  an  instant  in  that  fierce  light  ;  nor  have  we 
any  manner  of — 

A  touch  was  laid  upon  his  arm,  and  turning,  the  speaker 
saw  the  dark  eye  of  the  captive  boy  looking  steadily  in  his 
face. 

"Wilt  do  it  ?  "  demanded  the  other,  in  a  manner  to  show 
that  he  doubted,  while  he  hoped. 


Lto  THE  WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

A  speaking  gesture  of  assent  was  the  answer,  and  then 
the  form  of  the  lad  was  seen  gliding  quietly  from  the  room. 

Another  instant,  and  Miantonimoh  appeared  in  the  court. 
He  walked  with  the  deliberation  that  one  would  have 
shown  in  moments  of  the  »most  entire  security.  A  hand 
was  raised  toward  the  loops,  as  if  to  betoken  amity,  and 
then  dropping  the  limb,  he  moved  with  the  same  slow  step 
into  the  very  centre  of  the  area.  Here  the  boy  stood  in 
the  fullest  glare  of  the  conflagration,  and  turned  his  face 
deliberately  on  every  side  of  him.  The  action  showed  that 
he  wished  to  invite  all  eyes  to  examine  his  person.  At  this 
moment  the  yells  ceased  in  the  surrounding  covers,  pro- 
claiming alike  the  common  feeling  that  was  awakened  by 
his  appearance,  and  the  hazard  that  any  other  would  have 
incurred  by  exposing  himself  in  that  fearful  scene.  When 
this  act  of  exceeding  confidence  had  been  performed,  the 
boy  drew  a  pace  nearer  to  the  entrance  of  the  block. 

"  Comest  thou  in  peace,  or  is  this  another  device  of  In- 
dian treachery  ? "  demanded  a  voice,  through  an  opening 
in  the  door  left  expressly  for  the  purposes  of  parley. 

The  boy  raised  the  palm  of  one  hand  toward  the 
speaker,  while  he  laid  the  other  with  a  gesture  of  confi- 
dence on  his  naked  breast. 

"  Hast  aught  to  offer  in  behalf  of  my  wife  and  babes  ? 
If  gold  will  buy  their  ransom,  name  thy  price." 

Miantonimoh  was  at  no  loss  to  comprehend  the  other's 
meaning.  With  the  readiness  of  one  whose  faculties  had 
been  early  schooled  in  the  inventions  of  emergencies,  he 
made  a  gesture  that  said  even  more  than  his  figurative 
words,  as  he  answered — 

"  Can  a  woman  of  the  pale-faces  pass  through  wood  ? 
An  Indian  arrow  is  swifter  than  the  foot  of  my  mother." 

"  Boy,  I  trust  thee,"  returned  the  voice  from  within  the 
loop.  "  If  thou  deceivest  beings  so  feeble  and  so  innocent, 
Heaven  will  remember  the  wrong." 

Miantonimoh  again  made  a  sign  to  show  that  caution 
must  be  used,  and  then  he  retired  with  a  step  calm  and 
measured  as  that  used  in  his  advance.  Another  pause  to 
the  shouts  betrayed  the  interest  of  those  whose  fierce  eyes 
watched  his  movements  in  the  distance. 

When  the  young  Indian  had  rejoined  the  party  in  the 
dwelling,  he  led  them,  without  being  observed  by  the  lurk- 
ing band  that  still  hovered  in  the  smoke  of  the  surround- 
ing buildings,  to  a  spot  that  commanded  a  full  view  of 
their  short  but  perilous  route.  At  this  moment  the  doo/ 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  161 

of  the  block-house  half  opened,  and  was  closed  again. 
Still  the  stranger  hesitated,  for  he  saw  how  little  was  the 
chance  that  all  should  cross  the  court  unharmed,  and  to 
pass  it  by  repeated  trials  he  knew  to  be  impossible. 

"  Boy,"  he  said,  "  thou,  who  hast  done  thus  much,  may 
still  do  more.  Ask  mercy  for  these  children,  in  some 
manner  that  may  touch  the  hearts  of  thy  people." 

Miantonimoh  shook  his  head,  and  pointing  to  the  ghastly 
corpse  that  lay  in  the  court,  he  answered  coldly — 

"  The  red  man  has  tasted  blood  " 

"  Then  must  the  desperate  trial  be  done  !  Think  not  of 
thy  children,  devoted  and  daring  mother,  but  look  only  to 
thine  own  safety.  This  witless  youth  and  I  will  charge  our- 
selves with  the  care  of  the  innocents." 

Ruth  waved  him  away  with  her  hand,  pressing  her  mute 
and  trembling  daughter  to  her  bosom,  in  a  manner  to  show 
that  her  resolution  was  taken.  The  stranger  yielded,  and 
turning  to  Whittftl,  who  stood  near  him,  seemingly  as  much 
occupied  in  vacant  admiration  of  the  blazing  piles  as  in 
any  apprehension  of  his  own  personal  danger,  he  bade  him 
look  to  the  safety  of  the  remaining  child.  Moving  in  front 
himself,  he  was  about  to  offer  Ruth  such  protection  as  the 
case  afforded,  when  a  window  in  the  rear  of  the  house  was 
dashed  inwards,  announcing  the  entrance  of  the  enemy, 
and  the  imminent  danger  that  their  flight  would  be  inter- 
cepted. There  was  no  time  to  lose,  for  it  was  now  certain 
that  only  a  single  room  separated  them  from  their  foes. 
The  generous  nature  of  Ruth  was  aroused,  and  catching 
Martha  from  the  arms  of  Whittal  Ring,  she  endeavored  by 
a  desperate  effort,  in  which  feeling  rather  than  any  reason- 
able motive  predominated,  to  envelop  both  the  children 
in  her  robe. 

"  I  am  with  ye  !  "  whispered  the  agitated  woman  :  "  hush 
ye,  hush  ye,  babes  !  thy  mother  is  nigh  !  " 

The  stranger  was  very  differently  employed.  The  in- 
stant the  crash  of  glass  was  heard,  he  rushed  to  the  rear ; 
and  he  had  already  grappled  with  the  savage  so  often 
named,  and  who  acted  as  guide  to  a  dozen  fierce  and  yelling 
followers. 

"  To  the  block  !  "  shouted  the  steady  soldier,  while  with 
a  powerful  arm  he  held  his  enemy  in  the  throat  of  the  nar- 
row passage,  stopping  the  approach  of  those  in  the  rear  by 
the  body  of  his  foe.  "  For  the  love  of  life  and  children, 
woman,  to  the  block  !  " 

The  summons  rang  frightfully  in  the  ears  of  Ruth,  but  in 


,62  THE  WEPT  OF  WISH-TON- WISH". 

that  moment  of  extreme  jeopardy  her  presence  of  mind  wai 
lost.  The  cry  was  repeated,  and  not  till  then  did  the  be- 
wildered mother  catch  her  daughter  from  the  floor.  With 
eyes  still  bent  on  the  fierce  struggle  in  her  rear,  she  clasped 
the  child  to  her  heart  and  fled,  calling  on  Whittal  Ring  to 
follow.  The  lad  obeyed,  and  ere  she  had  half  crossed  the 
court  the  stranger,  still  holding  his  savage  shield  between 
him  and  his  enemies,  was  seen  endeavoring  to  take  the 
same  direction.  The  whoops,  the  flight  of  arrows,  and  the 
discharges  of  musketry  that  succeeded,  proclaimed  the 
whole  extent  of  the  danger.  But  fear  had  lent  unnatural 
vigor  to  the  limbs  of  Ruth,  and  the  gliding  arrows  them- 
selves scarce  sailed  more  swiftly  through  the  heated  air 
than  she  darted  into  the  open  door  of  the  block.  Whittal 
Ring  was  less  successful.  As  he  crossed  the  court,  bearing 
the  child  intrusted  to  his  care,  an  arrow  pierced  his  flesh. 
Stung  by  the  pain,  the  witless  lad  turned  in  anger  to  chide 
the  hand  that  had  inflicted  the  injury. 

"  On,  foolish  boy  ! "  cried  the  stranger,  as  he  passed  him, 
still  making  a  target  of  the  body  of  the  savage  that  was 
writhing  in  his  grasp.  "  On,  for  thy  life,  and  that  of  the 
babe  !  '« 

The  mandate  came  too  late.  The  hand  of  an  Indian  was 
already  on  the  innocent  victim,  and  in  the  next  instant  the 
child  was  sweeping  the  air,  while  with  a  short  yell  the  keen 
axe  flourished  above  his  head.  A  shot  from  the  loops  laid 
the  monster  dead  in  his  tracks.  The  girl  was  instantly 
seized  by  another  hand,  and  as  the  captor  with  his  prize 
darted  unharmed  into  the  dwelling,  there  arose  in  the  block 
a  common  exclamation  of  the  name  of  u  Miantonimoh !" 
Two  more  of  the  savages  profited  by  the  pause  of  horror 
that  followed,  to  lay  hands  on  the  wounded  Whittal  and  to 
drag  him  within  the  blazing  building.  At  the  same  moment, 
the  stranger  cast  the  unresisting  savage  back  upon  the 
weapons  of  his  companions.  The  bleeding  and  half- 
strangled  Indian  met  the  blows  which  had  been  aimed  at 
the  life  of  the  soldier,  and  as  he  staggered  and  fell,  his 
vigorous  conqueror  disappeared  in  the  block.  The  door  of 
the  little  citadel  was  instantly  closed,  and  the  savages,  who 
rushed  headlong  against  the  entran.ce,  heard  the  fitting  of 
the  bars  which  secured  it  against  their  attacks.  The  yell  of 
retreat  was  raised,  and  in  the  next  instant  the  court  was 
left  to  the  possession  of  the  dead. 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISff.  163 


CHAPTER   XV. 

"  Did  Heaven  look  on, 
And  would  not  take  their  part  ? — 

Heaven  rest  them  now  ?  " — Macbeth, 

"WE  will  be  thankful  for  this  blessing,"  said  Content,  as 
he  aided  the  half-unconscious  Ruth  to  mount  the  ladder, 
yielding  himself  to  a  feeling  of  nature  that  said  little  against 
his  manhood.  "  If  we  have  lost  one  that  we  loved,  God 
hath  spared  our  own  child  !  " 

His  breathless  wife  threw  herself  into  a  seat,  and  folding 
the  treasure  to  her  bosom,  she  whispered  rather  than  said 
aloud — "  From  my  soul,  Heathcote,  am  I  grateful ! " 

"Thou  shieldest  the  babe  from  my  sight,"  returned  the 
father,  .stooping  to  conceal  a  tear  that  was  stealing  down 
his  brown  cheek,  under  the  pretence  of  embracing  the 
child — but  suddenly  recoiling,  he  added  in  alarm — "  Ruth ! " 

Startled  by  the  tone  in  which  her  husband  uttered  her 
name,  the  mother  threw  aside  the  folds  of  her  dress  which 
still  concealed  the  girl,  and  stretching  her  out  to  the  length 
of  an  arm,  she  saw  that,  in  the  hurry  of  the  appalling  scene, 
the  children  had  been  exchanged,  and  that  she  had  saved 
the  life  of  Martha  ! 

Notwithstanding  the  generous  disposition  of  Ruth,  it  was 
impossible  to  repress  the  feeling  of  disappointment  which 
came  over  her  with  the  consciousness  of  the  mistake. 
Nature  at  first  had  sway,  and  to  a  degree  that  was  fearfully 
powerful. 

"  It  is  not  our  babe  !  "  shrieked  the  mother,  still  holding 
the  child  at  the  length  of  her  arm,  and  gazing  at  its  inno- 
cent and  terrified  countenance,  with  an  expression  that 
Martha  had  never  yet  seen  gleaming  from  eyes  that  were 
in  common  so  soft  and  so  indulgent. 

"  I  am  thine  !  I  am  thine  !  "  murmured  the  little  trem- 
bler, struggling  in  vain  to  reach  the  bosom  that  had  so 
long  cherished  her  infancy.  "  If  not  thine,  whose  am  I  ?" 

The  gaze  of  Ruth  was  still  wild — the  workings  of  her 
features  hysterical.  _ 

"  Madam — Mrs.>  Heathcote — mother!  "  came  timidly  and 
at  intervals,  f^om  the  lips  of  the  orphan.  Then  the  heart 
of  Ruth  relented.  She  clasped  the  daughter  of  her  friend 
to  her  breast,  and  nature  found  a  temporary  relief  in  one 


164  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON- WISH. 

of  those  frightful  exhibitions  of  anguish  which  appear  to 
threaten  the  dissolution  of  the  link  which  connects  the  soul 
with  the  body. 

"  Come,  daughter  of  John  Harding,"  said  Content,  look- 
ing around  him  with  the  assumed  composure  of  a  chastened 
man,  while  natural  regret  struggled  hard  at  his  heart  ; 
"  this  has  been  God's  pleasure.  It  is  meet  that  we  kiss  His 
parental  hand.  Let  us  be  thankful,"  he  added,  with  a 
quivering  lip  but  steady  eye,  "that  even  this  mercy  hath 
been  shown.  Our  babe  is  with  the  Indian,  but  our  hopes 
are  far  beyond  the  reach  of  savage  malignity.  We  have 
not  '  laid  up  treasure  where  moth  and  rust  can  corrupt,  or 
where  thieves  may  break  in  and  steal.'  It  may  be  that  the 
morning  shall  bring  means  of  parley,  and  haply,  opportu- 
nity of  ransom." 

There  was  the  glimmering  of  hope  in  this  suggestion. 
The  idea  seemed  to  give  a  new  direction,  to  the  thoughts 
of  Ruth,  and  the  change  enabled  the  long  habits  of  self- 
restraint  to  regain  something  of  their  former  ascendency. 
The  fountains  of  her  tears  became  dry,  and  after  one  short 
and  terrible  struggle,  she  was  again  enabled  to  appear 
composed.  But  at  no  time  during  the  continuance  of  that 
fearful  struggle  was  Ruth  Heathcote  again  the  same  ready 
and  useful  agent  of  activity  and  order  that  she  had  been  in 
the  earlier  events  of  the  night. 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  remind  the  reader  that  the 
brief  burst  of  parental  agony  which  has  just  been  related, 
escaped  Content  and  his  wife  amid  a  scene  in  which  the 
other  actors  were  too  much  occupied  by  their  exertions 
to  note  its  exhibition.  The  fate  of  those  in  the  block 
was  too  evidently  approaching  its  close,  to  allow  of  any 
interest  in  such  an  episode  to  the  great  tragedy  of  the 
moment. 

The  character  of  the  contest  had  in  some  measure 
changed.  There  was  no  longer  any  immediate  apprehen- 
sion from  the  missiles  of  the  assailants,  though  danger 
pressed  upon  the  besieged  in  a  new  and  even  in  a  more 
horrible  aspect.  Now  and  then  indeed  an  arrow  quiv- 
ered in  the  openings  of  the  loops,  and  the  blunt  Dudley 
had  once  a  narrow  escape  from  the  passage  of  a  bullet, 
which,  guided  by  chance,  or  aimed  by  a  hand  surer  than 
common,  glanced  through  one  of  the  narrow  slits,  and 
would  have  terminated  the  history  of  the  borderer,  had 
not  the  head  it  obliquely  encountered,  been  too  solid  to 
yield  even  to  such  an  assault.  The  attention  of  the  gar- 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISff -TON-WISH.  165 

risen  was  chiefly  called  to  the  imminent  danger  of  the 
surrounding  fire.  Though  the  probability  of  such  an 
emergency  as  that  in  which  the  family  was  now  placed, 
had  certainly  been  foreseen,  and  in  some  degree  guarded 
against,  in  the  size  of  the  area  and  in  the  construction  of 
the  block,  yet  it  was  found  that  the  danger  exceeded  all 
former  calculations. 

For  the  basement,  there  was  no  reason  to  feel  alarm. 
It  was  of  stone,  and  of  a  thickness  and  a  material  to  put 
at  defiance  any  artifice  that  their  enemy  might  find  time 
to  practise.  Even  the  two  upper  stories  were  compara- 
tively safe  ;  for  they  were  composed  of  blocks  so  solid  as 
to  require  time  to  heat  them,  and  they  were  consequently 
as  little  liable  to  combustion  as  wood  well  could  be.  But 
the  roof,  like  all  of  that,  and  indeed  like  most  of  the  pres- 
ent day  in  America,  was  composed  of  short  inflammable 
shingles  of  pine.  The  superior  height  of  the  tower  was 
some  little  protection  ;  but  as  the  flames  rose  roaring 
above  the  buildings  of  the  court,  and  waved  in  wide  cir- 
cuits around  the  heated  area,  the  whole  of  the  fragile  cov- 
ering of  the  block  was  often  wrapped  in  folds  of  fire.  The 
result  may  be  anticipated.  Content  was  first  recalled  from 
the  bitterness  of  his  parental  regret,  by  a  cry  which  passed 
among  the  family,  that  the  roof  of  their  little  citadel  was 
in  flames.  One  of  the  ordinary  wells  of  the  habitation  was 
in  the  basement  of  the  edifice,  and  it  was  fortunate  that 
no  precaution  necessary  to  render  it  serviceable  in  an 
emergency  like  that  which  was  now  arrived,  had  been 
neglected.  A  well-secured  shaft  of  stone  rose  through 
the  lower  apartment  into  the  upper  floor.  Profiting  by 
this  happy  precaution,  the  handmaidens  of  Ruth  plied  the 
buckets  with  diligence,  while  the  young  men  cast  water 
freely  on  the  roof,  from  the  windows  of  the  attic.  The 
latter  duty  it  may  readily  be  supposed  was  not  performed 
without  hazard.  Flights  of  arrows  were  constantly  di- 
rected against  the  laborers,  and  more  than  one  of  the 
youths  received  greater  or  less  injuries  while  exposed  to 
their  annoyance.  There  were  indeed  a  few  minutes  dur- 
ing which  it  remained  a  question  of  grave  interest  how 
far  the  risk  they  ran  was  likely  to  be  crowned  with  suc- 
cess. The  excessive  heat  of  so  many  fires,  and  the  occa- 
sional contact  with  the  flames,  as  they  swept  in  eddies  over 
the  place,  began  to  render  it  doubtful  whether  any  human 
efforts  could  long  arrest  the  evil.  Even  the  massive  and 
moistened  logs  of  the  body  of  the  work  began  to  smoke, 


166  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WTSH. 

and  it  was  found  by  experiment,  that  the  hand  could  rest 
but  a  moment  on  their  surface. 

During  this  interval  of  deep  suspense,  all  the  men  posted 
at  the  loops  were  called  to  aid  in  extinguishing  the  fire. 
Resistance  was  forgotten  in  the  discharge  of  a  duty  that 
had  become  still  more  pressing.  Ruth  herself  was  aroused 
by  the  nature  of  the  alarm,  and  all  hands  and  all  minds 
were  arduously  occupied  in  a  toil  that  diverted  attention 
from  incidents  which  had  less  interest,  because  they  were 
teeming  less  with  instant  destruction.  Danger  is  known 
to  lose  its  terrors  by  familiarity.  The  young  borderers 
became  reckless  of  their  persons  in  the  ardor  of  exertion, 
and  as  success  began  to  crown  their  efforts,  something 
like  the  levity  of  happier  moments  got  the  better  of  their 
concern.  Stolen  and  curious  glances  were  thrown  around 
a  place  that  had  so  long  been  kept  sacred  to  the  secret 
uses  of  the  Puritan,  when  it  was  found  that  the  flames 
were  subdued,  and  that  the  present  danger  was  averted. 
The  light  glared  powerfully  through  several  openings  in 
the  shingles  no  less  than  through  the  windows,  and  every 
eye  was  enabled  to  scan  the  contents  of  an  apartment 
which  all  had  longed,  though  none  had  ever  before  pre- 
sumed to  enter. 

"  The  captain  looketh  well  to  the  body,"  whispered 
Reuben  Ring  to  one  of  his  comrades,  as  he  wiped  the 
effects  of  the  toil  from  a  sunburnt  brow.  "  Thou  seest, 
Hiram,  that  there  is  good  store  of  cheer." 

"  The  buttery  is  not  better  stored  ! "  returned  the  other, 
with  the  shrewdness  and  ready  observation  of  a  border- 
man.  "  It  is  known  that  he  never  toucheth  that  which 
the  cow  yields,  except  as  it  comes  from  the  creature,  and 
here  we  find  of  the  best  that  the  madam's  dairy  can 
yield ! " 

"  Surely  yon  buff  jerkin  is  like  to  those  worn  by  the  idle 
cavaliers  at  home  !  I  think  it  be  long  since  the  captain 
hath- ridden  forth  in  such  a  guise." 

"That  may  be  matter  of  ancient  usage,  for  thou  seest  he 
hath  relics  of  the  fashion  of  the  English  troopers  in  this 
bit  of  steel ;  it  is  like  he  holdeth  deep  exercise  over  the 
vanities  of  his  youth,  while  recalling  the  times  in  which 
they  were  worn." 

This  conjecture  appeared  to  satisfy  the  other,  though  it 
is  probable  that  a  sight  of  a  fresh  store  of  bodily  aliment, 
which  was  soon  after  exposed,  in  order  to  gain  access  to 
the  roof,  might  have  led  to  some  further  inferences,  had 


THE  WEPT  OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  167 

more  time  been  given  to  conjectures.  But  at  this  moment 
a  new  wail  proceeded  from  the  maidens  who  plied  the 
buckets  beneath. 

"  To  the  loops !  to  the  loops,  or  we  are  lost ! "  was  a 
summons  that  admitted  of  no  delay.  Led  by  the  stranger, 
the  young  men  rushed  below,  where,  in  truth,  they  found 
a  serious  demand  on  all  their  activity  and  courage. 

The  Indians  were  wanting  in  none  of  the  sagacity  which 
so  remarkably  distinguishes  the  warfare  of  this  cunning 
race.  The  time  spent  by  the  family  in  arresting  the  flames 
had  not  been  thrown  away  by  the  assailants.  Profiting  by 
the  attention  of  those  within,  to  efforts  that  were  literally 
of  the  last  importance,  they  had  found  means  to  convey 
burning  brands  to  the  door  of  the  block,  against  which 
they  had  piled  a  mass  of  blazing  combustibles,  that  threat^ 
ened  shortly  to»open  the  way  into  the  basement  of  the  cit- 
adel itself.  In  order  to  mask  this  design,  and  to  protect 
their  approaches,  the  savages  had  succeeded  in  dragging 
bundles  of  straw  and  other  similar  materials  to  the  foot  of 
the  work,  to  which  the  fire  soon  communicated,  and  which 
consequently  served^  both  to  increase  the  actual  danger  of 
the  building  and  to  distract  the  attention  of  those  by  whom 
it  was  defended.  Although  the  water  that  fell  from  the 
roof  served  to  retard  the  progress  of  these  flames,  it  con- 
tributed to  produce  the  effect  of  all  others  that  was  most 
desired  by  the  savages.  The  dense  volumes  of  smoke  that 
arose  from  the  half-smothered  fire  first  apprised  the  females 
of  the  new  danger  which  assailed  them.  When  Content 
and  the  stranger  reached  the  principal  floor  of  their  citadel, 
it  required  some  little  time  and  no  small  degree  of  coolness 
to  comprehend  the  situation  in  which  they  were  now  placed. 
The  vapor  that  rolled  upward  from  the  wret  straw  and  hay 
had  already  penetrated  into  the  apartment,  and  it  was  with 
no  slight  difficulty  that  they  who  occupied  it  were  enabled 
to  distinguish  objects,  or  even  to  breathe. 

"  Here  is  matter  to  exercise  our  utmost  fortitude,"  said 
the  stranger  to  his  constant  companion.  "  We  must  look 
to  this  new  device,  or  we  come  to  the  fate  of  death  by  fire. 
Summon  the  stoutest-hearted  of  thy  youths,  and  I  will  lead 
them  to  a  sortie,  ere  the  evil  get  past  a  remedy." 

"  That  were  certain  victory  to  the  heathen.  Thou  near- 
est, by  their  yells,  that  'tis  no  small  band  of  scouters  who 
beleaguer  us ;  a  tribe  hath  sent  forth  its  chosen  warriors 
to  do  their  wickedness.  Better  is  it  that  we  bestir  our- 
selves to  drive  them  from  our  door,  and  to  prevent  the 


1 68  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

further  annoyance  of  this  cloud,  since,  to  issue  from  the 
block,  at  this  moment,  would  be  to  offer  our  heads  to  the 
tomahawk  ;  and  to  ask  mercy  is  as  vain  as  to  hope  to  move 
the  rock  with  tears." 

"And  in  what  manner  may  we  do  this  needful  ser* 
vice  ? " 

"Our  muskets  will  still  command  the  entrance,  by 
means  of  these  downward  loops,  and  water  may  be  yet  ap- 
plied through  the  same  openings.  Thought  hath  been  had 
of  this  danger,  in  the  disposition  of  the  place." 

"  Then,  of  Heaven's  mercy!  delay  not  the  effort." 

The  necessary  measures  were  taken  instantly.  Eben 
Dudley  applied  the  muzzle  of  his  piece  to  a  loop,  and  dis- 
charged it  downwards,  in  the  direction  of  the  endangered 
door.  But  aim  was  impossible  in  the  obscurity,  and  his 
want  of  success  was  proclaimed  by  a  taunting  shout  of 
triumph.  Then  followed  a  flood  of  water,  which,  however, 
was  scarcely  of  more  service,  since  the  savages  had  fore 
seen  its  use,  and  had  made  a  provision  against  its  effects 
by  placing  boards  and  such  vessels  as  they  found  scattered 
among  the  buildings,  above  the  fire,  in  a  manner  to  pre- 
vent most  of  the  fluid  from  reaching  Its  aim. 

"  Come  hither  with  thy  musket,  Reuben  Ring,"  said 
Content,  hurriedly ;  "  the  wind  stirreth  the  smoke  here ; 
the  savages  will  heap  fuel  against  the  wall." 

The  borderer  complied.  There  were  in  fact  moments 
when  dark  human  forms  were  to  be  seen  gliding  in  silence 
around  the  building,  though  the  density  of  the  vapor  ren- 
dered the  forms  indistinct,  and  their  movements  doubtful. 
With  a  cool  and  practised  eye  the  youth  sought  a  victim  ; 
but  as  he  discharged  his  musket  an  object  glanced  near  his 
own  visage,  as  though  the  bullet  had  recoiled  on  him  who 
had  given  it  a  very  different  mission.  Stepping  backwards 
a  little  hurriedly,  he  saw  the  stranger  pointing  through  the 
smoke  at  an  arrow,  which  still  quivered  in  the  floor  above 
them. 

"We  cannot  long  abide  these  assaults,"  the  soldier 
muttered  ;  "  something  must  be  speedily  devised,  or  we 
fall." 

His  words  ceased,  for  a  yell  that  appeared  to  lift  the 
floor  on  which  he  stood,  announced  the  destruction  of  the 
door  and  the  presence  of  the  savages  in  the  basement  of 
the  tower.  Both  parties  appeared  momentarily  confounded 
nt  this  unexpected  success  ;  for  while  the  one  stood  mute 
with  astonishment  and  dread,  the  other  did  little  more 


THE  WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISIL  169 

than  triumph.  But  this  inaction  soon  ended.  The  con- 
flict was  resumed,  though  the  efforts  of  the  assailants 
began  to  assume  the  confidence  of  victory,  while  on  the 
part  of  the  besieged  they  partook  fearfully  of  the  aspect 
of  despair. 

A  few  muskets  were  discharged,  both  from  below  and 
above,  at  the  intermediate  floor,  but  the  thickness  of  the 
planks  prevented  the  bullets  from  doing  injury.  Then 
commenced  a  struggle,  in  which  the  respective  qualities 
of  tiie  combatants  were  exhibited  in  a  singularly  charac- 
teristic manner.  While  the  Indians  improved  their  advan- 
tages beneath,  with  all  the  arts  known  to  savage  warfare, 
the  young  men  resisted  with  that  wonderful  aptitude  of 
expedient  and  readiness  of  execution  which  distinguish 
the  American  borderer. 

The  first  attempt  of  the  assailants  was  to  burn  the  floor 
of  the  lower  apartment.  In  order  to  eifect  this,  they  threw 
vast  piles  of  straw  into  the  basement.  But  ere  the  brand 
was  applied,  water  had  reduced  the  inflammable  material 
to  a  black  and  murky  pile.  Still  the  smoke  had  nearly 
effected  a  conquest  which  the  fire  itself  had  failed  to  achieve. 
So  suffocating  indeed  were  the  clouds  of  vapor  which  as- 
cended through  the  crevices,  that  the  females  were  com- 
pelled to  seek  a  refuge  in  the  attic.  Here  the  openings  in 
the  roof,  and  a  swift  current  of  air,  relieved  them  in  some 
degree  from  its  annoyance. 

When  it  was  found  that  the  command  of  the  well  afforded 
the  besieged  the  means  of  protecting  the  wood-work  of  the 
interior,  an  effort  was  made  to  cut  off  the  communication 
with  the  water,  by  forcing  a  passage  into  the  circular  stone 
shaft,  through  which  it  was  drawn  into  the  room  above. 
This  attempt  was  defeated  by  the  readiness  of  the  youths, 
who  soon  cut  holes  in  the  floor,  whence  they  sent  down 
certain  death  on  all  beneath.  Perhaps  no  part  of  the  as- 
sault was  more  obstinate  than  that  which  accompanied  this 
effort  ;  nor  did  either  assailant  or  assailed,  at  any  time 
during  its  continuance,  suffer  greater  personal  injury. 
After  a  long  and  fierce  struggle,  the  resistance  was  effectu- 
al, and  the  savages  had  recourse  to  new  schemes  in  order 
to  effect  their  ruthless  object. 

During  the  first  moments  of  their  entrance,  and  with  a 
view  to  reap  the  fruits  of  the  victory  when  the  garrison 
should  be  more  effectually  subdued,  most  of  the  furniture 
of  the  dwelling  had  been  scattered  by  the  conquerors  on 
the  side  of  the  hill.  Among  other  articles,  some  six  or 


i70  THE   WEPT   OF  WIS PI-TON- WISH. 

seven  beds  had  been  dragged  from  the  dormitories.  These 
were  now  brought  into  play  as  powerful  instruments  in  the 
assault  They  were  cast,  one  by  one,  on  the  still  burning 
though  smothered  flames  in  the  basement  of  the  block, 
whence  they  sent  up  a  cloud  of  their  intolerable  effluvia. 
At  this  trying  moment  the  appalling  cry  was  heard  in  the 
block  that  the  well  had  failed  !  The  buckets  ascended  as 
empty  as  they  went  down,  and  they  were  thrown  aside  as 
no  longer  useful.  The  savages  seemed  to  comprehend 
their  advantage,  for  they  profited  by  the  confusion  that 
succeeded  among  the  assailed  to  feed  the  slumbering  fires. 
The  flames  kindled  fiercely,  and  in  less  than  a  minute  they 
became  too  violent  to  be  subdued.  They  were  soon  seen 
playing  on  the  planks  of  the  floor  above.  The  subtle  ele- 
ment flashed  from  point  to  point,  and  it  was  not  long  ere  it 
was  stealing  up  the  outer  side  of  the  heated  block  itself. 

The  savages  now  knew  that  conquest  was  sure.  Yells 
and  whoopings  proclaimed  the  fierce  delight  with  which 
they  witnessed  the  certainty  of  their  victory.  Still  there 
was  something  portentous  in  the  death-like  silence  with 
which  the  victims  within  the  block  awaited  their  fate.  The 
whole  exterior  of  the  building  was  already  wrapped  in 
flames,  and  yet  no  show  of  further  resistance,  no  petition 
for  mercy,  issued  from  its  bosom.  The  unnatural  and 
frightful  stillness  that  reigned  within  was  gradually  com- 
municated to  those  without.  The  cries  and  shouts  of  tri- 
umph ceased,  and  the  crackling  of  the  flames,  or  the  falling 
of  timber  in  the  adjoining  buildings,  alone  disturbed  the 
awful  calm.  At  length  a  solitary  voice  was  heard  in  the 
block.  Its  tones  were  deep,  solemn,  and  imploring.  The 
fierce  beings  who  surrounded  the  glowing  pile  bent  forward 
to  listen,  for  their  quick  faculties  caught  the  first  sounds 
that  were  audible.  It  was  Mark  Heathcote  pouring  out 
his  spirit  in  prayer.  The  petition  was  fervent,  but  steady, 
and  though  uttered  in  words  that  were  unintelligible  to 
those  without,  they  knew  enough  of  the  practices  of  the 
colonists  to  be  aware  that  it  was  the  chief  of  the  pale-faces 
holding  communion  with  his  God.  Partly  in  awe,  and 
partly  in  doubt  of  what  might  be  the  consequence  of  so 
mysterious  an  asking,  the  dark  crowd  withdrew  to  a  little 
distance,  and  silently  watched  the  progress  of  the  destruc- 
tion. They  had  heard  strange  sayings  of  the  power  of  the 
Deity  of  their  invaders,  and  as  their  victims  appeared  sud- 
denly to  cease  using  any  of  the  known  means  of  safety,  they 
appeared  to  expect,  perhaps  they  did  expect,  some  une- 


THE  WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  i?l 

quivocal  manifestation  of  the  power  of  the  Great  Spirit  of 
the  stranger. 

Still  no  sign  of  pity,  no  relenting  from  the  ruthless  bar- 
barity of  their  warfare,  escaped  any  of  the  assailants.  If 
they  thought  at  all  of  the  temporal  fate  of  those  who 
might  still  exist  within  the  fiery  pile,  it  was  only  to  indulge 
in  some  passing  regret  that  the  obstinacy  of  the  defence 
had  deprived  them  of  the  glory  of  bearing  the  usual  bloody 
tokens  of  victory  in  triumph  to  their  villages.  But  even 
these  peculiar  and  deeply-rooted  feelings  were  forgotten, 
as  the  progress  of  the  flames  placed  the  hope  of  its  indul- 
gence beyond  all  possibility. 

The  roof  of  the  block  rekindled,  and,  by  the  light  that 
shone  through  the  loops,  it  was  but  too  evident  the  in- 
terior was  in  a  blaze.  Once  or  twice  smothered  sounds 
came  out  of  the  place  as  if  suppressed  shrieks  were  es- 
caping the  females  ;  but  they  ceased  so  suddenly  as  to 
leave  doubts  among  the  auditors  whether  it  were  more 
than  the  deception  of  their  own  excited  fancies.  The 
savages  had  witnessed  many  a  similar  scene  of  human  suf- 
fering, but  never  one  before  in  which  death  was  met  with 
so  unmoved  a  calmness.  The  serenity  that  reigned  in  the 
blazing  block  communicated  to  them  a  feeling  of  awe  ; 
and  when  the  pile  came  a  tumbling  and  blackened  mass 
of  ruins  to  the  earth,  they  avoided  the  place  like  men  that 
dreaded  the  vengeance  of  a  Deity  who  knew  how  to  in- 
fuse so  deep  a  sentiment  of  resignation  into  the  breasts  of 
his  worshippers. 

Though  the  yells  of  victory  were  again  heard  in  the 
valley  that  night,  and  though  the  sun  had  arisen  before  the 
conquerors  had  deserted  the  hill,  but  few  of  the  band 
found  resolution  to  approach  the  smouldering  pile  where 
they  had  witnessed  so  impressive  an  exhibition  of  Chris- 
tian fortitude.  The  few  that  did  draw  near  stood  around 
the  spot  rather  in  the  reverence  with  which  an  Indian 
visits  the  graves  of  the  just,  than  in  the  fierce  rejoicings 
with  which  he  is  known  to  glut  his  revenge  over  a  fallen 
enemy. 


172  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON- WISH. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

"What  are  these, 

So  withered,  and  so  wild  in  their  attire  ; 
That  look  not  like  the  inhabitants  of  earth, 
And  yet  are  on't  ?  " — Macbeth. 

THAT  sternness  of  the  season,  which  has  already  been 
mentioned  in  these  pages,  is  never  of  long  continuance  in 
the  month  of  April.  A  change  in  the  wind  had  been  noted 
by  the  hunters  even  before  they  retired  from  their  range 
among  the  hills  ;  and  though  too  seriously  occupied  to  pay 
close  attention  to  the  progress  of  the  thaw,  more  than  one 
of  the  young  men  had  found  occasion  to  remark  that  the 
final  breaking  up  of  the  winter  had  arrived.  Long  ere  the 
scene  of  the  preceding  chapter  reached  its  height,  the  south- 
ern winds  had  mingled  with  the  heat  of  the  conflagration. 
Warm  airs,  that  had  been  following  the  course  of  the  Gulf 
Stream,  were  driven  to  the  land,  and,  sweeping  over  the 
narrow  island  that  at  this  point  forms  the  advanced  work 
of  the  continent,  but  a  few  short  hours  had  passed  before 
they  destroyed  every  chilling  remnant  of  the  dominion  of 
winter.  Warm,  bland,  and  rushing  in  torrents,  the  subtle 
currents  penetrated  the  forests,  melted  the  snows  from  the 
fields,  and  as  all  alike  felt  the  genial  influence,  it  appeared 
to  bestow  a  renovated  existence  on  man  and  beast.  With 
morning,  therefore,  a  landscape  very  different  from  that 
last  placed  before  the  mind  of  the  reader,  presented  itself 
in  the  valley  of  the  Wish-Ton-Wish. 

The  winter  had  entirely  disappeared,  and  as  the  buds  had 
begun  to  swell  under  the  occasional  warmth  of  the  spring, 
one  ignorant  of  the  past  would  not  have  supposed  that  the 
advance  of  the  season  had  been  subject  to  so  stern  an  inter- 
ruption. But  the  principal  and  most  melancholy  change 
was  in  the  more  artificial  parts  of  the  view.  Instead  of  those 
simple  and  happy  habitations  which  had  crowned  the  little 
eminence,  there  remained  only  a  mass  of  blackened  and 
charred  ruins.  A  few  abused  and  half-destroyed  articles  of 
household  furniture  lay  scattered  on  the  sides  of  the  hill, 
and  here  and  there  a  dozen  palisadoes,  favored  by  some 
accidental  cause,  had  partially  escaped  the  flames.  Eight 
or  ten  massive  and  dreary-looking  stacks  of  chimneys  rose 
out  of  the  smoking  piles.  In  the  centre  of  the  desolation 


THE  WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  173 

was  the  stone  basement  of  the  block-house,  on  which  still 
stood  a  few  gloomy  masses  of  the  timber  resembling  coal. 
The  naked  and  unsupported  shaft  of  the  well  reared  its  cir- 
cular pillar  from  the  centre,  looking  like  a  dark  monument 
of  the  past.  The  wide  ruin  of  the  out-buildings  blackened 
one  side  of  the  clearing,  and,  in  different  places,  the  fences, 
like  radii  diverging  from  the  common  centre  of  destruction, 
had  led  off  the  flames  into  the  fields.  A  few  domestic 
animals  ruminated  in  the  background,  and  even  the 
feathered  inhabitants  of  the  barns  still  kept  aloof,  as  if 
warned  by  their  instinct  that  danger  lurked  around  the  site 
of  their  ancient  abodes.  In  all  other  respects  the  view  was 
calm  and  lovely  as  ever.  The  sun  shone  from  a  sky  in 
which  no  cloud  was  visible.  The  blandness  of  the  winds, 
and  the  brightness  of  the  heavens,  lent  an  air  of  animation 
to  even  the  leafless  forest  ;  and  the  white  vapor,  that  con- 
tinued to  rise  from  the  smouldering  piles,  floated  high  over 
the  hills,  as  the  peaceful  smoke  of  the  cottage  curled  above 
its  jroof. 

The  ruthless  band  which  had  occasioned  this  sudden 
change  was  already  far  on  the  way  to  its  villages,  or  haply 
it  sought  some  other  scene  of  blood.  A  skilful  eye  might 
have  traced  the  route  these  fierce  creatures  of  the  woods 
had  taken,  by  fences  hurled  from  their  places,  or  by  the 
carcass  of  some  animal  that  had  fallen,  in  the  wantonness 
of  victory,  beneath  a  parting  blow.  Of  all  these  wild  beings, 
one  only  remained  ;  and  he  appeared  to  linger  at  the  spot 
in  the  indulgence  of  feelings  that  were  foreign  to  those 
passions  that  had  so  recently  stirred  the  bosoms  of  his 
comrades. 

It  was  with  a  slow,  noiseless  step,  that  the  solitary  loi- 
terer moved  about  the  scene  of  destruction.  He  was  first 
seen  treading  with  a  thoughtful  air,  among  the  ruins  of 
the  buildings  that  had  formed  the  quadrangle,  and  then, 
seemingly  led  by  an  interest  in  the  fate  of  those  who  had 
so  miserably  perished,  he  drew  nearer  to  the  pile  in  its 
centre.  The  nicest  and  most  attentive  ear  could  not  have 
detected  the  fall  of  his  foot,  as  the  Indian  placed  it  within 
the  gloomy  circle  of  the  ruined  wall ;  nor  is  the  breathing 
of  the  infant  less  audible,  than  the  manner  in  which  he 
drew  breath,  while  standing  in  a  place  so  lately  consecrated 
by  the  agony  and  martyrdom  of  a  Christian  family.  It 
was  the  boy  called  Miantonimoh,  seeking  some  melancholy 
memorial  of  those  with  whom  he  had  so  long  dwelt  in  am. 
itv.  if  not  in  confidence. 


174  THE  WEPT   OF  WISH-TOX-WISH. 

One  skilled  in  the  history  of  savage  passions  might  have 
found  a  clew  to  the  workings  of  the  mind  of  the  youth,  in 
the  play  of  his  speaking  features.  •  As  his  dark  glittering 
eye  rolled  over  the  smouldering  fragments,  it  seemed  to 
search  keenly  for  some  vestige  of  the  human  form.  The 
element,  however,  had  done  its  work  too  greedily,  to  have 
left  many  visible  memorials  of  its  fury.  An  object  resem- 
bling that  he  sought,  however,  caught  his  glance,  and  step- 
ping lightly  to  the  spot  where  it  lay,  he  raised  the  bone  of 
a  powerful  arm  from  the  brands.  The  flashing  of  his  eye, 
as  it  lighted  on  this  sad  object,  was  wild  and  exulting,  like 
that  of  the  savage  when  he  first  feels  the  fierce  joy  of 
glutted  vengeance  ;  but  gentler  recollections  came  with 
the  gaze,  and  tender  feelings  evidently  usurped  the  place 
of  the  hatred  he  had  been  taught  to  bear  a  race  who  were 
so  fast  sweeping  his  people  from  the  earth.  The  relic  fell 
from  his  hand,  and  had  Ruth  been  there  to  witness  the 
melancholy  and  relenting  shade  that  clouded  his  swarthy 
features,  she  might  have  found  pleasure  in  the  certainty 
that  all  her  kindness  had  not  been  wasted. 

Regret  soon  gave  place  to  awe.  To  the  imagination  of 
the  Indian,  it  seemed  as  if  a  still  voice,  like  that  which  is 
believed  to  issue  from  the  grave,  was  heard  in  the  place. 
Bending  his  body  forward,  he  listened  with  the  intensity 
and  acuteness  of  a  savage.  He  thought  the  smothered 
tones  of  Mark  Heathcote  were  again  audible,  holding 
communion  with  his  God.  The  chisel  of  the  Grecian 
would  have  loved  to  delineate  the  attitudes  and  movements 
of  the  wondering  boy,  as  he  slowly  and  reverently  with- 
drew from  the  spot.  His  look  was  riveted  on  the  vacancy 
where  the  upper  apartments  of  the  block  had  stood,  and 
where  he  had  last  seen  the  family,  calling  in  their  extrem- 
ity on  their  Deity  for  aid.  Imagination  still  painted  the 
victims  in  their  burning  pile.  For  a  minute  longer,  during 
which  brief  space  the  young  Indian  probably  expected  to 
see  some  vision  of  the  pale-faces,  did  he  linger  near  ;  and 
then,  with  a  musing  air  and  softened  mind,  he  trod  lightly 
along  the  path  which  led  on  the  trail  of  his  people.  When 
his  active  form  reached  the  boundary  of  the  forest,  he 
again  paused,  and  taking  a  final  gaze  at  the  place  where 
fortune  had  made  him  a  witness  to  so  much  domestic  peace 
and  to  so  much  sudden  misery,  his  form  was  quickly  swal- 
lowed in  the  gloom  of  his  native  woods. 

The  work  of  the  savages  now  seemed  complete.  An  ef- 
fectual check  appeared  to  be  placed  to  the  further  prog- 


THE   Url-:PT   OF  WISH-TOX-WISH.  175 

ress  of  civilization  in  the  ill-fated  valley  of  the  Wish-Ton- 
Wish.  Had  nature  been  left  to  its  own  work,  a  few  years 
would  have  covered  the  deserted  clearing  with  its  ancient 
vegetation  ;  and  half  a  century  would  have  again  buried 
the  whole  of  its  quiet  glades  in  the  shadows  of  the  forest. 
But  it  was  otherwise  decreed. 

The  sun  had  reached  the  meridian,  and  the  hostile  band 
had  been  gone  some  hours,  before  aught  occurred  likely 
to  affect  this  seeming  decision  of  Providence.  To  one  ac- 
quainted with  the  recent  horrors,  the  breathing  of  the  airs 
over  the  ruins  might  have  passed  for  the  whisperings  of 
departed  spirits.  In  short,  it  appeared  as  if  the  silence  of 
the  wilderness  had  once  more  resumed  its  reign,  when  it 
was  suddenly  though  slightly  interrupted.  A  movement 
was  made  within  the  ruins  of  the  block.  It  sounded  as  if 
billets  of  wood  were  gradually  and  cautiously  displaced, 
and  then  a  human  head  was  reared  slowly,  and  with  marked 
suspicion,  above  the  shaft  of  the  well.  The  wild  and  un- 
earthly air  of  this  seeming  spectre  was  in  keeping  with  the 
rest  of  the  scene.  A  face  begrimed  with  smoke  and  stained 
with  blood,  a  head  bound  in  some  fragment  of  a  soiled 
dress,  and  eyes  that  were  glaring  in  a  species  of  dull  horror, 
were  objects  in  unison  with  all  the  other  frightful  acces- 
sories of  the  place. 

"  What  seest  thou  ? "  demanded  a  deep  voice  from  within 
the  walls  of  the  shaft.  "  Shall  we  again  come  to  our  weap- 
ons, or  have  the  agents  of  Moloch  departed  ?  Speak,  en- 
tranced youth  !  what  dost  behold  ?  " 

"  A  sight  to  make  a  wolf  weep  !  "  returned  Eben  Dudley, 
raising  his  large  frame  so  as  to  stand  erect  on  the  shaft, 
where  he  commanded  a  bird's-eye-view  of  most  of  the  deso- 
lation of  the  valley.  "  Evil  though  it  may  be,  we  may  not 
say  that  forewarning  signs  have  been  withheld.  But  what 
is  the  cunningest  man,  when  mortal  wisdom  is  weighed  in 
the  scale  against  the  craft  of  devils  ?  Come  forth"!  Belial 
hath  done  his  worst,  and  we  have  a  breathing-time." 

The  sounds  which  issued  still  deeper  from  the  well  de- 
noted the  satisfaction  with  which  this  intelligence  was  re- 
ceived, no  less  than  the  alacrity  with  which  the  summons 
of  the  borderer  was  obeyed.  Sundry  blocks  of  wood  and 
short  pieces  of  plank  were  first  passed  with  care  up  to  the 
hands  of  Dudley,  who  cast  them  like  useless  lumber  among 
the  other  ruins  of  the  building.  He  then  descended  from 
his  perch,  and  made  room  for  others  to  follow. 

The  stranger  next  arose      After  hirr?  came  Content,  the 


176  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

Puritan,  Reuben  Ring,  and,  in  short,  all  the  youths,  with 
the  exception  of  those  who  had  unhappily  fallen  in  the 
contest.  After  these  had  mounted,  and  each  in  turn  had 
leaped  to  the  ground,  a  very  brief  preparation  served  for 
the  liberation  of  the  more  feeble  of  the  body.  The  readi- 
ness of  border  skill  soon  sufficed  to  arrange  the  necessary 
means.  By  the  aid  of  chains  and  buckets,  Ruth  and  the 
little  Martha,  Faith  and  all  the  handmaidens,  without  even 
one  exception,  were  successfully  drawn  from  the  bowels 
of  the  earth,  and  restored  to  the  light  of  day.  It  is  scarcely 
necessary  to  say  to  those  whom  experience  has  best  fitted 
to  judge  of  such  an  achievement,  that  no  great  time  or 
labor  was  necessary  for  its  accomplishment. 

It  is  not  our  intention  to  harass  the  feelings  of  the  read- 
er further  than  is  required  by  a  simple  narrative  of  the 
incidents  of  the  legend.  We  shall  therefore  say  nothing  of 
the  bodily  pain,  or  of  the  mental  alarm,  by  which  this  in- 
gsnious  retreat  from  the  flames  and  the  tomahawk  had 
been  effected.  The  suffering  was  chiefly  confined  to  appre- 
hension ;  for  as  the  descent  was  easy,  so  had  the  readiness 
and  ingenuity  of  the  young  men  found  means,  by  the  aid 
of  articles  of  furniture  first  cast  into  the  shaft,  and  by  well- 
secured  fragments  of  the  floors  properly  placed  across, 
both  to  render  the  situation  of  the  females  and  children 
less  painful  than  might  at  first  be  supposed,  and  effectually 
to  protect  them  from  the  tumbling  block.  But  little  of  the 
latter,  however,  was  likely  to  affect  their  safety,  as  the  form 
of  the  building  was,  in  itself,  a  sufficient  security  against 
the  fall  of  its  heavier  parts. 

The  meeting  of  the  family  amid  the  desolation  of  the 
valley,  though  relieved  by  the  consciousness  of  having 
escaped  a  more  shocking  fate,  may  easily  be  imagined. 
The  first  act  was  to  render  brief  but  solemn  thanks  for 
their  deliverance,  and,  then,  writh  the  promptitude  of  peo- 
ple trained  in  hardship,  their  attention  was  given  to  those 
measures  which  prudence  told  them  were  yet  necessary. 

A  few  of  the  more  active  and  experienced  of  the  youths 
were  dispatched  in  order  to  ascertain  the  direction  taken 
by  the  Indians,  and  to  gain  what  intelligence  they  might 
concerning  their  future  movements.  The  maidens  hast- 
ened to  collect  the  kine,  while  others  searched  with  heavy 
hearts  among  the  ruins,  in  quest  of  such  articles  of  food 
and  comfort  as  could  be  found,  in  order  to  administer  to 
the  first  wants  of  nature. 

Two  hours  had  effected  most  of  that  which  could  imme 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  177 

cliately  be  done  in  these  several  pursuits.  The  young  men 
returned  with  the  assurance  that  the  trails  announced  the 
certain  and  final  retreat  of  the  savages.  The  cows  had 
yielded  their  tribute,  and  such  provision  had  been  made 
against  hunger  as  circumstances  would  allow.  The  arms 
had  been  examined  and  put,  as  far  as  the  injuries  they  had 
received  would  admit,  in  readiness  for  instant  service.  A 
few  hasty  preparations  had  been  made,  in  order  to  protect 
the  females  against  the  cool  airs  of  the  coming  night ;  and, 
in  short,  all  was  done  that  the  intelligence  of  a  border-man 
could  suggest,  or  his  exceeding  readiness  in  expedients 
could  in  so  brief  a  space  supply. 

The  sun  began  to  fall  toward  the  tops  of  the  beeches 
that  crowned  the  western  outline  of  the  view,  before  all 
these  necessary  arrangements  were  ended.  It  was  not  till 
then,  however,  that  Reuben  Ring,  accompanied  by  another 
youth  of  equal  activity  and  courage,  appeared  before  the 
Puritan,  equipped  as  well  as  men  in  their  situation  might 
be,  for  a  journey  through  the  forest. 

"  Go/'  said  the  old  religionist,  when  the  youths  pre- 
sented themselves  before  him — "  Go  ;  carry  forth  the  tidings 
of  this  visitation,  that  men  come  to  our  succor.  I  ask  not 
vengeance  on  the  deluded  and  heathenish  imitators  of  the 
worshippers  of  Moloch.  They  have  ignorantly  done  this 
evil.  Let  no  man  arm  in  behalf  of  the  wrongs  of  one 
sinful  and  erring.  Rather  let  them  look  into  the  secret 
abominations  of  their  own  hearts,  in  order  that  they  crush 
the  living  worm,  which,  by  gnawing  on  the  seeds  of  a 
healthful  hope,  may  yet  destroy  the  fruits  of  the  promise 
in  their  own  souls.  I  would  that  there  be  profit  in  this 
example  of  divine  displeasure.  Go — make  the  circuit  of 
the  settlements  for  some  fifty  miles,  and  bid  such  of  the 
neighbors  as  may  be  spared,  come  to  our  aid.  They  shall 
be  welcome  ;  and  may  it  be  long  ere  any  of  them  send  in- 
vitation to  me  or  mine  to  enter  their  clearings  on  the  like 
melancholy  duty.  Depart,  and  bear  in  mind  that  you  are 
messengers  of  peace  ;  that  your  errand  toucheth  not  the 
feelings  of  vengeance,  but  that  it  is  succor  in  all  fitting 
reason,  and  no  arming  of  the  hand  to  chase  the  savage  to 
his  retreats,  that  I  ask  of  the  brethren." 

With  this  final  admonition,  the  young  men  took  their 
leaves.  Still  it  was  evident  by  their  frowning  brows,  and 
compressed  lips,  that  some  part  of  its  forgiving  principle 
might  be  forgotten,  should  chance  in  their  journey  bring 
them  on  the  trail  of  any  wandering  inhabitant  of  the  forest. 
12 


*78  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISIL 

In  a  few  minutes  they  were  seen  passing  with  swift  steps 
from  the  fields  into  the  depths  of  the  forest,  along  that 
path  which  led  to  the  towns  that  lay  lower  on  the  Con- 
necticut. 

Another  task  still  remained  to  be  performed.  In  mak- 
ing the  temporary  arrangements  for  the  shelter  of  the 
family,  attention  had  been  first  paid  to  the  block-house. 
The  walls  of  the  basement  of  this  building  were  still  stand- 
ing, and  it  was  found  easy  by  means  of  half-burnt  timbers, 
with  an  occasional  board  that  had  escaped  the  conflagra- 
tion, to  cover  it  in  amanner  that  offered  a  temporary  protec- 
tion against  the  weather.  This  simple  and  hasty  construc- 
tion, with  an  extremely  inartificial  office  erected  around 
the  stack  of  a  chimney,  embraced  nearly  all  that  could  be 
done  until  time  and  assistance  should  enable  them  to  com- 
mence other  dwellings.  In  clearing  the  ruins  of  the  little 
tower  of  its  rubbish,  the  remains  of  those  who  had  per- 
ished in  the  fray  were  piously  collected.  The  body  of  the 
youth  who  had  died  in  the  earlier  hours  of  the  attack,  was 
found  but  half  consumed  in  the  court,  and  the  bones  of 
two  more  who  fell  within  the  block,  were  collected  from 
among  the  ruins.  It  had  now  become  a  melancholy  duty 
to  consign  them  all  to  the  earth  with  decent  solemnity. 

The  time  selected  for  this  sad  office  was  just  as  the  west- 
ern horizon  began  to  glow  with  that  which  one  of  our  own 
poets  has  so  beautifully  termed,  "the  pomp  that  brings 
and  shuts  the  day."  The  sun  was  in  the  tree-tops,  and  a 
softer  or  sweeter  light  could  not  have  been  chosen  for  such 
a  ceremony.  Most  of  the  fields  still  lay  in  the  soft  bright- 
ness of  the  hour,  though  the  forest  was  rapidly  getting  the 
more  obscure  look  of  night.  A  broad  and  gloomy  margin 
was  spreading  from  the  boundary  of  the  woods,  and  here 
and  there  a  solitary  tree  cast  its  shadow  on  the  meadows 
without  its  limits,  throwing  a  dark  ragged  line  in  bold  re- 
lief on  the  glow  of  the  sun's  rays.  One — it  was  the  dusky 
image  of  a  high  and  waving  pine,  that  reared  its  dark 
green  pyramid  of  never-fading  foliage  nearly  a  hundred 
feet  above  the  humbler  growth  of  beeches — cast  its  shade 
to  the  side  of  the  eminence  of  the  block.  Here  the  pointed 
extremity  of  the  shadow  was  seen,  stealing  slowly  toward 
the  open  grave, — an  emblem  of  that  oblivion  in  which  its 
humble  tenants  were  so  shortly  to  be  wrapped. 

At  this  spot  Mark  Heathcote  and  his  remaining  com- 
panions had  assembled.  An  oaken  chair  saved  from  the 
flames  was  the  seat  of  the  father,  and  two  parallel  benches 


THE   WEPT  OF  IVISIf-TOX-WISH.  179 

formed  of  planks  placed  on  stones,  held  the  other  members 
of  the  family.  The  grave  lay  between.  The  patriarch  had 
taken  his  station  at  one  of  its  ends,  while  the  stranger,  so 
often  named  in  these  pages,  stood  with  folded  arms  and  a 
thoughtful  brow  at  the  other.  The  bridle  of  a  horse  capar- 
isoned in  that  imperfect  manner  which  the  straitened 
means  of  the  borderers  now  rendered  necessary,  was  hang- 
ing  from  one  of  the  half-burnt  palisadoes,  in  the  back- 
ground 

"A  just,  but  a  merciful  hand  hath  been  laid  heavily  on 
my  household,"  commenced  the  old  Puritan,  with  the  calm- 
ness of  one  who  had  long  been  accustomed  to  chasten  his 
regrets  by  humility.  "  He  that  hath  given  freely,  hath 
talven  away,  and  One  that  hath  long  smiled  upon  my  weak- 
ness, hath  now  veiled  his  face  in  anger.  I  have  known  him 
in  his  power  to  bless.  It  was  meet  that  I  should  see  him 
in  his  displeasure.  A  heart  that  was  waxing  confident, 
would  have  hardened  in  its  pride.  At  that  which  hath  be- 
fallen, let  no  man  murmur.  Let  none  imitate  the  speech 
of  her  who  spoke  foolishly  :  '  What  !  shall  we  receive  good 
at  the  hand  of  God,  and  shall  we  not  receive  evil  ? '  I 
would  that  the  feeble-minded  of  the  world — they  that 
jeopard  the  soul  on  vanities,  they  that  look  with  scorn  on 
the  neediness  of  the  flesh — might  behold  the  riches  of  One 
steadfast.  I  would  that  they  might  know  the  consolation 
of  the  righteous  !  Let  the  voice  of  thanksgiving  be  heard 
in  the  wilderness.  Open  thy  mouths  in  praise,  that  the 
gratitude  of  a  penitent  be  not  hid  !" 

As  the  deep  tones  of  the  speaker  ceased,  his  stern  eye 
fell  upon  the  features  of  the  nearest  youth,  and  it  seemed 
to  demand  an  audible  response  to  his  own  lofty  expression 
of  resignation.  But  the  sacrifice  exceeded  the  power  of 
the  individual  to  whom  had  been  made  this  silent,  but  in- 
telligible appeal.  After  regarding  the  relics  that  lay  at  his 
feet,  casting  a  wandering  glance  at  the  desolation  which 
had  swept  over  a  place  his  own  hand  had  helped  to  deco- 
rate, and  receiving  a  renewed  consciousness  of  his  own 
bodily  suffering  in  the  shooting  pain  of  his  wounds,  the 
young  borderer  averted  his  look,  and  seemed  to  recoil  from 
so  officious  a  display  of  submission.  Observing  his  inabil- 
ity to  reply,  Mark  continued — 

"  Hath  no  one  a  voice  to  praise  the  Lord  ?  The  bands 
of  the  heathen  have  fallen  upon  my  herds  ;  the  brand  hath 
been  kindled  within  my  dwellings  ;  my  people  have  died  by 
the  violence  of  the  unenlightened,  and  none  are  here  to  sa>' 


i8o  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

that  the  Lord  is  just  !  I  would  that  the  shouts  of  thanks- 
giving should  arise  in  my  fields!  I  would  that  the  song  of 
praise  should  grow  louder  than  the  whoop  of  the  savage, 
and  that  all  the  land  might  speak  joyfulness  !  " 

A  long,  deep,  and  expecting  pause  succeeded.  Then 
Content  rejoined,  in  his  quiet  tones,  speaking  firmly,  but 
with  the  modest  utterance  he  rarely  failed  to  use — 

"The  hand  that  hath  held  the  balance  is  just,"  he  said, 
"and  we  have  been  found  wanting.  He  that  made  the 
wilderness  blossom,  hath  caused  the  ignorant  and  the  bar- 
barous to  be  the  instruments  of  his  will.  He  hath  arrested 
the  season  of  our  prosperity,  that  we  may  know  he  is  the 
Lord.  He  hath  spoken  in  the  whirlwind,  but  his  mercy 
granteth  that  our  ears  shall  know  his  voice." 

As  his  son  ceased,  a  gleam  of  satisfaction  shot  across  the 
countenance  of  the  Puritan.  His  eye  next  turned  inquir- 
ingly towards  Ruth,  who  sat  among  her  maidens  the 
image  of  womanly  sorrow.  Common  interest  seemed  to 
still  the  breathing  of  the  little  assemblage,  and  sympathy 
was  quite  as  active  as  curiosity,  when  each  one  present 
suffered  a  glance  to  steal  toward  her  benignant  but  pallid 
face.  The  eye  of  the  mother  wras  gazing  earnestly,  but 
without  a  tear,  on  the  melancholy  spectacle  before  her.  It 
unconsciously  sought  among  the  dried  and  shrivelled  rem- 
nants of  mortality  that  lay  at  her  feet,  some  relic  of  the 
cherub  she  had  lost.  A  shudder  and  struggle  followed, 
after  which  her  gentle  voice  breathed  so  low  that  those 
nearest  her  person  could  scarce  distinguish  the  words — 

"  The  Lord  gave,  and  the  Lord  hath  taken  away  ;  blessed 
be  his  holy  name  !  " 

"  Now  know  I  that  he  who  hath  smote  me,  is  merciful  ; 
for  he  chasteneth  them  he  loveth,"  said  Mark  Heathcote, 
rising  with  dignity  to  address  his  household.  "  Our  life  is 
a  life  of  pride.  The  young  are  wont  to  wax  insolent,  while 
he  of  many  years  saith  to  his  own  heart,  *  it  is  good  to  be 
here.'  There  is  a  fearful  mystery  in  One  who  sitteth  on 
high.  The  heavens  are  his  throne,  and  he  hath  created 
the  earth  for  his  footstool.  Let  not  the  vanity  of  the  weak 
of  mind  presume  to  understand  it  ;  for  'who  that  hath  the 
breath  of  life,  lived  before  the  hills?'  The  bonds  of  the 
evil  one,  of  Satan,  and  of  the  sons  of  Belial,  have  been 
loosened,  that  the  faith  of  the  elect  may  be  purified,  that 
the  names  of  those  written  since  the  foundation  of  the 
earth  were  laid,  may  be  read  in  letters  of  pure  gold.  The 
time  of  man  is  but  a  moment  in  the  reckoning  of  Him 


THE  WEPT  OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  i8x 

whose  life  is  eternity — earth  the  habitation  of  a  season  ! 
The  bones  of  the  bold,  of  the  youthful,  and  of  the  strong  of 
yesterday,  lie  at  our  feet.  None  know  what  an  hour  may 
bring  forth.  In  a  single  night,  my  children,  hath  this  been 
done.  They  whose  voices  were  heard  in  my  halls,  are  now 
speechless,  and  they  who  so  lately  rejoiced,  are  sorrowing. 
Yet  hath  this  seeming  evil  been  ordered  that  good  may 
come  thereof.  We  are  dwellers  in  a  wild  and  distant  land," 
he  continued,  insensibly  permitting  his  thoughts  to  incline 
toward  the  more  mournful  details  of  their  affliction.  "  Our 
earthly  home  is  afar  off.  Hither  have  we  been  led  by  the 
flaming  pillar  of  Truth,  and  yet  the  malice  of  the  per- 
secutors hath  not  forgotten  to  follow.  One  houseless,  and 
sought  like  the  hunted  deer,  is  again  driven  to  flee.  We 
have  the  canopy  of  the  stars  for  a  roof.  None  may  tarry 
longer  to  worship  secretly  within  our  walls.  But  the  path 
of  the  faithful,  though  full  of  thorns,  leadeth  to  quiet,  and 
the  final  rest  of  the  just  man  can  never  know  alarm.  He 
that  hath  borne  hunger  and  thirst,  and  the  pains  of  the 
flesh,  for  the  sake  of  truth,  knoweth  how  to  be  satisfied ; 
nor  will  the  hours  of  bodily  suffering  be  accounted  weary 
to  him  whose  goal  is  the  peace  of  the  righteous."  The 
strong  lineaments  of  the  stranger  grew  even  more  than 
usually  austere,  and  as  the  Puritan  continued,  the  hand 
which  rested  on  the  handle  of  a  pistol,  grasped  the  weapon 
until  the  fingers  seemed  imbedded  in  the  wood.  He  bowed, 
however,  as  if  to  acknowledge  the  personal  allusion,  and 
remained  silent. 

"  If  any  mourn  the  early  death  of  those  who  have  ren- 
dered up  their  being,  struggling,  as  it  maybe  permitted,  in 
behalf  of  life  and  dwelling,"  continued  Mark  Heathcote, 
regarding  a  female  near  him,  "  let  her  remember,  that  from 
the  beginning  of  the  world  were  his  days  numbered,  and 
that  not  a  sparrow  falleth  without  answering  the  ends  of 
wisdom.  Rather  let  the  fulfilment  of  things  remind  us  of 
the  vanity  of  life,  that  we  may  learn  how  easy  it  is  to  be- 
come immortal.  If  the  youth  hath  been  cut  down,  seem- 
ingly like  unripened  grass,  he  hath  fallen  by  the  sickle  of 
one  who  knoweth  best  when  to  begin  the  in-gathering  of 
the  harvest  to  his  eternal  garners.  Though  a  spirit  bound 
unto  his,  as  one  feeble  is  wont  to  lean  on  the  strength  of 
man  and  mourn  over  his  fall,  let  her  sorrow  be  mingled 
with  rejoicing."  A  convulsive  sob  broke  out  of  the  bosom 
of  the  handmaiden  who  was  known  to  have  been  affianced 
to  one  of  the  dead,  and  for  a  moment  the  address  of  Mark 


1 82  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON- WISH. 

was  interrupted.  But  when  silence  again  ensued,  he  con- 
tinued, the  subject  leading  him,  by  a  transition  that  was 
natural,  to  allude  to  his  own  sorrows.  "  Death  hath  been 
no  stranger  in  my  habitation,"  he  said.  "  His  shaft  fell 
heaviest  when  it  struck  her,  who,  like  those  that  have  here 
fallen,  was  in  the  pride  of  her  youth,  and  when  her  soul 
was  glad  with  the  first  joy  of  the  birth  of  a  man-child  ! 
Thou  who  sittest  on  high  ! "  he  added,  turning  a  glazed 
and  tearless  eye  to  heaven  ;  "  thou  knowest  how  heavy 
Was  that  blow,  and  thou  hast  written  down  the  strivings  of 
an  oppressed  soul.  The  burden  was  not  found  too  heavy 
for  endurance.  The  sacrifice  hath  not  sufficed  ;  the  world 
was  again  getting  uppermost  in  my  heart.  Thou  didst  be- 
stow an  image  of  that  innocence  and  loveliness  that  dvvell- 
eth  in  the  skies,  and  this  hast  thou  taken  away,  that  we 
might  know  thy  power.  To  this  judgment  we  bow.  If  thou 
hast  called  our  child  to  the  mansions  of  bliss,  she  is  whol- 
ly thine,  and  we  presume  not  to  complain  ; 'but  if  thou  hast 
still  left  her  to  wander  further  in  the  pilgrimage  of  life,  we 
confide  in  thy  goodness.  She  is  of  a  long-suffering  race, 
and  thou  wilt  not  desert  her  to  the  blindness  of  the  heathen. 
She  is  thine,  she  is  wholly  thine,  King  of  Heaven  !  and  yet 
hast  thou  permitted  our  hearts  to  yearn  towards  her,  with 
the  fondness  of  earthly  love.  We  await  some  further  man- 
ifestation of  thy  will,  that  we  may  know  whether  the  foun- 
tains of  our  affection  shall  be  dried  in  the  certainty  of  her 
blessedness — "  (scalding  tears  were  rolling  down  the  cheeks 
of  the  pallid  and  immovable  mother)  "or  whether  hope, 
nay,  whether  duty  to  thee  calleth  for  the  interference  of 
those  bound  to  her  in  the  tenderness  of  the  flesh.  When 
the  blow  was  heaviest  on  the  bruised  spirit  of  a  lone  and 
solitary  wanderer,  in  a  strange  and  savage  land,  he  held 
not  back  the  offspring  it  was  thy  will  to  grant  him  in  the 
place  of  her  called  to  thyself  ;  and  now  that  the  child  hath 
become  a  man,  he  too  layeth,  like  Abraham  of  old,  the  in- 
fant of  his  love,  a  willing  offering  at  thy  feet.  Do  with  it 
as  to  thy  never-failing  wisdom  seemeth  best."  The  words 
were  interrupted  by  a  heavy  groan,  that  burst  from  the 
chest  of  Content.  A  deep  silence  ensued,  but  when  the 
assembly  ventured  to  throw  looks  of  sympathy  and  awe  at 
the  bereaved  father,  they  saw  that  he  had  arisen  and  stood 
gazing  steadily  at  the  speaker,  as  if  he  wondered,  equally 
with  the  others,  whence  such  a  sound  of  suffering  could 
have  come.  The  Puritan  renewed  the  subject,  but  his  voice 
faltered,  and  for  an.  instant,  as  he  proceeded,  his  hearers 


THE   WEPT  OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  183 

were  oppressed  with  the  spectacle  of  an  aged  and  dignified 
man  shaken  with  grief.  Conscious  of  his  weakness,  the 
old  man  ceased  speaking  in  exhortation,  and  addressed 
himself  to  prayer.  While  thus  engaged,  his  tones  again 
became  clear,  firm,  and  distinct,  and  the  petition  was  ended 
in  the  midst  of  a  deep  and  holy  calm. 

With  the  performance  of  this  preliminary  office,  the 
simple  ceremony  was  brought  to  its  close.  The  remains 
were  lowered,  in  solemn  silence,  into  the  grave,  and  the 
earth  was  soon  replaced  by  the  young  men.  Mark  Heath- 
cote  then  invoked  aloud  the  blessing  of  God  on  his  house- 
hold, and  bowing  in  person,  as  he  had  before  done  in  spirit, 
to  the  will  of  Heaven,  he  motioned  to  the  family  to  with- 
draw. 

The  interview  that  succeeded  was  over  the  resting-place 
of  the  dead.  The  hand  of  the  stranger  was  firmly  clenched 
in  that  of  the  Puritan,  and  the  stern  self-command  of  both 
appeared  to  give  way,  before  the  regrets  of  a  friendship 
that  had  endured  through  so  many  trying  scenes. 

"Thou  knowest  that  I  may  not  tarry,"  said  the  former, 
as  if  he  replied  to  some  expressed  wish  of  his  companion. 
"They  would  make  me  a  sacrifice  to  the  Moloch  of  their 
vanities  ;  and  yet  would  I  fain  abide,  until  the  weight  of 
this  heavy  blow  may  be  forgotten.  I  found  thee  in  peace, 
and  I  quit  thee  in  the  depths  of  suffering! " 

"  Thou  distrustest  me,  or  thou  dost  injustice  to  thine  own 
belief,"  interrupted  the  Puritan,  with  a  smile,  that  shone 
en  his  haggard  and  austere  visage,  as  the  rays  of  the  set- 
ting sun  light  a  wintry  cloud.  "  Seemed  I  happier  when 
this  hand  placed  that  of  a  loved  bride  into  mine  own,  than 
thou  now  seest  me  in  this  wilderness,  houseless,  stripped 
of  my  wealth,  and,  God  forgive  the  ingratitude,  but  I  had 
almost  said,  childless  !  No,  indeed,  thou  mayest  not  tarry, 
for  the  blood-hounds  of  tyranny  will  be  on  their  scent ; 
here  is  shelter  no  longer." 

The  eyes  of  both  turned,  by  a  common  and  melancholy 
feeling,  toward  the  ruin  of  the  block.  The  stranger  then 
pressed  the  hand  of  his  friend  in  both  his  own,  and  said  in 
a  struggling  voice — 

"Mark  Heathcote,  adieu  /  He  that  hath  a  roof  for  the 
persecuted  wanderer  shall  not  long  be  houseless  ;  neither 
shall  the  resigned  forever  know  sorrow." 

His  words  sounded  in  the  ears  of  his  companion  like  the 
revelation  of  a  prophecy.  They  again  pressed  their  hands 
together,  and,  regarding  each  other  with  looks  in  which 


184  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON- WISH. 

kindness  could  not  be  altogether  smothered  by  the  repul- 
sive character  of  an  acquired  air,  they  parted.  The  Puritan 
slowly  took  his  way  to  the  dreary  shelter  which  covered 
his  family  ;  while  the  stranger  was  shortly  after  seen  urging 
the  beast  he  had  mounted,  across  the  pastures  of  the 
valley,  toward  one  of  the  most  retired  paths  of  the 
wilderness. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

"  Together  towards  the  village  then  we  walked, 
And  of  old  friends  and  places  much  we  talked  ; 
And  who  had  died,  who  left  them,  would  he  tell  ; 
And  who  still  in  their  father's  mansion  dwell." — DANA. 

WE  leave  the  imagination  of  the  reader  to  supply  an  in- 
terval of  several  years.  Before  the  thread 'of  the  narrative 
shall  be  resumed,  it  will  be  necessary  to  take  another  hasty 
view  of  the  condition  of  the  country  in  which  the  scene  of 
our  legend  had  place. 

The  exertions  of  the  provincials  were  no  longer  limited 
to  the  first  efforts  of  a  colonial  existence.  The  establish- 
ments of  New  England  had  passed  the  ordeal  of  experi- 
ment, and  .were  become  permanent.  Massachusetts  was 
already  populous  ;  and  Connecticut,  the  colony  with  which 
we  have  more  immediate  connection,  was  sufficiently  peo- 
pled to  manifest  a  portion  of  that  enterprise  which  has 
since  made  her  active  little  community  so  remarkable. 
The  effects  of  these  increased  exertions  were  becoming 
extensively  visible  ;  and  we  shall  endeavor  to  set  one  of 
these  changes,  as  distinctly  as  our  feeble  powers  will 
allow,  before  the  eyes  of  those  who  read  these  pages. 

When  compared  with  the  progress  of  society  in  the  other 
hemisphere,  the  condition  of  what  is  called  in  America  a 
new  settlement,  becomes  anomalous.  There,  the  arts  of 
life  have  been  the  fruits  of  an  intelligence  that  has  pro- 
gressively accumulated  with  the  advancement  of  civiliza- 
tion ;  while  here,  improvement  is  in  a  great  degree  the  con- 
sequence of  experience  elsewhere  acquired.  Necessity, 
prompted  by  an  understanding  of  its  wants,  incited  by  a 
commendable  spirit  of  emulation,  and  encouraged  by  lib- 
erty, early  gave  birth  to  those  improvements  which  have 
converted  a  wilderness  into  the  abodes  of  abundance  and 
security,  with  a  rapidity  that  wears  the  appearance  of 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  185 

magic.  Industry  has  wrought  with  the  confidence  of 
knowledge,  and  the  result  has  been  peculiar. 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  say  that  in  a  country  where 
the  laws  favor  all  commendable  enterprise,  where  unneces- 
sary artificial  restrictions  are  unknown,  and  where  the  hand 
of  man  has  not  yet  exhausted  its  efforts,  the  adventurer  is 
allowed  the  greatest  freedom  of  choice  in  selecting  the 
field  of  his  enterprise.  The  agriculturist  passes  the  heath 
and  the  barren,  to  seat  himself  on  the  river-bottom  ;  the 
trader  looks  for  the  site  of  demand  and  supply  ;  and  the 
artisan  quits  his  native  village  to  seek  employment  in 
situations  where  labor  will  meet  its  fullest  reward.  It  is  a 
consequence  of  this  extraordinary  freedom  of  election,  that, 
while  the  great  picture  of  American  society  has  been 
sketched  with  so  much  boldness,  a  large  portion  of  the 
filling-up  still  remains  to  be  done.  The  emigrant  has  con- 
sulted his  immediate  interests  ;  and,  while  no  very  exten- 
sive and  profitable  territory  throughout  the  whole  of  our 
immense  possessions  has  been  wholly  neglected,  neither 
has  any  particular  district  yet  attained  the  finish  of  im- 
provement. The  city  is  even  now  seen  in  the  wilderness, 
and  the  wilderness  often  continues  near  the  city,  while  the 
latter  is  sending  forth  its  swarms  to  distant  scenes  of  indus- 
try. After  thirty  years  of  fostering  care  on  the  part  of  the 
government,  the  Capital  itself  presents  its  disjointed  and 
sickly  villages  in  the  centre  of  the  deserted  "old  fields"  of 
Maryland,  while  numberless  youthful  rivals  are  flourishing 
on  the  waters  of  the  West,  in  spots  where  the  bear  has 
ranged  and  the  wolf  howled,  long  since  the  former  has 
been  termed  a  city. 

Thus  it  is  that  high  civilization,  a  state  of  infant  exist- 
ence, and  positive  barbarity,  are  often  brought  so  near  each 
other  within  the  borders  of  this  Republic.  The  traveller 
who  has  passed  the  night  in  an  inn  that  would  not  disgrace 
the  oldest  country  in  Europe,  may  be  compelled  to  dine  in 
the  shantee*  of  a  hunter;  the  smooth  and  gravelled  road 
sometimes  ends  in  an  impassable  swamp  ;  the  spires  of  the 
town  are  often  hid  by  the  branches  of  a  tangled  forest,  and 

*  Shanty,  or  Shatttee,  is  a  word  much  used  in  the  newer  settlements.  It 
strictly  means  a  rude  cabin  of  bark  and  brush,  such  as  is  often  erected  in 
the  forest  for  temporary  purposes.  But  the  borderers  often  quaintly  apply 
it  to  their  own  habitations.  The  only  derivation  which  the  writer  has 
heard  for  this  American  word,  is  one  that  supposes  it  to  be  a  corruption  of 
Chientt,  a  term  said  to  be  used  among  the  Canadians  to  express  a  dog- 
kennel. 


1 86  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

the  canal  leads  to  a  seemingly  barren  and  unprofitable 
mountain.  He  that  does  not  return  to  see  what  another 
year  may  bring  forth,  commonly  bears  away  from  these 
scenes  recollections  that  conduce  to  error.  To  see  America 
with  the  eyes  of  truth,  it  is  necessary  to  look  often  ;  and 
in  order  to  understand  the  actual  condition  of  these  States, 
it  should  be  remembered  that  it  is  equally  unjust  to  be- 
lieve that  all  the  intermediate  points  partake  of  the  im- 
provements of  particular  places,  as  to  infer  the  want  of 
civilization  at  more  remote  establishments,  from  a  few  un- 
favorable facts  gleaned  near  the  centre.  By  an  accidental 
concurrence  of  moral  and  physical  causes,'  much  of  that 
equality  which  distinguishes  the  institutions  of  the  country 
is  extended  to  the  progress  of  society  over  its  whole  sur- 
face. 

Although  the  impetus  of  improvement  was  not  so  great 
in  the  time  of  Mark  Heathcote  as  in  our  own  days,  the 
principle  of  its  power  was  actively  in  existence.  Of  this 
fact  we  shall  furnish  a  sufficient  evidence,  by  pursuing  our 
intention  of  describing  one  of  those  changes  to  which 
allusion  has  already  been  made. 

The  reader  will  remember  that  the  age  of  wrhich  we 
write  had  advanced  into  the  last  quarter  of  the  seventeenth 
century.  The  precise  moment  at  which  the  action  of  the 
tale  must  re-commence,  was  that  period  of  the  day  when 
the  gray  of  twilight  was  redeeming  objects  from  the  deep 
darkness  with  which  the  night  draws  to  its  close.  The 
month  was  June,  and  the  scene  such  as  it  may  be  neces- 
sary to  describe  with  some  particularity. 

Had  there  been  light,  and  had  one  been  favorably  placed 
to  enjoy  a  bird's-eye  view  of  the  spot,  he  would  have  seen 
a  broad  and  undulating  field  of  leafy  forest,  in  which  the 
various  deciduous  trees  of  New  England  were  relieved  by 
the  deeper  verdure  of  occasional  masses  of  evergreen.  In 
the  centre  of  this  swelling  and  nearly  interminable  outline 
of  woods,  was  a  valley  that  spread  between  three  low 
mountains.  Over  the  bottom  land,  for  the  distance  of 
several  miles,  all  the  signs  of  a  settlement  in  a  state  of 
rapid  and  prosperous  improvement  were  visible.  The  de- 
vious course  of  a  deep  and  swift  brook,  that  in  the  other 
hemisphere  would  have  been  termed  a  river,  was  to  be 
traced  through  the  meadows  by  its  borders  of  willow  and 
sumach.  At  -a  point  near  the  centre  of  the  valley  the 
waters  had  been  arrested  by  a  small  dam ;  and  a  mill, 
whose  wheel  at  that  early  hour  was  without  motion,  stood 


THE   WEPT  OF  WISH-TON- WISH.  iG; 

on  the  artificial  mound.  Near  it  was  the  site  of  a  Ne\V 
England  hamlet. 

The  number  of  dwellings  in  the  village  might  have  been 
forty.  They  were,  as  usual,  constructed  of  a  firm  frame- 
work, neatly  covered  with  sidings  of  boards.  There  was 
a  surprising  air  of  equality  in  the  general  aspect  of  the 
houses ;  and,  if  there  were  question  of  any  country  but 
our  own,  it  might  be  added  there  was  an  unusual  appear- 
ance of  comfort  and  abundance  in  even  the  humblest  of 
them  all.  They  were  mostly  of  two  low  stories,  the  supe- 
rior overhanging  the  inferior  by  a  foot  or  two  ;  a  mode  of 
construction  much  in  use  in  the  earlier  days  of  the  east- 
ern colonies.  As  paint  was  but  little  used  at  that  time, 
none  of  the  buildings  exhibited  a  color  different  from  that 
the  wood  would  naturally  assume  after  the  exposure  of  a 
few  years  to  the  weather.  Each  had  its  single  chimney  in 
the  centre  of  the  roof,  and  but  two  or  three  showed  more 
than  a  solitary  window  on  each  side  of  the  principal  or 
outer  door.  In  front  of  every  dwelling  was  a  small,  neat 
court,  in  greensward,  separated  from  the  public  road  by 
a  light  fence  of  deal.  Double  rows  of  young  and  vigor- 
ous elms  lined  each  side  of  the  wide  street,  while  an  enor- 
mous sycamore  still  kept  possession  of  the  spot  in  its  centre 
which  it  had  occupied  when  the  white  man  entered  the 
forest.  Beneath  the  shade  of  this  tree  the  inhabitants 
often  collected  to  gather  tidings  of  each  other's  \velfare, 
or  to  listen  to  some  matter  of  interest  that  rumor  had 
borne  from  the  towns  nearer  the  sea.  A  narrow  and  little- 
used  wheel  track  ran  with  a  graceful  and  sinuous  route 
through  the  centre  of  the  wide  and  grassy  street.  Re- 
duced in  appearance  to  little  more  than  a  bridle-path,  it 
was  to  be  traced  without  the  hamlet,  between  high  fences 
of  wood  for  a  mile  or  two,  to  the  points  where  it  entered 
the  forest.  Here  and  there  roses  were  pressing  through 
the  openings  of  the  fences  before  the  doors  of  the  differ- 
ent habitations,  and  bushes  of  fragrant  lilacs  stood  in  the 
angles  of  most  of  the  courts. 

The  dwellings  were  detached.  Each  occupied  its  own 
insulated  plot  of  ground,  with  a  garden  in  its  rear.  The 
out-buildings  were  thrown  to  that  distance  which  the  cheap- 
ness of  land  and  security  from  fire  rendered  both  easy  and 
expedient 

The  church  stood  in  the  centre  of  the  highway,  and  near 
one  end  of  the  hamlet.  In  the  exterior  and  ornaments  of 
the  important  temple,  the  taste  of  the  times  had  beea 


i88  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

fastidiously  consulted,  its  form  and  simplicity  furnishing 
no  slight  resemblance  to  the  self-denying  doctrines  and 
quaint  humors  of  the  religionists  who  worshipped  beneath 
its  roof.  The  building,  like  all  the  rest,  was  of  wood,  and 
externally  of  two  stories.  It  possessed  a  tower,  without  a 
spire — the  former  alone  serving  to  denote  its  sacred  char- 
acter. In  the  construction  of  this  edifice,  especial  care 
had  been  taken  to  eschew  all  deviations  from  direct  lines 
and  right  angles.  Those  narrow-arched  passages  for  the 
admission  of  light  that  are  elsewhere  so  common,  were 
then  thought  by  the  stern  moralists  of  New  England  to  have 
some  mysterious  connection  with  her  of  the  scarlet  mantle. 
The  priest  would  as  soon  have  thought  of  appearing  before 
his  ilock  in  the  vanities  of  stole  and  cassock,  as  the  congre- 
gation of  admitting  the  repudiated  ornaments  into  the  out- 
line of  their  severe  architecture.  Had  the  Genii  of  the 
Lamp  suddenly  exchanged  the  windows  pf  the  sacred  edi- 
fice with  those  of  the  inn  that  stood  nearly  opposite,  the 
closest  critic  of  the  settlement  could  never  have  detected 
the  liberty,  since,  in  the  form,  dimensions,  and  style  of  the 
two,  there  was  no  visible  difference. 

A  little  enclosure  at  no  great  distance  from  the  church, 
and  on  one  side  of  the  street,  had  been  set  apart  for  the 
final  resting-place  of  those  who  had  finished  their  race  on 
earth.  It  contained  but  a  solitary  grave. 

The  inn  was  to  be  distinguished  from  the  surrounding 
buildings,  by  its  superior  size,  an  open  horse-shed,  and  a 
sort  of  protruding  air  with  which  it  thrust  itself  on  the  line 
of  the  street,  as  if  to  invite  the  traveller  to  enter.  A  sign 
swung  on  a  gallows-looking  post,  that,  in  consequence  of 
frosty  nights  and  warm  days,  had  already  deviated  from 
the  perpendicular.  It  bore  a  conceit  that  at  the  first  glance 
might  have  gladdened  the  heart  of  a  naturalist  with  the 
belief  that  he  had  made  the  discovery  of  some  unknown 
bird.  The  artist,  however,  had  sufficiently  provided  against 
the  consequences  of  so  embarrassing  a  blunder,  by  con- 
siderately writing  beneath  the  offspring  of  his  pencil, 
"  This  is  the  sign  of  the  Whip-Poor- Will  ;"  a  name,  that  the 
most  unlettered  traveller  in  those  regions  would  be  likely 
to  know  was  vulgarly  given  to  the  Wish-Ton-Wish,  or  the 
American  night-hawk. 

But  few  relics  of  the  forest  remained  immediately  around 
the  hamlet.  The  trees  had  long  been  felled,  and  sufficient 
time  had  elapsed  to  remove  most  of  the  vestiges  of  their 
former  existence.  But  as  the  eye  receded  from  the  clus- 


THE   WEPT   OF  WTSH-TOX-WISH.  189 

ter  of  buildings,  the  signs  of  more  recent  inroads  on  the 
wilderness  became  apparent,  until  the  view  terminated 
with  openings,  in  which  piled  logs  and  mazes  of  felled  trees 
announced  the  recent  use  of  the  axe. 

At  that  early  day,  the  American  husbandman,  like  the 
agriculturists  of  most  of  Europe,  dwelt  in  his  village.  The 
dread  of  violence  from  the  savages  had  given  rise  to  a 
custom  similar  to  thiit  which  centuries  before  had  been 
produced  in  the  other  hemisphere  by  the  inroads  of  more 
pretending  barbarians,  and  which,  with  few  and  distant 
exceptions,  has  deprived  rural  scenery  of  a  charm  that,  it 
would  seem,  time  and  a  better  condition  of  society  are  slow 
to  repair.  Some  remains  of  this  ancient  practice  are  still  to 
be  traced  in  the  portion  of  the  Union  of  which  we  write, 
where  even  at  this  day  the  farmer  often  quits  the  village 
to  seek  his  scattered  fields  in  his  neighborhood.  Still,  as 
man  has  never  been  the  subject  of  a  system  here,  and  as 
each  individual  has  always  had  the  liberty  of  consulting 
his  own  temper,  bolder  spirits  early  began  to  break  through 
a  practice,  by  which  quite  as  much  was  lost  in  convenience 
as  was  gained  in  security.  Even  in  the  scene  we  have 
been  describing,  ten  or  twelve  humble  habitations  were 
distributed  among  the  recent  clearings  on  the  side  of  the 
mountains,  and  in  situations  too  remote  to  promise  much 
security  against  any  sudden  inroad  of  the  common  enemy. 

For  general  protection,  in  cases  of  the  last  extremity, 
however,  a  stockaded  dwelling,  not  unlike  that  which  we 
have  had  occasion  to  describe  in  our  earlier  pages,  stood 
in  a  convenient  spot  near  the  hamlet.  Its  defences  were 
stronger  and  more  elaborate  than  usual,  the  pickets  being 
furnished  with  flanking  block-houses  ;  and,  in  other  re- 
spects, the  building  bore  the  aspect  of  a  work  equal  to  any 
resistance  that  might  be  required  in  the  warfare  of  those 
regions.  The  ordinary  habitation  of  the  priest  \vas  within 
its  gates  ;  and  hither  most  of  the  sick  were  timely  con- 
veyed, in  order  to  anticipate  the  necessity  of  removals  at 
more  inconvenient  moments. 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  tell  the  American,  that  heavy 
wooden  fences  subdivided  the  whole  of  this  little  land- 
scape into  enclosures  of  some  eight  or  ten  acres  m  extent ; 
that,  here  and  there,  cattle  and  flocks  were  grazing  with- 
out herdsmen  or  shepherds,  and  that  while  the  fields  near- 
est to  the  dwellings  were  beginning  to  assume  the  appear- 
ance of  a,  careful  and  improved  husbandry,  those  more 
remote  became  gradually  wilder  and  less  cultivated,  until 


190  THE   WEPT  OF  WISH-TON- WISH. 

the  half-reclaimed  openings,  with  their  blackened  stubs 
and  barked  trees,  were  blended  with  the  gloom  of  the  liv- 
ing forest.  These  are  more  or  less  the  accompaniments  of 
every  rural  scene  in  districts  of  the  country  where  time 
has  not  yet  effected  more  than  the  first  two  stages  of  im- 
provement. 

At  the  distance  of  a  short  half-mile  from  the  fortified 
house,  or  garrison,  as  by  a  singular  corruption  of  terms 
the  stockaded  building  was  called,  stood  a  dwelling  of  pre- 
tensions altogether  superior  to  any  in  the  hamlet.  The 
buildings  in  question,  though  simple,  were  extensive  ;  and 
though  scarcely  other  than  such  as  might  belong  to  an  ag- 
riculturist in  easy  circumstances,  still  they  were  remarka- 
ble in  that  settlement,  by  the  comforts  which  time  alone 
could  accumulate,  and  some  of  which  denoted  an  advanced 
condition  for  a  frontier  family.  In  short,  there  was  an  air 
about  the  establishment,  as  in  the  disposition  of  its  out- 
buildings, in  the  superior  workmanship,  arid  in  the  materi- 
als, and  in  numberless  other  well-known  circumstances, 
which  went  to  show  that  the  whole  of  the  edifices  were  re- 
constructions. The  fields  near  this  habitation  exhibited 
smoother  surfaces  than  those  in  the  distance.  The  fences 
were  lighter  and  less  rude  ;  the  stumps  had  absolutely  dis- 
appeared ;  and  the  gardens  and  homestead  were  well  planted 
with  flourishing  fruit-trees.  A  conical  eminence  arose  at 
a  short  distance  in  the  rear  of  the  principal  dwelling.  It 
was  covered  with  that  beautiful  and  peculiar  ornament  of 
an  American  farm,  a  regular,  thrifty,  and  luxuriant  apple- 
orchard.  Still,  age  had  not  given  its  full  beauty  to  the 
plantation,  which  might  have  had  a  growth  of  some  eight 
or  ten  years.  A  blackened  tower  of  stone,  which  sustained 
the  charred  ruins  of  a  superstructure  of  wood,  though  of 
no  great  height  in  itself,  rose  above  the  tallest  of  the  trees, 
and  stood  a  sufficient  memorial  of  some  scene  of  violence 
in  the  brief  history  of  the  valley.  There  was  also  a  small 
block-house  near  the  habitation  ;  but,  by  the  air  of  neglect 
that  reigned  around,  it  was  quite  apparent  the  little  work 
had  been  of  a  hurried  construction,  and  of  but  temporary 
use.  A  few  young  plantations  of  fruit-trees  were  also  to 
be  seen  in  different  parts  of  the  valley,  which  was  begin- 
ning to  exhibit  many  other  evidences  of  an  improved  agri- 
culture. 

So  far  as  all  these  artificial  changes  went,  they  were  of 
an  English  character.  But  it  was  England  devoid  alike  of 
its  luxury  and  its  poverty,  and  with  a  superfluity  of  space 


TJJJS  tirz-:rT  OF  IVISH-TON-IVISIL  191 

that  gave  to  the  meanest  habitation  in  the  view,  an  air  of 
abundance  and  comfort  that  is  so  often  wanting  about  the 
dwellings  of  the  comparatively  rich,  in  countries  where 
man  is  found  bearing  a  far  greater  numerical  proportion  to 
the  soil  than  was  then,  or  is  even  now  the  case,  in  the  re- 
gions of  which  we  write. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

"Come  hither,  neighbor  Sea-coal — God  hath  blessed  you  with  a  good 
name  ;  to  be  a  well-favored  man  is  the  gift  of  fortune  ;  but  to  write  and 
read  comes  by  Nature." — Much  Ado  about  Nothing. 

IT  has  already  been  said,  that  the  hour  at  which  the 
action  of  the  tale  must  re-commence,  was  early  morning. 
The  usual  coolness  of  night,  in  a  country  extensively 
covered  with  wood,  had  passed,  and  the  warmth  of  a  sum- 
mer morning,  in  that  low  latitude,  was  causing  the  streaks 
of  light  vapor,  that  floated  about  the  meadows,  to  rise 
above  the  trees.  The  feathery  patches  united  to  form  a 
cloud  that  sailed  away  toward  the  summit  of  a  distant 
mountain,  which  appeared  to  be  a  common  rendezvous  for 
all  the  mists  that  had  been  generated  by  the  past  hours  of 
darkness. 

Though  the  burnished  sky  announced  his  near  approach, 
the  sun  was  not  yet  visible.  Notwithstanding  the  earliness 
of  the  hour,  a  man  was  already  mounting  a  little  ascent  in 
the  road,  at  no  great  distance  from  the  southern  entrance 
of  the  hamlet,  and  at  a  point  where  he  could  command  a 
view  of  all  the  objects  described  in  the  preceding  chapter. 
A  musket  thrown  across  his  left  shoulder,  with  the  horn 
and  pouch  at  his  sides,  together  with  the  little  wallet  at 
his  back,  proclaimed  him  one  who  had  either  been  engaged 
in  a  hunt,  or  in  some  short  expedition  of  even  a  less  peace- 
able character.  His  dress  was  of  the  usual  material  and 
fashion  of  a  countryman  of  the  age  and  colony,  though  a 
short  broadsword,  that  was  thrust  through  a  wampum  belt 
which  girded  his  body,  might  have  attracted  observation. 
In  all  other  respects,  he  had  the  air  of  an  inhabitant  of  the 
hamlet,  who  had  found  occasion  to  quit  his  abode  on  some 
affair  of  pleasure  or  of  duty,  that  had  made  no  very  serious 
demand  on  his  time. 

Whether  native  or  stranger,  few  ever  passed  tUe  hillock 


1 92  THE   WEPT   OF 

named,  without  pausing  to  gaze  at  the  quiet  loveliness  of 
the  cluster  of  houses  that  lay  in  full  view  from  its  summit. 
The  individual  mentioned  loitered  as  usual,  but,  instead  of 
following  the  line  of  the  path,  his  eye  rather  sought  some 
object  in  the  direction  of  the  fields.  Moving  leisurely  to 
the  nearest  fence,  he  threw  down  the  upper  rails  of  a  pair 
of  bars,  and  beckoned  to  a  horseman,  who  was  picking  his 
way  across  a  broken  bit  of  pasture  land,  to  enter  the  high- 
way by  the  passage  he  had  opened. 

"  Put  the  spur  smartly  into  the  pacer's  flank,"  said  he 
who  had  done  this  act  of  civility,  observing  that  the  other 
hesitated  to  urge  his  beast  across  the  irregular  and  some- 
what scattered  pile  ;  "my  word  for  it,  the  jade  goes  over 
them  all,  without  touching  with  more  than  three  of  her 
four  feet.  Fie,  doctor !  there  is  never  a  cow  in  the  Wish- 
Ton-Wish,  but  it  would  take  the  leap  to  be  in  the  first  at 
the  milking." 

"Softly,  ensign,"  returned  the  timid  equestrian,  laying 
the  emphasis*bn  the  final  syllable  of  his  companion's  title, 
and  pronouncing  the  first  as  if  it  were  spelt  with  the  third 
instead  of  the  second  vowel.  "Thy  courage  is  meet  for 
one  set  apart  for  deeds  of  valor,  but  it  would  be  a  sorrowful 
day  when  the  ailing  of  the  valley  should  knock  at  my  door, 
and  a  broken  limb  be  made  the  apology  for  want  of  succor. 
Thy  efforts  will  not  avail  thee,  man  ;  for  the  mare  hath  had 
schooling,  as  well  as  her  master.  I  have  trained  the  beast 
to  methodical  habits,  and  she  hath  come  to  have  a  rooted 
dislike  to  all  irregularities  of  movement.  So,  cease  tugging 
at  the  rein,  as  if  thou  wouldst  compel  her  to  pass  the  pile 
in  spite  of  her  teeth,  and  throw  down  the  upper  bar 
altogether." 

"  A  doctor  in  these  rugged  parts  should  be  mounted  on 
one  of  those  ambling  birds  of  which  we  read,"  said  the 
other,  removing  the  obstacle  to  the  secure  passage  of  his 
friend  ;  "  for  truly  a  journey  at  night,  in  the  paths  of  these 
clearings,  is  not  always  as  safe  moving  as  that  which  is  said 
to  be  enjoyed  by  the  settlers  nearer  sea." 

"And  where  hast  found  mention  of  a  bird  of  a  size  and 
velocity  fit  to  be  the  bearer  of  the  weight  of  a  man  ?  " 
demanded  he  who  was  mounted,  with  a  vivacity  that  be- 
trayed some  jealousy  on  the  subject  of  a  monopoly  of 
learning.  "  I  had  thought  there  was  never  a  book  in  the 
valley,  out  of  mine  own  closet,  that  dealeth  in  these  ab- 
strusities ! " 

"Dost  think  the  Scriptures  are  strangers  to  us?  There— 


THE   WEPT   OF  IVISH-TON-WISH.  193 

them  art  now  in  the  public  path,  and  thy  journey  is  with- 
out danger.  It  is  matter  of  marvel  to  many  in  this  settle- 
ment, how  thou  movest  about  at  midnight,  among  up- 
turned roots  of  trees,  holes,  logs  and  stumps,  without 
falling " 

"  I  have  told  thee,  ensign,  it  is  by  virtue  of  much  train- 
ing given  to  the  beast.  Certain  am  I,  that  neither  whip 
nor  spur  would  compel  the  animal  to  pass  the  bounds  of 
discretion.  Often  have  I  travelled  this  bridle-path,  with- 
out fear  as  in  truth  without  danger,  when  sight  was  a  sense 
of  as  little  use  as  that  of  smelling." 

"  I  wras  about  to  say  falling  into  thine  own  hands,  which 
would  be  a  tumble  of  little  less  jeopardy  than  even  that  of 
the  wicked  spirits." 

The  medical  man  affected  to  laugh  at  his  companion's 
joke  ;  but,  remembering  the  dignity  suited  to  one  of 
his  calling,  he  immediately  resumed  the  discourse  with 
gravity— 

"  These  may  be  matters  of  levity  with  those  who  know 
little  of  the  hardships  that  are  endured  in  the  practice  of 
the  settlements.  Here  have  I  been  on  yonder  mountain, 
guided  by  the  instinct  of  my  horse — 

"  Ha !  hath  there  been  a  call  at  the  dwelling  of  my 
brother  Ring  ? "  demanded  the  pedestrian,  observing,  by 
the  direction  of  the  other's  eye,  the  road  he  had  been 
travelling. 

"  Truly,  there  hath  ;  and  at  the  unseasonable  hour  that  is 
wont  in  a  very  unreasonable  proportion  of  the  cases  of  my 
practice." 

"  And  Reuben  numbereth  another  boy  to  the  four  that  he 
could  count  yesterday  ?  " 

The  medical  man  held  up  three  of  his  fingers,  in  a  sig- 
nificant manner,  as  he  nodded  assent. 

"  This  putteth  Faith  something  in  arrears,"  returned  he 
who  has  been  called  ensign,  and  who  was  no  other  than  the 
reader's  old  acquaintance  Eben  Dudley,  preferred  to  that 
station  in  the  train-band  of  the  valley.  "  The  heart  of  my 
brother  Reuben  will  be  gladdened  by  these  tidings  when  he 
shall  return  from  the  scout." 

"  There  wrill  be  occasion  for  thankfulness,  since  he  will 
find  seven  beneath  a  roof  where  he  left  but  four ! " 

"  I  will  close  the  bargain  with  the  young  captain  for  the 
mountain  lot  this  very  day !"  muttered  Dudley,  like  one 
suddenly  convinced  of  the  prudence  of  a  long-debated 
measure.  "  Seven  pounds  of  the  colony  money  is  no 


I94  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

usurer's  price,  after  all,  for  a  hundred  acres  of  heavily-tim- 
bered land  ;  and  they  in  full  view  of  a  settlement  where 
boys  come  three  at  a  time  ! " 

The  equestrian  stopped  his  horse,  and  regarding  his 
companion  intently  and  with  a  significant  air,  he  an- 
swered— 

"  Thou  hast  now  fallen  on  the  clew  of  an  important  mys- 
tery, Ensign  Dudley.  This  continent  was  created  with  a 
design.  The  fact  is  apparent  by  its  riches,  its  climate,  its 
magnitude,  its  facilities  of  navigation,  and  chiefly  in  that  it 
hath  been  left  undiscovered  until  the  advanced  condition 
of  society  hath  given  opportunity  and  encouragement  to 
men  of  a  certain  degree  of  merit  to  adventure  in  its  behalf. 
Consider,  neighbor,  the  wonderful  progress  it  hath  already 
made  in  the  arts  and  in  learning,  in  reputation  and  in  re- 
sources, and  thou  wilt  agree  with  me  in  the  conclusion 
that  all  this  hath  been  done  with  a  design." 

"  'Twould  be  presuming  to  doubt  it  ;  for  he  hath  indeed 
a  short  memory  to  whom  it  shall  be  necessary  to  recall  the 
time  when  this  very  valley  was  little  other  than  a  den  for 
beasts  of  prey,  and  this  beaten  highway  a  deer-track.  Dost 
think  that  Reuben  will  be  like  to  raise  the  whole  of  the  re- 
cent gift  ?" 

"With*  judgment,  and  by  the  blessing  of  Providence. 
The  mind  is  active,  Ensign  Dudley,  when  the  body  is  jour- 
neying among  the  forests  ;  and  much  have  my  thoughts 
been  exercised  in  this  matter,  while  thou  and  others  have 
been  in  your  slumbers.  Here  have  we  the  colonies  in  their 
first  century,  and  yet  thou  knowest  to  what  a  pass  of 
improvement  they  have  arrived.  They  tell  me  the  Hart- 
ford settlement  is  getting  to  be  apportioned  like  the  towns 
of  mother  England,  that  there  is  reason  to  think  the 
day  may  come  when  the  provinces  shall  have  a  power, 
and  a  convenience  of  culture  and  communication,  equal- 
ling that  which  belongeth  to  some  parts  of  the  venerable 
island  itself  ! " 

"  Nay,  nay,  Doctor  Ergot,"  returned  the  other  with  an  in- 
credulous smile,  "  that  is  exceeding  the  bounds  of  a  dis- 
cretionable  expectation." 

"  Thou  wilt  remember  that  I  said  equalling  to  certain 
parts.  I  think  we  may  justly  imagine,  that  ere  many  cen- 
turies shall  elapse,  there  may  be  millions  counted  in  these 
regions,  and  truly  that,  too,  where  one  seeth  naught  at  pres- 
ent but  the  savage  and  the  beast." 

"  I  will  go  with  any  man,  in  this    question,  as   far   as 


THE  WEPT  OF  WISH-TOX-WISH.  195 

reason  will  justify  ;  but  doubtless  thou  hast  read  in  the 
books  uttered  by  writers  over  sea,  the  matters  concerning 
the  condition  of  those  countries,  wherein  it  is  plain  that 
we  may  never  hope  to  reach  the  exalted  excellence  they 
enjoy." 

"  Neighbor  Dudley,  thou  seemest  disposed  to  push  an 
unguarded  expression  to  extremity.  I  said  equalling  cer- 
tain parts,  meaning  always,  too,  in  certain  things.  Now  it 
is  known  in  philosophy,  that  the  stature  of  man  hath  degen- 
erated, and  must  degenerate  in  these  regions,  in  obedience 
to  established  laws  of  nature  ;  therefore  it  is  meet  that  al- 
lowance should  be  made  for  some  deficiency  in  less  mate- 
rial qualities." 

"  It  is  like,  then,  that  the  better  sort  of  the  men  over 
sea  are  ill-disposed  to  quit  their  country,"  returned  the 
ensign,  glancing  an  eye  of  some  unbelief  along  the  mus- 
cular proportions  of  his  own  vigorous  frame.  "  We  have 
no  less  than  three  from  the  old  countries  in  our  village, 
here,  and  yet  I  do  not  find  them  men  like  to  have  been 
sought  for  at  the  building  of  Babel." 

"  This  is  settling  a  knotty  and  learned  point  by  the  evi- 
dence of  a  few  shallow  exceptions.  I  presume  to  tell  you, 
Ensign  Dudley,  that  the  science,  and  wisdom,  and  philoso- 
phy of  Europe,  have  been  exceeding  active  in  this  matter ; 
and  they  have  proved  to  their  own  perfect  satisfaction, 
which  is  the  same  thing  as  disposing  of  the  question  with- 
out appeal,  that  man  and  beast,  plant  and  tree,  hill  and 
dale,  lake  and  pond,  sun,  air,  fire  and  water,  are  all  want- 
ing in  some  of  the  perfectness  of  the  older  regions.  I  re- 
spect a  patriotic  sentiment,  and  can  "carry  the  disposition 
to  applaud  the  bounties  received  from  the  hands  of  a  be- 
neficent Creator  as  far  as  any  man ;  but  that  which  hath 
been  demonstrated  by  science,  or  collected  by  learning,  is 
placed  too  far  beyond  the  objections  of  light-minded  cav- 
illers, to  be  doubted  by  graver  faculties." 

"I  shall  not  contend  against  things  that  are  proven,"  re- 
turned Dudley,  who  was  quite  as  meek  in  discussion  as 
he  was  powerful  and  active  in  more  physical  contests  ; 
"since  it  needs  be  that  the  learning  of  men  in  the  old 
countries  must  have  an  exceeding  excellence,  in  virtue  of 
its  great  age.  It  would  be  a  visit  to  remember,  should 
some  of  its  rare  advantages  be  dispersed  in  these  our  own 
youthful  regions  ! " 

"  And  can  it  be  said  that  our  mental  wants  have  been 
forgotten — that  the  nakedness  of  the  mind  hath  been  suf- 


196  THE  WEPT  OF  WISH-TOK-WISH. 

fered  to  go  without  its  comely  vestment,  neighbor  Dudley  \ 
To  me  it  seemeth  that  therein  we  have  unwonted  reason 
to  rejoice,  and  that  the  equilibrium  of  nature  is  in  a  man- 
ner restored  by  the  healing  exercises  of  art.  It  is  un- 
seemly in  an  unenlightened  province  to  insist  on  qualities 
that  have  been  discreetly  disproven  ;  but  learning  is  a 
transferable  and  communicable  gift,  and  it  is  meet  to 
affirm  that  it  is  to  be  found  here,  in  quantities  adapted  to 
the  wants  of  the  colony." 

"  I'll  not  gainsay  it,  for  having  been  more  of  an  advent- 
urer in  the  forest  than  one  who  hath  travelled  in  quest  of 
sights  among  the  settlements  along  the  sea-shore,  it  may 
happen  that  many  things  are  to  be  seen  there,  of  which 
my  poor  abilities  have  formed  no  opinion." 

"  And  are  we  utterly  unenlightened,  even  in  this  distant 
valley,  ensign?"  returned  the  leech,  leaning  over  the 
neck  of  his  horse,  and  addressing  his  companion  in  a  mild 
and  persuasive  tone,  that  he  had  probably  acquired  in  his 
extensive  practice  among  the  females  of  the  settlement. 
"  Are  we  to  be  classed  with  the  heathen  in  knowledge,  or 
to  be  accounted  as  the  unnurtured  men  who  are  known 
once  to  have  roamed  through  these  forests  in  quest  of 
their  game  ?  Without  assuming  any  infallibility  of  judg- 
ment, or  aspiring  to  any  peculiarity  of  information,  it 
doth  not  appear  to  my  defective  understanding,  Master 
Dudley,  that  the  progress  of  the  settlement  hath  ever  been 
checked  for  want  of  necessary  foresight,  nor  that  the 
growth  of  reason  among  us  hath  ever  been  stunted  from 
any  lack  of  mental  aliment.  Our  councils  are  not  barren 
of  wisdom,  ensign,  nor  hath  it  often  arrived  that  abstrusi- 
ties have  been  propounded,  that  some  one  intellect,  to  say 
no  more  in  our  own  favor,  hath  not  been  known  to  grap- 
ple with  successfully." 

"That  there  are  men,  or  perhaps  I  ought  to  say  that 
there  is  a  man,  in  the  valley,  who  is  equal  to  many  marvels 
in  the  way  of  enlightened  gifts " 

"  I  knew  we  should  come  to  peaceable  conclusions,  En- 
sign Dudley,"  interrupted  the  other,  rising  erect  in  his  sad- 
dle, with  an  air  of  appeased  dignity  ;  "  for  I  have  ever 
found  you  a  discreet  and  consequent  reasoner,  and  one  who 
is  never  known  to  resist  conviction,  when  truth  is  pressed 
with  understanding.  That  the  men  from  over  sea  are  not 
often  so  well  gifted  as  some — we  will  say,  for  the  sake  of  a 
convenient  illustration,  as  thyself,  ensign — is  placed  beyond 
the  reach  of  debate,  since  sight  teacheth  us  that  number' 


THE  WEPT  OF  WISH-TON- WISH.  197 

less  exceptions  may  be  found  to  all  the  more  general  and 
distinctive  laws  of  nature.  I  think  we  are  not  likely  to 
carry  our  disagreement  further  ?  " 

"  It  is  impossible  to  make  head  against  one  so  ready  with 
his  knowledge,"  returned  the  other,  well  content  to  exist  in 
his  own  person  a  striking  exception  to  the  inferiority  of 
his  fellows  ;  "though  it  appeareth  to  me  that  my  brother 
Ring  might  be  chosen,  as  another  instance  of  a  reasonable 
stature  ;  a  fact  that  thou  mayest  see,  doctor,  by  regarding 
him  as  he  approaches  through  yon  meadow.  He  hath 
been,  like  myself,  on  the  scout  among  the  mountains." 

"  There  are  many  instances  of  physical  merit  among  thy 
connections,  Master  Dudley,"  returned  the  complaisant 
physician  ;  "  though  it  would  seem  that  thy  brother  hath 
not  found  his  companion  among  them.  He  is  attended  by 
an  ill-grown,  and,  it  may  be  added,  an  ill-favored  comrade, 
that  I  know  not." 

"Ha!  It  would  seem  that  Reuben  hath  fallen  on  the 
trail  of  savages  !  The  man  in  compa.ny  is  certainly  in 
paint  and  blanket.  It  may  be  well  to  pause  at  yonder 
opening,  and  await  their  coming." 

As  this  proposition  imposed  no  particular  inconvenience, 
the  doctor  readily  assented.  The  two  drew  nigh  to  the 
place  where  the  men,  whom  they  saw  crossing  the  fields  in 
the  distance,  were  expected  to  enter  the  highway. 

But  little  time  was  lost  in  attendance.  Ere  many  min- 
utes had  elapsed,  Reuben  Ring,  accoutred  and  armed  like 
the  borderer  already  introduced  in  this  chapter,  arrived  at 
the  opening,  followed  by  the  stranger  whose  appearance 
had  caused  so  much  surprise  to  those  who  watched  their 
approach. 

"  What  now,  sergeant,"  exclaimed  Dudley,  when  the 
other  was  within  ear-shot,  speaking  a  little  in  the  manner 
of  one  who  had  a  legal  right  to  propound  his  questions  ; 
"  hast  fallen  on  a  trail  of  the  savage,  and  made  a  captive  ? 
or  hath  some  owl  permitted  one  of  its  brood  to  fall  from 
the  nest  across  thy  footpath  ?  " 

"I  believe  the  creature  may  be  accounted  a  man,"  re- 
turned the  successful  Reuben,  throwing  the  breech  of  his 
gun  to  the  earth,  and  leaning  on  its  long  barrel,  while  he 
intently  regarded  the  half-painted,  vacant,  and  extremely 
equivocal  countenance  of  his  captive.  "  He  hath  the  colors 
of  a  Narragansett  about  the  brow  and  eyes,  and  yet  he 
faileth  greatly  in  the  form  and  movements." 

"  There  are  anomalies  in  the  physicals  of  ar   Indian,  as 


198  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

in  those  of  other  men,"  interrupted  Doctor  Ergot,  with  a 
meaning  glance  at  Dudley.  "  The  conclusion  of  our  neigh- 
bor Ring  may  be  too  hasty,  since  paint  is  the  fruit  of  art, 
and  may  be  applied  to  any  of  our  faces,  after  an  established 
usage.  But  the  evidences  of  nature  are  far  less  to  be  dis- 
trusted. It  hath  come  within  the  province  of  my  studies 
to  note  the  differences  in  formation,  which  occur  in  the 
different  families  of  man  ;  and  nothing  is  more  readily  to 
be  known  to  an  eye  skilled  in  these  abstrusities  than  the 
aboriginal  of  the  tribe  Narragansett.  Set  the  man  more  in 
a  position  of  examination,  neighbors,  and  it  shall  shortly 
be  seen  to  which  race  he  belongs.  Thou  wilt  note  in  this 
little  facility  of  investigation,  ensign,  a  clear  evidence  of 
most  of  the  matters  that  have  this  morning  been  agitated 
between  us.  Doth  the  patient  speak  English  ?  " 

"  Therein  have  I  found  some  difficulty  of  inquiry,"  re- 
turned Reuben,  or  as  he  should  now  be,  and  as  he  was 
usually  called,  Sergeant  Ring.  "  He  hath  been  spoken  to 
in  the  language  of  a  Christian,  no  less  than  in  that  of  a 
heathen,  and  as  yet  no  reply  hath  been  made,  while  he 
obeys  commands  uttered  in  both  forms  of  speech." 

".It  mattereth  not,"  said  Ergot,  dismounting,  and  draw- 
ing near  to  his  subject,  with  a  look  toward  Dudley  that 
should  seem  to  court  his  admiration. 

"  Happily  the  examination  before  me  leaneth  but  little 
on  any  subtleties  of  speech.  Let  the  man  be  placed  in  an 
attitude  of  ease,  one  in  which  nature  may  not  be  fettered 
by  restraint.  The  conformation  of  the  whole  head  is  re- 
markably aboriginal,  but  the  distinction  of  tribes  is  not  to 
be  sought  in  these  general  delineations.  The  forehead,  as 
you  see,  neighbors,  is  retreating  and  narrow,  the  cheek- 
bones as  usual  high,  and  the  olfactory  member,  as  in  all  of 
the  natives,  inclining  to  Roman." 

"  Now  to  me  it  would  seem  that  the  nose  of  the  man 
hath  a  marked  upturning  at  the  end,"  Dudley  ventured  to 
remark,  as  the  other  ran  volubly  over  the  general  and  well- 
known  distinctive  points  of  physical  construction  in  an 
Indian. 

"  As  an  exception  !  Thou  seest,  ensign,  by  this  elevation 
of  the  bone,  and  the  protuberance  of  the  more  fleshy  parts, 
that  the  peculiarity  is  an  exception.  I  should  rather  have 
said  that  the  nose  originally  inclined  to  the  Roman.  The 
departure  from  regularity  has  been  produced  by  some  cas- 
ualty of  their  warfare,  such  as  a  blow  from  a  tomahawk,  or 
the  gash  of  a  knife — aye  !  here  thou  seest  the  scar  left  by 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISff.  199 

the  weapon  !  It  is  concealed  by  the  paint  ;  but  remove 
that,  and  you  will  find  that  it  hath  all  the  form  of  a  cica- 
trix  of  a  corresponding  shape.  These  departures  from 
generalities  have  a  tendency  to  confound  pretenders  ;  a 
happy  circumstance  in  itself  for  the  progress  of  knowledge 
on  fixed  principles.  Place  the  subject  more  erect,  that  we 
may  see  the  natural  movement  of  the  muscles.  Here  is  an 
evidence  of  great  aquatic  habits  in  the  dimensions  of  the 
foot,  which  go  to  confirm  original  conceptions.  It  is  a 
happy  proof,  through  which  reasonable  and  prudent  con- 
clusions confirm  the  quick-sighted  glances  of  practice.  I 
pronounce  the  fellow  to  be  a  Narragansett." 

"  Is  it  then  a  Narragansett  that  hath  a  foot  to  confound 
a  trail  ?  "  returned  Eben  Dudley,  who  had  been  studying 
the  movements  and  attitudes  of  the  captive  with  quite  as 
much  keenness,  and  with  something  more  of  understand- 
ing than  the  leech.  "  Brother  Ring,  hast  ever  known 
an  Indian  leave  such  an  out-turning  foot-print  on  the 
leaves  ?" 

"  Ensign,  I  marvel  that  a  man  of  thy  discretion  should 
dwell  on  a  slight  variety  of  movement,  when  a  case  exists 
in  which  the  laws  of  nature  may  be  traced  to  their  sources. 
This  training  for  the  Indian  troubles  hath  made  thee  criti- 
cal in  the  position  of  a  foot.  I  have  said  that  the  fellow  is 
a  Narragansett,  and  what  I  have  uttered  hath  not  been 
lightly  ventured.  Here  is  the  peculiar  formation  of  the 
foot,  which  hath  been  obtained  in  infancy,  a  fulness  in  the 
muscles  of  the  breast  and  shoulders,  from  unusual  exer- 
cise in  an  element  denser  than  the  air,  and  a  nicer  construc- 
tion in 

The  physician  paused,  for  Dudley  had  coolly  advanced 
to  the  captive,  and  raising  the  thin  robe  of  deer-skin  which 
was  thrown  over  the  whole  of  his  superior  members, 
he  exposed  the  unequivocal  skin  of  a  white  man.  This 
would  have  proved  an  embarrassing  refutation  to  one  ac- 
customed to  the  conflict  of  wits  ;  but  monopoly  in  certain 
branches  of  knowledge  had  produced  in  favor  of  Doctor 
Ergot  an  acknowledged  superiority,  that  in  its  effects  might 
be  likened  to  the  predominating  influence  of  any  other 
aristocracy  on  those  faculties  that  have  been  benumbed  by 
its  operation.  His  opinion  changed,  which  is  more  than 
can  be  said  of  his  countenance  ;  for  with  the  readiness  of 
invention  which  is  so  often  practised  in  the  felicitous  insti- 
tutions we  have  named,  and  by  which  the  reasoning,  in- 
stead of  regulating,  is  adapted  to  the  practice,  he  exclaimed 


200  THE  WEPT  OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

with  uplifted  hands  and  eyes  that  bespoke  the  fulness  of 
his  admiration — 

"  Here  have  we  another  proof  of  the  wonderful  agency 
by  which  the  changes  in  nature  are  gradually  wrought ! 
Now  -do  we  see  in  this  Narragansett " 

"The  man  is  white  !"  interrupted  Dudley,  tapping  the 
naked  shoulder,  which  he  still  held  exposed  to  view. 

"  White,  but  not  a  tittle  the  less  a  Narragansett.  Your 
captive,  beyond  a  doubt,  oweth  his  existence  to  Christian 
parentage,  but  accident  hath  thrown  him  early  among 
the  aboriginals,  and  all  those  parts  which  were  liable  to 
change,  were  fast  getting  to  assume  the  peculiarities  of 
the  tribe.  He  is  one  of  those  beautiful  and  connecting 
links  in  the  chain  of  knowledge,  by  which  science  folio vv- 
eth  up  its  deductions  to  demonstration." 

"  I  should  ill  brook  coming  to  harm  for  doing  violence 
to  a  subject  of  the  king,"  said  Reuben  .Ring,  a  steady, 
open-faced  yeoman,  wrho  thought  far  less  of  the  subtleties 
of  his  companion  than  of  discharging  his  social  duties  in 
a  manner  fitting  the  character  of  a  quiet  and  well-condi- 
tioned citizen.  "  We  have  had  so  much  of  stirring  tidings 
latterly,  concerning  the  manner  the  savages  conduct  their 
warfare,  that  it  behoveth  men  in  places  of  trust  to  be  vig- 
ilant ;  for,"  glancing  his  eyes  toward  the  ruin  of  the  dis- 
tant block-house,  "  thou  knowest,  brother  Dudley,  that  we 
have  occasion  to  be  watchful  in  a  settlement  as  deep  in 
the  forest  as  this." 

"  I  will  answer  for  the  indemnity,  Sergeant  Ring,"  said 
Dudley,  with  an  air  of  dignity.  "  I  take  upon  myself  the 
keeping  of  this  stranger,  and  will  see  that  he  be  borne, 
properly,  and  in  fitting  season,  before  the  authorities.  In 
the  meantime,  duty  hath  caused  us  to  overlook  matters  of 
moment  in  thy  household,  which  it  may  be  seemly  to  com- 
municate. Abundance  hath  not  been  neglectful  of  thy 
interests,  during  the  scout." 

"  What ! "  demanded  the  husband,  with  rather  more  of 
earnestness  than  was  generally  exhibited  by  one  of  habits 
as  restrained  as  his  own  ;  "  hath  the  woman  called  upon 
the  neighbors  during  my  absence  ?" 

Dudley  nodded  an  assent.     . 

"  And  shall  I  find  another  boy  beneath  my  roof  ?" 

Doctor  Ergot  nodded  three  times,  with  a  gravity  thai 
might  have  suited  a  communication  even  more  weighty 
than  the  one  he  made. 

"  Thy  woman  rarely  doth  a  good  turn  by  halves,  Reu< 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH.-  201 

ben.  Thou  wilt  find  that  she  hath  made  provision  for  a 
successor  to  our  good  neighbor  Ergot,  since  a  seventh  son 
is  born  in  thy  house." 

The  broad,  honest  face  of  the  father  flushed  with  joy, 
and  then  a  feeling  less  selfish  came  over  him.  He  asked, 
with  a  slight  tremor  in  the  voice,  that  was  none  the  less 
touching  for  coming  from  the  lips  of  one  so  stout  of  frame 
and  firm  of  movement — 

"  And  the  woman  ? — in  what  manner  doth  Abundance 
bear  up  under  the  blessing  ?  " 

"Bravely,"  returned  the  leech;  "go  to  thy  dwelling, 
Sergeant  Ring,  and  praise  God  that  there  is  one  to  look  to 
its  concerns  in  thy  absence.  He  who  hath  received  the 
gift  of  seven  sons  in  five  years,  need  never  be  a  poor  nor  a 
dependent  man  in  a  country  like  this.  Seven  farms,  added 
to  that  pretty  homestead  of  mountain-land  which  thou  now 
tillest,  will  render  thee  a  patriarch  in  thine  age,  and  sustain 
the  name  of  Ring,  hundreds  of  years  hence,  when  these 
colonies  shall  become  peopled  and  powerful,  and,  I  say  it 
boldly,  caring  not  wTho  may  call  me  one  that  vaunteth  out 
of  reason,  equal  to  some  of  your  lofty  and  self-extolled 
kingdoms  of  Europe — aye,  even  perad venture  to  the 
mighty  sovereignty  of  Portugal  itself !  I  have  enumerated 
thy  future  farms  at  seven,  for  the  allusion  of  the  ensign 
to  the  virtues  of  men  born  with  natural  propensities  to  the 
healing  art,  must  be  taken  as  a  pleasant  speech,  since  it  is 
mere  delusion  of  old  wives'  fancy,  and  it  would  be  partic- 
ularly unnecessary  here,  where  every  reasonable  situation 
of  this  nature  is  already  occupied.  Go  to  thy  wife,  ser- 
geant, and  bid  her  be  of  good  cheer ;  for  she  hath  done 
herself,  thee,  and  thy  country,  a  service,  and  that  with- 
out dabbling  in  pursuits  foreign  to  her  comprehen- 
sion." 

The  sturdy  yeoman,  on  whom  this  rich  gift  of  Provi- 
dence had  been  dispensed,  raised  his  hat,  and  placing  it 
decently  before  his  face,  he  offered  up  a  silent  thanksgiv- 
ing for  the  favor.  Then  transferring  his  captive  to  the 
keeping  of  his  superior  and  kinsman,  he  was  soon  seen 
striding  over  the  fields  toward  his  upland  dwelling,  with 
a  heavy  foot,  though  with  a  light  heart. 

In  the  meantime,  Dudley  and  his  companion  bestowed 
a  more  particular  attention  on  the  silent  and  nearly  mo- 
tionless object  of  their  curiosity.  Though  the  captive  ap- 
peared to  be  of  middle  age,  his  eye  was  unmeaning,  his  air 
timid  and  uncertain,  and  his  form  cringing  and  ungainly. 


202  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

In  all  these  particulars,  he  was  seen  to  differ  from  the 
known  peculiarities  of  a  native  warrior. 

Previously  to  departing,  Reuben  Ring  had  explained 
that  while  traversing  the  woods,  on  that  duty  of  watchful- 
ness to  which  the  state  of  the  colony  and  some  recent  signs 
had  given  rise,  this  wandering  person  had  been  encountered 
and  secured,  as  seemed  necessary  to  the  safety  of  the  set- 
tlement. He  had  neither  sought  nor  avoided  his  captor  ; 
but  when  questioned  concerning  his  tribe,  his  motive  for 
traversing  those  hills,  and  his  future  intentions,  no  satis- 
factory reply  could  be  extracted.  He  had  scarcely  spoken, 
and  the  little  that  he  said  was  uttered  in  a  jargon  between 
the  language  of  his  interrogator  and  the  dialect  of  some 
barbarous  nation.  Though  there  was  much  in  the  actual 
state  of  the  colonies,  and  in  the  circumstances  in  which 
this  wanderer  had  been  found,  to  justify  his  detention,  lit- 
tle had  in  truth  been  discovered,  to  supply  a  clew  either 
to  any  material  facts  in  his  history,  or  to  any  of  his  views 
in  being  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  valley. 

Guided  only  by  this  barren  information,  Dudley  and  his 
companion  endeavored,  as  they  moved  toward  the  hamlet, 
to  entrap  their  prisoner  into  some  confession  of  his  object, 
by  putting  their  questions  with  a  sagacity  not  unusual  to 
men  in  remote  and  difficult  situations,  where  necessity  and 
danger  are  apt  to  keep  alive  all  the  native  energies  of  the 
human  mind.  The  answers  were  little  connected  and  un- 
intelligible, sometimes  seeming  to  exhibit  the  finest  subt- 
lety of  savage  cunning,  and  at  others  appearing  to  possess 
the  mental  helplessness  of  the  most  abject  fatuity. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

"  I  am  not  prone  to  weeping,  as  our  sex 
Commonly  are  ; — 

But  I  have 

That  honorable  grief  lodged  here,  which  burns 
Worse  than  tears  drown." — Winter's  Tale. 

IF  the  pen  of  a  compiler,  like  that  we  wield,  possessed 
the  mechanical  power  of  the  stage,  it  would  be  easy  to 
shift  the  scenes  of  this  legend  as  rapidly  and  effectively  as 
is  required  for  its  right  understanding,  and  for  the  proper 
maintenance  of  its  interest.  That  which  cannot  be  done 
with  the  magical  aid  of  machinery,  must  be  attempted  by 
less  ambitious,  and  we  fear  by  far  less  efficacious  means. 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISII-TOX-IV1SH.  2Oj 

At  the  same  early  hour  of  the  day,  and  at  no  gieat  dis- 
tance from  the  spot  where  Dudley  announced  his  good 
fortune  to  his  brother  Ring,  another  morning  meeting  had 
place  between  persons  of  the  same  blood  and  connections. 
From  the  instant  when,  the  pale  light  that  precedes  the 
day  was  first  seen  in  the  heavens,  the  windows  and  doors 
of  the  considerable  dwelling,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
valley,  had  been  unbarred.  Ere  the  glow  of  the  sun  had 
gilded  the  sky  over  the  outline  of  the  eastern  woods,  this 
example  of  industry  and  providence  was  followed  by  the 
inmates  of  every  house  in  the  village,  or  on  the  surround- 
ing hills  ;  and  by  the  time  the  golden  globe  itself  was  visi- 
ble above  the  trees,  there  was  not  a  human  being  in  all 
that  settlement,  of  proper  age  and  health,  who  was  not 
actively  afoot. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  say  that  the  dwelling  particularly 
named  was  the  present  habitation  of  the  household  of 
Mark  Heathcote.  Though  age  had  sapped  the  foundations 
of  his  strength,  and  had  nearly  dried  the  channels  of  his 
existence,  the  venerable  religionist  still  lived.  While  his 
physical  perfection  had  been  gradually  giving  way  before 
the  ordinary  decay  of  nature,  the  moral  man  was  but  little 
altered.  It  is  even  probable  that  his  visions  of  futurity 
were  less  dimmed  by  the  mists  of  carnal  interests  than 
when  last  seen,  and  that  the  spirit  had  gained  some  portion 
of  that  energy  which  had  certainly  been  abstracted  from 
the  more  corporeal  parts  of  his  existence.  At  the  hour 
already  named,  the  Puritan  was  seated  in  the  piazza,  which 
stretched  along  the  whole  front  of  a  dwelling,  that,  however 
it  might  be  deficient  in  architectural  proportions,  was  not 
wanting  in  the  more  substantial  comforts  of  a  spacious  and 
commodious  frontier  residence.  In  order  to  obtain  a 
faithful  portrait  of  a  man  so  intimately  connected  with  our 
tale,  the  reader  will  fancy  him  one  who  had  numbered 
four-score  and  ten  years,  with  a  visage  on  which  deep  and 
constant  mental  striving  had  wrought  many  and  menacing 
furrows,  a  form  that  trembled  while  it  yet  exhibited  the 
ruins  of  powerful  limb  and  flexible  muscle,  and  a  counte- 
nance on  which  ascetic  reflections  had  engraved  a  severity, 
that  was  but  faintly  relieved  by  the  glearnings  of  a  natural 
kindness,  which  no  acquired  habits  nor  any  traces  of  meta- 
physical thought  could  ever  entirely  erase.  Across  this 
picture  of  venerable  and  self-mortifying  age.  the  first  rays 
of  the  sun  were  now  softly  cast,  lighting  a  dimmed  eye  and 
furrowed  face  with  a  look  of  brightness  and  peace.  Per- 


204  THE  WEPT   OF  WISIf-TON-WISH. 

haps  the  blandness  of  the  expression  belonged  as  much  tc 
the  season  and  the  hour,  as  to  the  habitual  character  of 
the  man.  This  benignancy  of  feature,  unusual  rather  in 
its  strength  than  in  its  existence,  might  have  been  height- 
ened by  the  fact  that  his  spirit  had  just  wrought  in  prayer, 
as  was  usual,  in  the  circle  of  his  children  and  dependents, 
ere  they  left  those  retired  parts  of  the  building  where  they 
had  found  rest  and  security  during  the  night.  Of  the 
former,  none  known  and  cherished  in  the  domestic  circle 
had  been  absent ;  and  the  ample  provision  that  was  mak- 
ing for  the  morning  meal  sufficiently  showed  that  the 
number  of  the  latter  had  in  no  degree  diminished  since  the 
reader  was  familiar  with  the  domestic  economy  of  his 
household. 

Time  had  produced  no  very  striking  alteration  in  the 
appearance  of  Content.  It  is  true  that  the  brown  hue  of 
his  features  had  deepened,  and  that  his  frame  was  begin- 
ning to  lose  some  of  its  elasticity  and  ease  of  action  in  the 
more  measured  movements  of  middle  age.  But  the  gov- 
erned temperament  of  the  individual  had  always  kept  the 
animal  in  more  than  usual  subjection.  Even  his  earlier 
days  had  rather  exhibited  the  promise  than  the  perform- 
ance of  the  ordinary  youthful  qualities.  Mental  gravity 
had  long  before  produced  a  corresponding  physical  effect. 
In  reference  to  his  exterior,  and  using  the  language  of  the 
painter,  it  would  now  be  said  that,  without  having  wrought 
any  change  in  form  and  proportions,  the  colors  had  been 
mellowed  by  time.  If  a  few  hairs  of  gray  were  sprinkled 
here  and  there  around  his  brow,  it  was  as  moss  gathers  on 
the  stones  of  the  edifice,  rather  furnishing  evidence  of  its 
increased  adhesion  and  approved  stability,  than  denoting 
any  symptoms  of  decay. 

Not  so  with  his  gentle  and  devoted  partner.  That  soft- 
ness and  sweetness  of  air  which  had  first  touched  the  heart 
of  Content  were  still  to  be  seen,  though  they  existed  amid 
the  traces  of  a  constant  and  a  corroding  grief.  The  fresh- 
ness of  youth  had  departed,  and  in  its  place  was  visible  the 
more  lasting,  and,  in  her  case,  the  more  affecting  beauty  of 
expression.  The  eye  of  Ruth  had  lost  none  of  its  gentle- 
ness, and  her  smile  still  continued  kind  and  attractive  ; 
but  the  former  was  often  painfully  vacant,  seeming  to  look 
inward  upon  those  secret  and  withering  sources  of  sorrow 
that  were  deeply  and  almost  mysteriously  seated  in  her 
heart  ;  while  the  latter  resembled  the  cold  brightness  of 
that  planet  which  illumines  objects  by  repelling  the  bor* 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISII-TOK-WISH.  205 

rowed  lustre  from  its  own  bosom.  The  matronly  form, 
the  feminine  beaming  of  the  countenance,  and  the  melo- 
dious voice,  yet  remained  ;  but  the  first  had  been  shaken 
till  it  stood  on  the  very  verge  of  a  premature  decay  ;  the 
second  had  a  mingling  of  anxious  care  in  its  most  sympa- 
thetic movements,  and  the  last  was  seldom  without  that 
fearful  thrill  which  so  deeply  affects  the  senses  by  convey- 
ing to  the  understanding  a  meaning  so  foreign  from  the 
words.  And  yet  an  uninterested  and  ordinary  observer 
might  not  have  seen,  in  the  faded  comeliness  and  blighted 
maturity  of  the  matron,  more  than  the  every-day  signs  that 
betray  the  turn  in  the  tide  of  human  existence.  As  befitted 
such  a  subject,  the  coloring  of  sorrow  had  been  traced  by 
a  hand  too  delicate  to  leave  the  lines  visible  to  every  vul- 
gar eye.  Like  the  master-touches  of  art,  her  grief,  as  it 
was  beyond  the  sympathies,  so  it  lay  beyond  the  ken  of 
those  whom  excellence  may  fail  to  excite,  or  in  whom  ab- 
sence can  deaden  affections.  Still  her  feelings  were  true 
to  all  who  had  any  claims  on  her  love.  The  predominance 
of  wasting  grief  over  the  more  genial  springs  of  her  enjoy- 
ments, only  went  to  prove  how  much  greater  is  the  in- 
fluence of  the  generous  than  the  selfish  qualities  of  our 
nature  in  a  heart  that  is  truly  endowed  with  tenderness. 
It  is  scarce  necessary  to  say  that  this  gentle  and  constant 
woman  sorrowed  for  her  child. 

Had  Ruth  Heathcote  known  that  the  girl  ceased  to  live, 
it  would  not  have  been  difficult  for  one  of  her  faith  to  have 
deposited  her  regrets  by  the  side  of  hopes  that  were  so 
justifiable  in  the  grave  of  the  innocent.  But  the  living 
death  to  which  her  offspring  might  be  condemned,  was 
rarely  absent  from  her  thoughts.  She  listened  to  the 
maxims  of  resignation,  which  were  heard  flowing  from  lips 
she  loved,  with  the  fondness  of  a  woman  and  the  meekness 
of  a  Christian  ;  and  then,  even  while  the  holy  lessons  were 
still  sounding  in  her  attentive  organs,  the  workings  of  an 
unconquerable  nature  led  her  insidiously  back  to  the  sorrow 
of  a  mother. 

The  imagination  of  this  devoted  and  feminine  being  had 
never  possessed  an  undue  control  over  her  reason.  Her 
visions  of  happiness  with  the  man  whom  her  judgment  not 
less  than  her  inclination  approved,  had  been  such  as  experi- 
ence and  religion  might  justify.  But  she  was  now  fated  to 
learn  there  is  a  fearful  poetry  in  sorrow,  which  can  sketch 
with  a  grace  and  an  imaginative  power  that  no  feebler 
efforts  of  a  heated  fancy  may  ever  equal.  She  heard  the 


206  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON- WISH. 

sweet  breathing  of  her  slumbering  infant  in  the  whispering 
of  the  summer  airs  ;  its  plaints  came  to  her  ears  amid  the 
howlings  of  the  gale  ;  while  the  eager  question  and  fond 
reply  were  mixed  up  with  the  most  ordinary  intercourse  of 
her  own  household.  To  her  the  laugh  of  childish  happiness 
that  often  came  on  the  still  air  of  evening  from  the  hamlet, 
sounded  like  the  voice  of  mourning ;  and  scarce  an  infantile 
sport  met  her  eye  that  did  not  bring  with  it  a  pang  of 
anguish.  Twice  since  the  events  of  the  inroad  had  she 
been  a  mother  ;  and,  as  if  an  eternal  blight  were  doomed  to 
destroy  her  hopes,  the  little  creatures  to  whom  she  had 
given  birth,  slept  side  by  side  near  the  base  of  the  ruined 
block.  Thither  she  often  went,  but  it  was  rather  to  be  the 
victim  of  those  cruel  images  of  her  fancy,  than  as  a  mourner. 
Her  visions  of  the  dead  were  calm  and  even  consolatory, 
but  if  ever  her  thoughts  mounted  to  the  abodes  of  eternal 
peace,  and  her  feeble  fancy  essayed  to  embody  the  forms 
of  the  blessed,  her  mental  eye  sought  her  who  was  not,  rather 
than  those  who  were  believed  to  be  secure  in  their  felicity. 
Wasting  and  delusory  as  were  these  glimpses  of  the  mind, 
there  were  others  far  more  harrowing,  because  they  pre- 
sented themselves  with  more  of  the  coarse  and  certain 
features  of  the  world.  It  was  the  common,  and  perhaps  it 
was  the  better,  opinion  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  valley, 
that  death  had  early  sealed  the  fate  of  those  who  had  fallen 
into  the  hands  of  the  savages  on  the  occasion  of  the  inroad. 
Such  a  result  was  in  conformity  with  the  known  practices 
and  ruthless  passions  of  the  conquerors,  who  seldom  spared 
life  unless  to  render  revenge  more  cruelly  refined,  or  to 
bring  consolation  to  some  bereaved  mother  of  the  tribe  by 
offering  a  substitute  for  the  dead  in  the  person  of  a  captive. 
There  was  relief  to  picture  the  face -of  the  laughing  cherub 
in  the  clouds,  or  to  listen  to  its  light  footstep  in  the  empty 
halls  of  the  dwelling ;  for  in  these  illusive  images  of  the 
brain,  suffering  was  confined  to  her  own  bosom.  But  when 
stern  reality  usurped  the  place  of  fancy,  and  she  saw  her 
living  daughter  shivering  in  the  wintry  blasts  or  sinking 
beneath  the  fierce  heats  of  the  climate,  cheerless  in  the 
desolation  of  female  servitude,  and  suffering  meekly  the 
lot  of  physical  weakness  beneath  a  savage  master,  she  en- 
dured that  anguish  which  was  gradually  exhausting  the 
springs  of  life. 

Though  the  father  was  not  altogether  exempt  from  simi- 
lar sorrow,  it  beset  him  less  ceaselessly.  Fie  knew  how  to 
struggle  with  the  workings  of  his  mind  as  best  became  a 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TOX-WISH.  207 

man.  Though  strongly  impressed  with  the  belief  that  the 
captives  had  early  been  put  beyond  the  reach  of  suffering, 
he  had  neglected  no  duty  which  tenderness  to  his  sorrow- 
ing partner,  parental  love,  or  Christian  duty,  could  require 
at  his  hands. 

The  Indians  had  retired  on  the  crust  of  the  snow,  and 
with  the  thaw  every  footprint,  or  sign  by  which  such  wary 
foes  might  be  traced,  had  vanished.  It  remained  matter  of 
doubt  to  what  tribe  or  even  to  what  nation  the  marauders 
belonged.  The  peace  of  the  colony  had  not  yet  been  openly 
broken,  and  the  inroad  had  been  rather  a  violent  and  fierce 
symptom  of  the  evils  that  were  contemplated,  than  the 
actual  commencement  of  the  ruthless  hostilities  which  had 
since  ravaged  the  frontier.  But  while  policy  had  kept  the 
colonists  quiet,  private  affection  omitted  no  rational  means 
of  effecting  the  restoration  of  the  sufferers,  in  the  event  of 
their  having  been  spared. 

Scouts  had  passed  among  the  conspiring  and  but  half- 
peaceable  tribes  nearest  to  the  settlement,  and  rewards  and 
menaces  had  both  been  liberally  used,  in  order  to  ascertain 
the  character  of  the  savages  who  had  laid  waste  the  valley, 
as  well  as  the  more  interesting  fortunes  of  their  hapless 
victims.  Every  expedient  to  detect  the  truth  had  failed. 
The  Narragansetts  affirmed  that  their  constant  enemies, 
the  Mohicans,  acting  with  their  customary  treachery,  had 
plundered  their  English  friends,  while  the  Mohicans  vehe- 
mently threw  back  the  imputation  on  the  Narragansetts.  At 
other  times,  some  Indians  affected  to  make  dark  allusions 
to  the  hostile  feelings  of  fierce  warriors,  who,  under  the 
name  of  the  Five  Nations,  were  known  to  reside  within  the 
limits  of  the  Dutch  colony  of  New  Netherlands,  and  to 
dwell  upon  the  jealousy  of  the  pale-faces  who  spoke  a 
language  different  from  that  of  the  Yengeese.  In  short, 
inquiry  had  produced  no  result,  and  Content,  when  he  did 
permit  his  fancy  to  represent  his  daughter  as  still  living, 
was  forced  to  admit  to  himself  the  probability  that  she 
might  be  buried  far  in  the  ocean  of  wilderness  which  then 
covered  most  of  the  surface  of  this  continent. 

Once,  indeed,  a  rumor  of  an  exciting  nature  had  reached 
the  family.  An  itinerant  trader  bound  from  the  wilds  of 
the  interior  to  a  mart  on  the  sea-shore,  had  entered  the 
valley.  He  brought  with  him  a  report  that  a  child  answer- 
ing in  some  respects  to  the  appearance  which  might  now 
be  supposed  to  belong  to  her  who  was  lost,  was  living 
among  the  savages,  on  the  banks  of  the  smaller  lakes  of 


208  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON- WISH. 

the  adjoining  colony.  The  distance  to  this  spot  was  great.  ; 
the  path  led  through  a  thousand  dangers,  and  the  result 
was  far  from  certain.  Yet  it  quickened  hopes  which  had 
long  been  dormant.  Ruth  never  urged  any  request  that 
might  involve  serious  hazard  to  her  husband,  and  for  many 
months  the  latter  had  even  ceased  to  speak  on  th'e  subject. 
Still,  nature  was  working  powerfully  within  him.  His  eyes, 
at  all  times  reflecting  and  calm,  grew  more  thoughtful ; 
deeper  lines  of  care  gathered  about  his  brow,  and  at  length 
melancholy  took  possession  of  a  countenance  which  was 
usually  so  placid. 

It  was  at  this  precise  period,  that  Eben  Dudley  chose  to 
urge  the  suit  he  had  always  pressed  after  his  own  desultory 
fashion,  on  the  decision  of  Faith.  One  of  those  well  or- 
dered accidents,  which,  from  time  to  time,  had  brought  the 
girl  and  the  young  borderer  in  private  conversation,  en- 
abled him  to  effect  his  design  with  sufficient  clearness. 
Faith  heard  him  without  betraying  any  of  her  ordinary 
waywardness,  and  answered  with  as  little  prevarication  as 
the  subject  seemed  to  demand. 

"  This  is  well,  Eben  Dudley,"  she  said,  "and  it  is  no 
more  than  an  honest  girl  hath  a  right  to  hear  from  one  who 
hath  taken  as  many  means  as  thou  to  get  into  her  favor. 
But  he  who  would  have  his  life  tormented  by  me,  hath  a 
solemn  duty  to  do,  ere  I  listen  to  his  wishes." 

"  I  have  been  in  the  lower  towns  and  studied  their  man- 
ner of  life,  and  I  have  been  upon  the  scouts  of  the  colony, 
to  keep  the  Indians  in  their  wigwams,"  returned  the  suitor, 
endeavoring  to  recount  the  feats  of  manliness  that  might 
reasonably  be  expected  of  one  inclined  to  venture  on  so 
hazardous  an  experiment  as  matrimony.  "  The  bargain 
with  the  young  captain  for  the  hill  lot,  and  for  a  village 
homestead,  is  drawing  near  a  close,  and  as  the  neighbors 
will  not  be  backward  at  the  stone-bee,  or  the  raising,  I  see 
nothing  to — 

"  Thou  deceivest  thyself,  observant  Dudley,"  interrupted 
the  girl,  "  if  thou  believest  eye  of  thine  can  see  that  which 
is  to  be  sought,  ere  one  and  the  same  fortune  shall  be  the 
property  of  thee  and  me.  Hast  noted,  Eben,  the  man- 
ner in  which  the  cheek  of  the  madam  hath  paled,  and  how 
her  eye  is  getting  sunken,  since  the  time  when  the  fur 
trader  tarried  with  us,  the  week  of  the  storm  ? " 

"  I  cannot  say  that  there  is  much  change  in  the  wearing 
of  the  madam  within  the  bearing  of  my  memory,"  answered 
Dudley ,  who  was  never  remarkable  for  minute  observations 


THE  WEPT'   OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  209 

of  this- nature,  however  keen  he  might  prove  in  subjects 
more  intimately  connected  with  his  daily  pursuits.  "  She 
is  not  young  and  blooming  as  thou,  Faith  ;  nor  is  it  often 
that  we  see — 

"  I  tell  thee,  man,  that  sorrow  preyeth  upon  her  form, 
and  that  she  liveth  but  in  the  memory  of  the  lost  infant !  " 

"  This  is  carrying  mourning  beyond  the  bounds  of  rea- 
son. The  child  is  at  peace,  as  is  thy  brother  Whittal,  be- 
yond all  manner  of  question.  That  we  have  not  discovered 
their  bones,  is  owing  to  the  fire,  which  left  but  little  to  tell 
of " 

"  Thy  head  is  a  charnel-house,  dull  Dudley ;  but  this  pict- 
ure of  its  furniture  shall  not  suffice  forme.  The  man  who 
is  to  be  my  husband,  must  have  a  feeling  for  a  mother's 
sorrows  ! " 

"  What  is  now  getting  uppermost  in  thy  mind,  Faith? 
Is  it  for  me  to  bring  back  the  dead  to  life,  or  to  place  a 
child  that  hath  been  lost  so  many  years,  once  more  in  the 
arms  of  its  parents  ?  " 

"  It  is. — Nay,  open  not  thine  eyes,  as  if  light  were  first 
breaking  into  the  darkness  of  a  clouded  brain  !  I  repeat, 
it  is  !  " 

"  I  am  glad  that  we  have  got  to  these  open  declarations  ; 
for  too  much  of  my  life  hath  been  already  wasted  in  un- 
settled gallanting,  when  sound  wisdom  and  the  example  of 
all  around  me,  have  shown  that  in  order  to  become  the 
father  of  a  family,  and  to  be  esteemed  for  a  substantial 
settler,  I  should  have  both  cleared  and  wived  some  years 
ago.  I  wish  to  deal  justly  by  all,  and  having  given  thee 
reason  to  think  that  the  day  might  come  when  we  should 
live  together,  as  is  fitting  to  people  of  our  condition,  I 
felt  it  a  duty  to  ask  thee  to  share  my  chances  ;  but  now 
that  thou  dealest  in  impossibilities,  it  is  needful  to  seek 
elsewhere." 

"  This  hath  ever  been  thy  way  when  a  good  understand- 
ing hath  been  established  between  us.  Thy  mind  is  ever 
getting  into  some  discontent,  and  then  blame  is  heaped  on 
one  who  rarely  doth  anything  that  should  in  reason  offend 
thee.  What  madness  maketh  thee  dream  that  I  ask  im- 
possibilities ?  Surely,  Dudley,  thou  canst  not  have  noticed 
the  manner  in  which  the  nature  of  the  madam  is  giving  way 
before  the  consuming  heat  of  her  grief ;  thou  canst  not  look 
into  the  sorrow  of  woman,  or  thou  wouldst  have  listened 
with  more  kindness  to  a  plan  of  travelling  the  woods  for  a 
short  season,  in  order  that  it  might  be  known  whether  she 

14 


210  THE   WEPT   OF  WISII-TOAT-IVISII. 

of  whom  the  trader  spoke  is  the  lost  one  of  our  family,  or 
the  child  of  some  stranger  !  " 

Though  Faith  spoke  with  vexation,  she  also  spoke  with 
feeling.  Her  dark  eye  swam  in  tears,  and  the  color  of 
her  brown  cheek  deepened,  until  her  companion  saw  new 
reasons  to  forget  his  discontent  in  sympathies,  which, 
however  obtuse  they  might  be,  were  never  entirely  dormant. 

"  If  a  journey  of  a  few  hundred  miles  be  all  thou  askest, 
girl,  why  speak  in  parables?"  he  good-naturedly  replied. 
"The  kind  word  was  not  wanting  to  put  me  on  such  a  trial. 
We  will  be  married  on  the  Sabbath,  and,  please  Heaven, 
the  Wednesday  or  the  Saturday  at  most,  shall  see  me  on 
the  path  of  the  western  trader." 

"  No  delay.  Thou  must  depart  with  the  sun.  The  more 
active  thou  provest  on  the  journey,  the  sooner  wilt  thou 
have  the  power  to  make  me  repent  a  foolish  deed." 

But  Faith  had  been  persuaded  to  relax  a  little  from  this 
severity.  They  were  married  on  the  Sabbath,  and  the  fol- 
lowing day  Content  and  Dudley  left  the  valley  in  quest  of 
the  distant  tribe  on  which  the  scion  of  another  stock  was 
said  to  have  been  so  violently  engrafted. 

It  is  needless  to  dwell  on  the  dangers  and  privations  of 
such  an  expedition.  The  Hudson,  the  Delaware,  and  the 
Susquehanna,  rivers  that  were  then  better  known  in  tales 
than  to  the  inhabitants  of  New  England,  were  all  crossed  ; 
and  after  a  painful  and  hazardous  journey,  the  adventurers 
reached  the  first  of  that  collection  of  small  interior  lakes 
whose  banks  are  now  so  beautifully  decorated  with  villages 
and  farms.  Here,  in  the  bosom  of  savage  tribes,  and  ex- 
posed to  every  danger  of  field  and  flood,  supported  only 
by  his  hopes,  and  by  the  presence  of  a  stout  companion 
that  hardships  or  danger  could  not  easily  subdue,  the  father 
diligently  sought  his  child. 

At  length  a  people  was  found  who  held  a  captive  that 
answered  the  description  of  the  trader.  We  shall  not  dwell 
on  the  feelings  with  which  Content  approached  the  village 
that  contained  this  little  descendant  of  a  white  race.  He 
had  not  concealed  his  errand  ;  and  the  sacred  character  in 
which  he  came,  found  pity  and  respect  even  among  those 
barbarous  tenants  of  the  wilderness.  A  deputation  of  the 
chiefs  received  him  in  the  skirts  of  their  clearing.  He  was 
conducted  to  a  wigwam  where  a  council-fire  was  lighted, 
and  an  interpreter  opened  the  subject  by  placing  the 
amount  of  the  ransom  offered,  and  the  professions  of  peace 
with  which  the  strangers  came,  in  the  fairest  light  before 


THE   WEPT  OF  WISH-TON'- WISH.  /«:t 

his  auditors.  It  is  not  usual  for  the  American  savage  to 
loosen  his  hold  easily  on  one  naturalized  in  his  tribe.  But 
the  meek  air  and  noble  confidence  of  Content  touched  the 
latent  qualities  of  those  generous  though  fierce  children 
of  the  woods.  The  girl  was  sent  for,  that  she  might  stand 
in  the  presence  of  the  elders  of  the  nation. 

No  language  can  paint  the  sensation  with  which  Content 
first  looked  upon  this  adopted  daughter  of  the  savages. 
The  years  and  sex  were  in  accordance  with  his  wishes;  but 
in  place  of  the  golden  hair  and  azure  eyes  of  the  cherub  he 
had  lost,  there  appeared  a  girl  in  whose  jet-black  tresses 
and  equally  dark  organs  of  sight,  he  might  better  trace  a 
descendant  of  the  French  of  the  Canadas,  than  one  sprung 
from  his  own  Saxon  lineage.  The  father  was  not  quick  of 
mind  in  the  ordinary  occupations  of  life,  but  nature  was 
now  big  within  him.  There  needed  no  second  glance  to 
say  how  cruelly  his  hopes  had  been  deceived.  A  smothered 
groan  struggled  from  his  chest,  and  then  his  self-command 
returned  with  the  imposing  grandeur  of  Christian  resigna- 
tion. He  arose,  and  thanking  the  chiefs  for  their  indul- 
gence, he  made  no  secret  of  the  mistake  by  which  he  had 
been  led  so  far  on  a  fruitless  errand.  While  speaking,  the 
signs  and  gestures  of  Dudley  gave  him  reason  to  believe 
that  his  companion  had  something  of  importance  to  com- 
municate. In  a  private  interview,  the  latter  suggested 
the  expediency  of  concealing  the  truth,  and  of  rescuing 
the  child  they  had  in  fact  discovered  from  the  hands  of 
her  barbarous  masters.  It  was  now  too  late  to  practise  a 
deception  that  might  have  availed  for  this  object,  had  the 
stern  principles  of  Content  permitted  the  artifice.  But 
transferring  some  portion  of  the  interest  which  he  felt  for 
the  fortunes  of  his  own  offspring  to  that  of  the  unknown 
parent,  who  like  himself  most  probably  mourned  the  un- 
certain fate  of  the  girl  before  him,  he  tendered  the  ransom 
intended  for  Ruth  in  behalf  of  the  captive.  It  was  rejected. 
Disappointed  in  both  their  objects,  the  adventurers  were 
obliged  to  quit  the  village  with  weary  feet  and  still  heavier 
hearts. 

If  any  who  read  these  pages  have  ever  felt  the  agony  of 
suspense  in  a  matter  involving  the  best  of  human  affections, 
they  will  know  how  to  appreciate  the  sufferings  of  the 
mother  during  the  month  that  her  husband  was  absent  on 
this  holy  errand.  At  times  hope  brightened  around  her 
heart,  until  the  glow  of  pleasure  was  again  mantling  on  her 
cheek  and  playing  in  her  eye.  The  first  week  of  the  ad- 


212  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TOX-IVISH. 

venture  was  one  almost  of  happiness.  The  hazards  of  the 
journey  were  nearly  forgotten  in  its  anticipated  results,  and 
though  occasional  apprehensions  quickened  the  pulses  of 
one  whose  system  answered  so  fearfully  to  the  movements 
of  the  spirit,  there  was  a  predominance  of  hope  in  all  her 
anticipations.  She  again  passed  among  her  maidens  with 
a  mien  in  which  joy  was  struggling  with  the  meekness  of 
subdued  habits,  and  her  smiles  once  more  began  to  beam 
with  renovated  happiness.  To  his  dying  day  old  Mark 
Heathcote  never  forgot  the  sudden  sensation  that  was 
created  by  the  soft  laugh  that  on  some  unexpected  occa- 
sion came  to  his  ear  from  the  lips  of  his  son's  wife.  Though 
years  had  elapsed  between  the  moment  when  that  unwont- 
ed sound  was  heard,  and  the  time  at  which  the  action  of 
the  tale  now  stands,  he  never  heard  it  repeated.  To  heighten 
the  feelings  which  were  now  uppermost  in  the  mind  of 
Ruth,  when  within  a  day's  march  of  the  -village  to  which 
he  was  going,  Content  had  found  the  means  to  send  the 
tidings  of  his  prospects  of  success.  It  was  over  all  these 
renewed  wishes  that  disappointment  was  to  throw  its  chill, 
and  it  was  affections  thus  riveted  that  were  to  be  again 
blighted  by  the  cruellest  of  all  withering  influences, — that 
of  hope  defeated. 

It  was  near  the  hour  of  the  setting  of  the  sun  when  Con- 
tent and  Dudley  reached  the  deserted  clearing  on  their 
return  to  the  valley.  Their  path  led  through  this  opening 
on  the  mountain-side,  and  there  was  one  point  among  the 
bushes  from  which  the  buildings  that  had  already  arisen 
from  the  ashes  of  the  burning  might  be  distinctly  seen. 
Until  now,  the  husband  and  father  had  believed  himself 
equal  to  any  effort  that  duty  might  require  in  the  prog- 
ress of  this  mournful  service.  But  here  he  paused,  and 
communicated  a  wish  to  his  companion  that  he  would  go 
ahead  and  break  the  nature  of  the  deception  that  led  them 
so  far  on  a  fruitless  mission.  Perhaps  Content  was  him- 
self ignorant  of  all  he  wished,  or  to  what  unskilful  hands  he 
had  confided  a  commission  of  more  than  ordinary  delicacy. 
He  merely  felt  his  own  inability,  and  with  a  weakness  that 
may  find  some  apology  in  his  feelings,  he  saw  his  compan- 
ion depart  without  instructions  or  indeed  without  any  other 
guide  than  Nature. 

Though  Faith  had  betrayed  no  marked  uneasiness  during 
the  absence  of  the  travellers,  her  quick  eye  was  the  first  to 
-discover  the  form  of  her  husband,  as  he  came  with  a  tired 
step  across  the  fields,  in  the  direction  of  the  dwellings 


THE   WEFT   OF  W1SH-TON-IVISH.  213 

Long  ere  Dudley  reached  the  house,  every  one  of  its  in- 
mates had  assembled  in  the  piazza.  This  was  no  meeting 
of  turbulent  delight  or  of  clamorous  greetings.  The  advent- 
urer drew  near  amid  a  silence  so  oppressive,  that  it  utterly 
disconcerted  a  studied  project,  by  which  he  had  hoped  to 
announce  his  tidings  in  a  manner  suited  to  the  occasion. 
His  hand  was  on  the  gate  of  the  little  court,  and  still  none 
spoke  ;  his  foot  was  on  the  low  step,  and  yet  no  voice  bade 
him  welcome.  The  looks  of  the  little  group  were  rather 
fixed  on  the  features  of  Ruth  than  on  the  person  of  him 
who  approached.  Her  face  was  pallid  as  death,  her  eye 
contracted,  but  filled  with  the  mental  effort  that  sustained 
her,  and  her  lip  scarce  trembled,  as  in  obedience  to  a  feel- 
ing still  stronger  than  the  one  which  had  so  long  oppressed 
her,  she  exclaimed — 

"  Eben  Dudley,  where  hast  thou  left  my  husband  ?" 

"  The  young  captain  was  foot-weary,  and  he  tarried  in 
the  second  growth  of  the  hill  ;  but  so  brave  a  walker  can- 
not be  far  behind.  We  shall  see  him  soon,  at  the  opening 
by  the  dead  beech  ;  and  it  is  there  that  I  recommend  the 
madam — 

*'  It  was  thoughtful  in  Heathcote,  and  like  his  usual 
kindness,  to  devise  this  well-meant  caution,"  said  Ruth, 
across  whose  countenance  a  smile  so  radiant  passed,  that 
it  imparted  the  expression  which  is  believed  to  character- 
ize the  peculiar  benignancy  of  angels.  "  Still  it  was  un- 
necessary ;  for  he  should  have  known  that  we  place  our 
strength  on  the  Rock  of  Ages.  Tell  me,  in  what  manner 
hath  my  precious  one  borne  the  exceeding  weariness  of 
thy  tangled -route  ?  " 

The  wandering  glance  of  the  messenger  had  gone  from 
face  to  face,  until  it  became  fastened  on  the  countenance 
of  his  own  wife,  in  a  settled,  unmeaning  gaze. 

"  Nay,  Faith  hath  demeaned  well,  both  as  my  assistant 
and  as  thy  partner,  and  thou  mayest  see  that  her  comeli- 
ness is  in  no  degree  changed.  And  did  the  babe  falter  in 
this  weary  passage,  or  did  she  retard  thy  movements  by  her 
fretfulness?  But  I  know  thy  nature,  man  ;  she  hath  been 
borne  over  many  long  miles  of  mountain-side  and  treacher- 
ous swamp  in  thine  own  vigorous  arms.  Thou  answerest 
not,  Dudley  !  "  exclaimed  Ruth,  taking  the  alarm,  and  lay- 
ing a  hand  firmly  on  the  shoulder  of  him  she  questioned  , 
as  forcing  his  half-averted  face  to  meet  her  eye,  she  seemed 
to  read  his  soul. 

The  muscles  of  the  sunburnt  and  strong  features  of  the 


214  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TOX-WISH. 

borderer  worked  involuntarily,  his  broad  chest  swelled  to 
its  utmost  expansion,  big  burning  drops  rolled  out  upon  his 
brown  cheeks,  and  then  taking  the  arm  of  Ruth  in  one  of 
his  own  powerful  hands,  he  compelled  her  to  release  her 
hold,  with  a  firm  but  respectful  exercise  of  his  strength  ; 
and  thrusting  the  form  of  his  own  wife  without  ceremony 
aside,  he  passed  through  the  circle,  and  entered  the  dwell* 
ing  with  the  tread  of  a  giant. 

The  head  of  Ruth  dropped  upon  her  bosom,  the  pale- 
ness again  came  over  her  cheeks,  and  it  was  then  that  the 
inward  look  of  the  eye  might  first  be  seen,  which  afterward 
became  so  constant  and  so  painful  an  expression  in  her 
countenance.  From  that  hour  to  the  time  in  which  the 
family  of  the  Wish-Ton-Wish  is  again  brought  immediately 
before  the  reader,  no  further  rumors  were  ever  heard,  to 
lessen  or  increase  the  wasting  regrets  of  her  bosom. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

"  Sir,  he  hath  never  fed  of  the  dainties  that  are  bred  in  a  book  ;  he  hath 
not  eaten  paper,  as  it  were  ;  he  hath  not  drunk  ink  ;  his  intellect  is  not 
replenished  ;  he  is  only  an  animal — only  sensible  in  the  duller  parts." 

— Love1  s  Labors  Lost. 

"  HERE  cometh  Faith,  to  bring  us  tidings  of  the  hamlet," 
said  the  husband  of  the  woman  whose  character  we  have 
so  feebly  sketched,  as  he  took  his  seat  in  the  piazza,  at  the 
early  hour  and  in  the  group  already  mentioned.  "  The 
ensign  hath  been  abroad  on  the  hills  throughout  the  night, 
with  a  chosen  party  of  our  people  ;  and  perchance  she 
hath  been  sent  with  the  substance  that  they  have  gathered, 
concerning  the  unknown  trail." 

"  The  heavy-footed  Dudley  hath  scarce  mounted  to  the 
dividing  ridge,  where  report  goeth  the  prints  of  moccasons 
were  seen,"  observed  a  young  man,  who  in  his  person  bore 
all  the  evidences  of  an  active  and  healthful  manhood.  "  Of 
what  service  is  the  scouting  that  faileth  of  the  necessary 
distance,  by  the  weariness  of  its  leader  ? " 

"  If  thou  believest,  boy,  that  thy  young  foot  is  equal  to 
contend  with  the  sinews  of  Eben  Dudley,  there  may  be 
occasion  to  show  the  magnitude  of  thy  error,  ere  the  dan- 
ger of  this  Indian  out-breaking  shall  pass  away.  Thou  art 
too  stubborn  of  will,  Mark,  to  be  yet  trusted  with  the  lead' 


THE   IVEPT   OF  1VISII-TOX-W1SH.  215 

ing  of  parties  that  may  hold  the  safety  of  all  who  dwell  in 
the  Wish-Ton-Wish  within  their  keeping." 

The  young  man  looked  displeased  ;  but,  fearful  that  his 
father  might  observe  and  misinterpret  his  humor  into  a 
personal  disrespect,  he  turned  away,  permitting  his  frown- 
ing eye  to  rest  for  an  instant  on  the  timid  and  stolen  glance 
of  a,  maiden,  whose  cheek  was  glowing  like  the  eastern  sky, 
as  she  busied  herself  with  the  preparations  of  the  table. 

"What  welcome  news  dost  bring  from  the  sign  of  the 
Whip-Poor- Will  ?"  Content  asked  of  the  woman  who  had 
now  come  within  the  little  gate  of  his  court.  "  Hast  seen 
the  ensign  since  the  party  took  the  hill-paths,  or  is  it  some 
traveller  who  hath  charged  thee  with  matter  for  our  ears  ? " 

"  Eye  of  man  hath  not  seen  the  man  since  he  girded 
himself  with  the  sword  of  office,"  returned  Faith,  entering 
the  piazza  and  nodding  salutation  to  those  around  her ;  "  and 
as  for  strangers,  when  the  clock  shall  strike  noon,  it  will 
be  one  month  to  the  day  that  the  last  of  them  was  housed 
within  my  doors.  But  I  complain  not  of  the  want  of  cus- 
tom, as  the  ensign  would  never  quit  the  bar  and  his  gossip 
to  go  into  the  mountain  lots,  so  long  as  there  was  one  to 
fill  his  ears  with  the  marvels  of  the  old  countries,  or  even 
to  discourse  of  the  home-stirrings  of  the  colonies  them- 
selves." 

"  Thou  speakest  lightly,  Faith,  of  one  who  merits  thy 
respect  and  thy  duty." 

The  eye  of  the  former  studied  the  meek  countenance  of 
her  from  whom  this  reproof  came,  with  an  intenseness  and 
a  melancholy  that  showed  her  thoughts  were  on  other  mat- 
ters, and  then,  as  if  suddenly  recalled  to  what  had  passed, 
she  resumed — 

"Truly,  what  with  duty  to  the  man  as  a  husband,  and 
respect  to  him  as  an  officer  of  the  colony,  Madam  Heath- 
cote,  the  task  is  not  one  of  easy  bearing.  If  the  king's 
representative  had  given  the  colors  to  my  brother  Reuben, 
and  left  the  Dudley  with  the  halberd  in  his  hand,  the  pre- 
ferment would  have  been  ample  for  one  of  his  qualities, 
and  all  the  better  for  the  credit  of  the  settlement." 

"The  governor  distributed  his  favor  according  to  the 
advice  of  men  competent  to  distinguish  merit,"  said  Con- 
tent. "  Eben  was  foremost  in  the  bloody  affair  among  the 
people  of  the  Plantations,  where  his  manhood  was  of  good 
example  to  all  in  company.  Should  he  continue  as  faith- 
ful and  as  valiant,  thou  mayest  yet  live  to  see  thyself  the 
consort  of  a  captain  !  " 


2i6  THE  WEPT  OF  WISH>TON-W13&. 

"  Not  for  glory  gained  in  this  night's  marching  ;  for  yon 
der  cometh  the  man  with  a  sound  body,  and  seemingly  with 
the  stomach  of  a  Caesar— aye,  and  I'll  answer  for  it,  of  a 
regiment  too !  It  is  no  trifle  that  will  satisfy  his  appetite, 
after  one  of  these — ha !  Pray  Heaven  the  fellow  be  not 
harmed.  Truly,  he  hath  our  neighbor  Ergot  in  attar. cl- 
an ce." 

"There  is  other  than  he  too  ;  for  one  cometh  in  the  rear 
whose  gait  and  air  are  unknown  to  me.  The  trail  hath 
been  struck,  and  Dudley  leadeth  a  captive  !  A  savage  in 
his  paint  and  cloak  of  skin  is  taken." 

This  assertion  caused  all  to  rise — for  the  excitement  of 
an  apprehended  inroad  was  still  strong  in  the  minds  of 
those  secluded  people.  Not  a  syllable  more  was  uttered 
until  the  scout  and  his  companion  were  before  them. 

The  quick  glance  of  Faith  had  scanned  the  person  of 
her  husband,  and,  resuming  her  spirits  with  the  certainty 
that  he  was  unharmed,  she  was  the  first  to' greet  him  with 
words  : 

"  How  now,  Ensign  Dudley  ?"  said  the  woman,  quite  pos- 
sibly vexed  that  she  had  unguardedly  betrayed  a  greater 
interest  in  his  welfare  than  she  might  always  deem  prudent. 
"  How  now,  ensign — hath  the  campaign  ended  with  no 
better  trophy  than  this  ?  " 

"  The  fellow  is  not  a  chief,  nor,  by  his  step  and  dull 
look,  even  a  warrior  ;  but  he  was,  nevertheless,  a  lurker 
nigh  the  settlements,  and  it  was  thought  prudent  to  bring 
him  in,"  returned  the  husband,  addressing  himself  to  Con- 
tent, while  he  answered  the  salutation  of  his  wife  with  a  suf- 
ficiently brief  nod.  "  My  own  scouting  hath  brought  noth- 
ing to  light ;  but  my  brother  Ring  hath  fallen  on  the  trail 
of  him  that  is  here  present,  and  it  is  not  a  little  that  we 
are  puzzled  in  probing,  as  the  good  Doctor  Ergot  calleth 
it,  into  the  meaning  of  his  errand." 

"  Of  what  tribe  may  the  savage  be  ? " 

"  There  hath  been  discussion  among  us  on  that  matter," 
returned  Dudley,  with  an  oblique  glance  of  the  eye 
toward  the  physician.  "Some  have  said  he  is  a  Narra- 
gansett,  while  others  think  he  cometh  of  a  stock  stil] 
further  east." 

"  In  giving  that  opinion,  I  spoke  merely  of  his  secondary 
or  acquired  habits."  interrupted  Ergot  ;  "for,  having  refer- 
ence to  his  original,  the  man  is  assuredly  a  white." 

"  A  white  !  "  repeated  all  around  him. 

"  Beyond  a  cavil,  as  may  be  seen  by  divers  particulars 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  217 

in  his  outward  conformation,  viz.,  in  the  shape  of  the  head, 
the  muscles  of  the  arms  and  of  the  legs,  the  air  and  gait, 
besides  sundry  other  signs,  that  are  familiar  to  men  who 
have  made  the  physical  peculiarities  of  the  two  races  their 
study." 

"  One  of  which  is  this  !  "  continued  Dudley,  throwing  up 
the  robe  of  the  captive,  and  giving  his  companions  the  oc- 
ular evidence  which  had  so  satisfactorily  removed  all  his 
own  doubts.  "  Though  the  color  of  the  skin  may  not  be 
proof  positive,  like  that  named  by  our  neighbor  Ergot,  it 
is  still  something,  in  helping  a  man  of  little  learning  to 
make  up  an  opinion  in  such  a  matter." 

"  Madam  !"  exclaimed  Faith  so  suddenly  as  to  cause  her 
she  addressed  to  start,  "for  the  sake  of  Heaven's  mercy! 
let  thy  maidens  bring  soap  and  water,  that  the  face  of  this 
man  may  be  cleansed  of  its  paint." 

"What  foolishness  is  thy  brain  set  upon  ?"  rejoined  the 
ensign,  who  had  latterly  affected  some  of  that-  superior 
gravity  which  might  be  supposed  to  belong  to  his  official 
station.  "We  are  not  now  under  the  roof  of  the  Whip- 
Poor- Will,  wife  of  mine,  but  in  the  presence  of  those  who 
need  none  of  thy  suggestions  to  give  proper  forms  to  an 
examination  of  office." 

Faith  heeded  no  reproof.  Instead  of  waiting  for  others 
to  perform  that  which  she  had  desired,  she  applied  herself 
to  the  task,  with  a  dexterity  that  had  been  acquired  by 
long  practice,  and  a  zeal  that  seemed  awakened  by  some 
extraordinary  emotion.  In  a  minute  the  colors  had  disap- 
peared from  the  features  of  the  captive,  and,  though  deeply 
tanned  by  exposure  to  an  American  sun  and  to  sultry 
winds,  his  face  was  unequivocally  that  of  one  who  owed 
his  origin  to  a  European  ancestry.  The  movements  of 
the  eager  woman  were  watched  with  curious  interest  by 
all  present,  and  when  the  short  task  was  ended,  a  murmur 
of  surprise  broke  simultaneously  from  every  lip. 

"  There  is  meaning  in  this  masquerade,"  observed  Con- 
tent, who  had  long  and  intently  studied  the  dull  and  un- 
gainly countenance  that  was  exposed  to  his  scrutiny  by 
the  operation.  "  I  have  heard  of  Christian  men  who  have 
sold  themselves  to  gain,  and  who,  forgetting  religion  and 
the  love  of  their  race,  have  been  known  to  league  with  the 
savage  in  order  to  pursue  rapine  in  the  settlements.  This 
wretch  hath  the  subtlety  of  one  of  the  French  of  the  Cana- 
das  in  his  eye." 

"  Away  !  away  !  "  cried  Faith,  forcing  herself  in  front  o/ 


218  THE   IVEPT   OF 

the  speaker,  and,  by  placing  her  two  hands  on  the  shaven 
crown  of  the  prisoner,  forming  a  sort  of  shade  to  his  feat' 
ures.  "  Away  with  all  folly  about  the  Frenchers  and 
wicked  leagues  !  This  is  no  plotting  miscreant,  but  a 
stricken  innocent  !  Whittal—  my  brother  Whittal,  dost 
know  me  ? " 

The  tears  rolled  down  the  cheeks  of  the  wayward  woman 
as  she  gazed  into  the  face  of  her  witless  relative,  whose 
eye  lighted  with  one  of  its  occasional  gleamings  of  intelli- 
gence, and  who  indulged  in  a  low,  vacant  laugh,  ere  he 
answered  her  earnest  interrogatory. 

"Some  speak  like  men  from  over  sea,"  he  said,  "  and 
some  speak  like  men  of  the  woods.  Is  there  such  a  thing 
as  bear's  meat  or  a  mouthful  of  hommony  in  the  wigwam  ? " 

Had  the  voice  of  one  long  known  to  be  in  the  grave, 
broken  on  the  ears  of  the  family,  it  would  scarcely  have 
produced  a  deeper  sensation,  or  have  quickened  the  blood 
more  violently  about  their  hearts,  than  this  sudden  and 
utterly  unexpected  discovery  of  the  character  of  their  cap- 
tive. Wonder  and  awe  held  them  mute  for  a  time,  and 
then  Ruth  was  seen  standing  before  the  restored  wanderer, 
her  hands  clasped  in  the  attitude  of  petition,  her  eye  con- 
tracted and  imploring,  and  her  whole  person  expressive  of 
the  suspense  and  excitement  which  had  roused  her  long 
latent  emotions  to  agony. 

"Tell  me,"  said  a  thrilling  voice  that  might  have  quick- 
ened the  intellect  of  one  even  duller  than  the  man  ad- 
dressed, "  as  thou  hast  pity  in  thy  heart^  tell  me  if  my 
babe  yet  live  ?  " 

"  'Tis  a  good  babe,"  returned  the  other,  and  then  laugh- 
ing again  in  his  own  vacant  and  unmeaning  manner,  he 
bent  his  eyes  with  a  species  of  stupid  wonder  on  Faith, 
in  whose  appearance  there  was  far  less  change  than  in  the 
speaking  but  wasted  countenance  of  her  who  stood  imme- 
diately before  him. 

"  Give  leave,  dearest  madam,"  interposed  the  sister  ;  "  I 
know  the  nature  of  the  boy,  and  could  ever  do  more  with 
him  than  any  other." 

But  this  request  was  useless.  The  system  of  the  mother, 
in  its  present  state  of  excitement,  was  unequal  to  further 
effort.  Sinking  into  the  watchful  arms  of  Content,  she 
was  borne  away,  and,  for  a  minute,  the  anxious  interest 
of  the  handmaidens  left  none  but  the  men  on  the  piazza. 

"  Whittal — my  old  playfellow,  Whittal  Ring,"  said  the 
son  of  Content,  advancing  with  a  humid  eye  to  take  the 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON- WISH.  219 

hand  of  the  prisoner.  "  Hast  forgotten,  man,  the  com- 
panion of  thy  early  days  ?  It  is  young  Mark  Heathcote 
that  speaks." 

The  other  looked  up  into  his  countenance,  for  a  mo- 
ment, with  a  reviving  recollection  :  but  shaking  his  head, 
he  drew  back  in  marked  displeasure,  muttering  loud 
enough  to  be  heard — 

"  What  a  false  liar  is  a  pale-face  !  Here  is  one  of  the 
tall  rogues  wishing  to  pass  for  a  loping  boy  !  " 

What  more  he  uttered  his  auditors  never  knew,  for  he 
instantly  changed  his  language  to  some  dialect  of  an  In- 
dian tribe. 

"The  mind  of  the  unhappy  youth  hath  even  been 
more  blunted,  by  exposure  and  the  usages  of  a  savage 
life,  than  by  nature,"  said  Content,  who  with  most  of  the 
others  had  been  recalled,  by  his  interest  in  the  examina- 
tion, to  the  scene  they  had  momentarily  quitted.  "  Let  the 
sister  deal  tenderly  with  the  lad,  and,  in  Heaven's  time, 
shall  we  learn  the  truth." 

The  deep  feeling  of  the  father  clothed  his  words  with 
authority.  The  eager  group  gave  place,  and  something 
like  the  solemnity  of  an  official  examination  succeeded 
to  the  irregular  and  hurried  interrogatories  which  had 
first  broken  on  the  dull  intellect  of  the  recovered  wan- 
derer. 

The  dependents  took  their  stations  in  a  circle  around  the 
chair  of  the  Puritan,  by  whose  side  was  placed  Content, 
while  Faith  induced  her  brother  to  be  seated  on  the  step  of 
the  piazza,  in  a  manner  that  all  might  hear.  The  attention 
of  the  brother  himself  was  drawn  from  the  formality  of  the 
arrangement,  by  placing  food  in  his  hands. 

"  And  now,  Whittal,  I  would  know,"  commenced  the 
ready  woman,  when  a  deep  silence  denoted  the  attention 
of  the  auditors,  "  I  would  know,  if  thou  rememberest  the 
day  I  clad  thee  in  garments  of  boughten  cloth,  from  over 
sea  ;  and  how  fond  thou  wast  of  being  seen  among  the 
kine  in  colors  so  gay  ?  " 

The  young  man  looked  up  in  her  face  as  if  the  tones  of 
her  voice  gave  him  pleasure  ;  but,  instead  of  making  any 
reply,  he  preferred  to  munch  the  bread  with  which  she  had 
endeavored  to  lure  him  back  to  their  ancient  confidence. 

"  Surely,  boy,  thou  canst  not  so  soon  have  forgotten  the 
gift  I  bought,  with  the  hard  earnings  of  a  wheel  that 
turned  at  night.  The  tail  of  yon  peacock  is  not  finer  than 
thou  then  wast — but  I  will  make  thee  such  another  gap 


220  THE   WEPT   OF  W1SH-TON-IVISI1. 

ment,  that  thou  mayestgo  with  the  trainers  to  their  weekly 
muster." 

The  youth  dropped  the  robe  of  skin  that  covered  the 
upper  part  of  his  body,  and  making  a  forward  gesture, 
with  the  gravity  of  an  Indian,  he  answered — 

"  Whittal  is  a  warrior  on  his  path  ;  he  has  no  time  for 
the  talk  of  the  women  ! " 

"Now,  brother,  thou  forgettest  the  manner  in  which  1 
was  wont  to  feed  thy  hunger,  as  the  frost  pinched  thee,  in 
the  cold  mornings,  and  at  the  hour  when  the  kine  needed 
thy  care  ;  else  thou  would'st  not  call  me  woman," 

"  Hast  ever  been  on  the  trail  of  a  Pequot  ?  Know'st  how 
to  whoop  among  the  men  ?  " 

"What  is  an  Indian  whoop  to  the  bleating  of  the  flocks, 
or  the  bellowing  of  cattle  in  the  bushes  !  Thou  remem- 
berest  the  sound  of  the  bells,  as  they  tinkled  among  the 
second  growth  of  an  evening  ?  " 

The  former  herdsman  turned  his  head,  and  seemed  to 
lend  his  attention,  as  a  dog  listens  to  an  approaching  foot- 
step. But  the  gleam  of  recollection  was  quickly  lost.  In 
the  next  moment,  he  yielded  to  the  more  positive,  and  pos- 
sibly more  urgent,  demands  of  his  appetite. 

"  Then  hast  thou  lost  the  use  of  ears  ;  else  thou  would'st 
not  say  that  thou  forgettest  the  sound  of  the  bells." 

"  Didst  ever  hear  a  wolf  howl?"  exclaimed  the  other. 
"  That's  a  sound  for  a  hunter !  I  saw  the  Great  Chief 
strike  the  striped  panther,  when  the  boldest  warrior  of  the 
tribe  grew  white  as  a  craven  pale-face  at  his  leaps  !  " 

"  Talk  not  to  me  of  your  ravenous  beasts  and  great 
chiefs,  but  rather  let  us  think  of  the  days  when  we  were 
young,  and  when  thou  had'st  delight  in  the  sports  of  a 
Christian  childhood.  Hast  forgotten,  Whittal,  how  our 
mother  used  to  give  us  leave  to  pass  the  idle  time  in  games 
among  the  snow  ? " 

"  Nipset  hath  a  mother  in  her  wigwam,  but  he  asketh  no 
leave  to  go  on  the  hunt.  He  is  a  man  ;  the  next  snow,  he 
will  be  a  warrior." 

"  Silly  boy  !  This  is  some  treachery  of  the  savage,  by 
which  he  has  bound  thy  weakness  with  the  fetters  of  his 
craftiness.  Thy  mother,  Whittal,  was  a  woman  of  Christian 
belief,  and  one  of  a  white  race  ;  and  a  kind  and  mourning 
mother  was  she  over  thy  feeble-mindedness  !  Dost  not 
remember,  unthankful  of  heart !  howr  she  nursed  thy  sickly 
hours  in  boyhood,  and  how  she  administered  to  all  thy 
bodily  wants  ?  Who  was  it  that  fed  thee  when  a-hungered 


THE   IVEPT   OF  WISH-TO N-W?Sff.  221 

or  who  had  compassion  on  thy  waywardness,  when  others 
tired  of  thy  idle  deeds,  or  grew  impatient  at  thy  weakness  ?" 

The  brother  looked,  for  an  instant,  at  the  flushed  features 
of  the  speaker,  as  if  glimmerings  of  some  faintly  distin- 
guished scenes  crossed  the  visions  of  his  mind  ;  but  the 
.animal  still  predominated,  and  he  continued  to  feed  his 
hunger. 

"This  exceedeth  human  endurance!"  exclaimed  the 
excited  Faith.  "  Look  into  this  eye,  weak  one,  and  say  if 
thou  knowest  her  who  supplied  the  place  of  that  mother 
whom  thou  refusest  to  remember — she  who  hath  toiled  for 
thy  comfort,  and  who  hath  never  refused  to  listen  to  all  thy 
plaints,  and  to  soften  all  thy  sufferings.  Look  at  this  eye, 
and  speak — dost  know  me  ? " 

"  Certain  ! "  returned  the  other,  laughing  wTith  a  half  in- 
telligent expression  of  recognition  ;  "'tis  a  woman  of  the 
pale-faces,  and  I  warrant  me,  one  that  will  never  be  satis- 
fied till  she  hath  all  the  furs  of  the  Americas  on  her  back, 
and  all  the  venison  of  the  woods  in  her  kitchen.  Didst 
ever  hear  the  tradition,  how  that  wicked  race  got  into  the 
hunting-grounds,  and  robbed  the  warriors  of  the  country?  " 

The  disappointment  of  Faith  had  made  her  too  impa- 
tient to  lend  a  pleased  attention  to  this  tale  ;  but,  at  that 
moment,  a  form  appeared  at  her  side,  and  by  a  quiet  and 
commanding  gesture  directed  her  to  humor  the  temper  of 
the  wanderer. 

It  was  Ruth,  in  whose  pale  cheek  and  anxious  eye,  all 
the  intenseness  of  a  mother's  longings  might  be  traced,  in 
its  most  touching  aspect.  Though  so  lately  helpless  and 
sinking  beneath  her  emotions,  the  sacred  feelings  which 
now  sustained  her  seemed  to  supply  the  place  of  all  other 
aid  ;  and  as  she  glided  past  the  listening  circle,  even  Con- 
tent himself  had  not  believed  it  necessary  to  offer  succor, 
or  to  interpose  with  remonstrance.  Her  quiet,  meaning 
gesture  seemed  to  say,  "  proceed,  and  show  all  the  indul- 
gence to  the  weakness  of  the  young  man."  The  rising 
discontent  of  Faith  was  checked  by  habitual  reverence, 
and  she  prepared  to  obey. 

"  And  what  say  the  silly  traditions  of  which  you  speak  ?  " 
she  added,  ere  the  current  of  his  dull  ideas  had  time  to 
change  its  direction. 

"  Tis  spoken  by  the  old  men  in  the  villages,  and  what  is 
there  said  is  gospel-true.  You  see  all  around  you  land 
that  is  covered  with  hill  and  valley,  and  which  once  bore 
wood,  without  the  fear  of  the  axe;  and  over  which  game 


222  THE   WEPT   OF  IVISII-TOX-WISH. 

was  spread  with  a  bountiful  hand.  There  are  runners  and 
hunters  in  our  tribe,  who  have  been  on  a  straight  path  to- 
ward the  setting  sun,  until  their  legs  were  weary  and 
their  eyes  could  not  see  the  clouds  that  hang  over  the 
salt  lake,  and  yet  they  say,  'tis  everywhere  beautiful  as 
yonder  green  mountain.  Tall  trees  and  shady  woods, 
rivers  and  lakes  filled  with  fish,  and  dear  and  beavef 
plentiful  as  the  sands  on  the  sea-shore.  All  this  land  and 
water  the  Great  Spirit  gave  to  men  of  red  skins  ;  for  them 
he  loved,  since  -they  spoke  truth  in  their  tribes,  w^ere  true 
to  their  friends,  hated  their  enemies,  and  knew  how  to 
take  scalps.  Now,  a  thousand  snows  had  come  and  melted, 
since  this  gift  was  made,"  continued  Whittal,  who  spoke 
with  the  air  of  one  charged  with  the  narration  of  a  grave 
tradition,  though  he  probably  did  no  more  than  relate 
what  many  repetitions  had  rendered  familiar  to  his  inac- 
tive mind,  "  and  yet  none  but  red-skins  were  seen  to  hunt 
the  moose,  or  to  go  on  the  war-path.  Then  the  Great 
Spirit  grew  angry  ;  he  hid  his  face  from  his  children,  be- 
cause they  quarrelled  among  themselves.  Big  canoes 
came  out  of  the  rising  ,sun,  and  brought  a  hungry  and 
wicked  people  into  the  land.  At  first,  the  strangers  spoke 
soft  and  complaining  like  women.  They  begged  room  for 
a  few  wigwams,  and  said  if  the  warriors  would  give  them 
ground  to  plant  they  would  ask  their  God  to  look  upon 
the  red  men.  But  when  they  grew  strong  they  forgot 
their  words  and  made  liars  of  themselves.  Oh,  they  are 
wicked  knaves  !  A  pale-face  is  a  panther.  When  a-hun- 
gered,  you  can  hear  him  whining  in  the  bushes  like  a 
strayed  infant  ;  but  when  you  come  within  his  leap  beware 
of  tooth  and  claw  ! " 

"  This  evil-minded  race,  then,  robbed  the  red  warriors 
of  their  land  ?  " 

"  Certain  !  They  spoke  like  sick  women  till  they  grew 
strong,  and  then  they  out-devilled  the  Pequods  themselves 
in  wickedness  ;  feeding  the  warriors  with  their  burning 
milk,  and  slaying  with  blazing  inventions,  that  they  made 
out  of  the  yellow  meal." 

"  And  the  Pequods  !  was  their  great  warrior  dead  before 
the  coming  of  the  men  from  over  sea  ?  " 

"You  are  a  woman  that  has  never  heard  a  tradition,  or 
you  would  know  better  !  A  Pequod  is  a  weak  and  crawling 
cub." 

"  And  thou — thou  art,  then,  a  Narragansett  ?" 

"  Don't  I  look  like  a  man? " 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON- WISH.  223 

"  I  had  mistaken  thee  for  one  of  our  nearer  neighbors, 
the  Mohegan  Pequods." 

"The  Mohicans  are  basket  makers  for  the  Yengeese; 
but  the  Narragansett  goes  leaping  through  the  woods  like 
a  wolf  on  the  trail  of  the  deer ! " 

''All  this  is  quite  in  reason,  and  now  thou  pointestto  its 
justice,  I  cannot  fail  but  see  it.  But  we  have  curiosity  to 
know  more  of  the  great  tribe.  Hast  ever  heard  of  one  of 
thy  people,  Whittal,  known  as  Miantonimoh — 'tis  a  chief 
of  some  renown  ? " 

The  witless  youth  had  continued  to  eat  at  intervals,  but, 
on  hearing  this  question,  he  seemed  suddenly  to  forget  his 
appetite.  For  a  moment  he  looked  down,  and  then  he 
answered  slowly  and  not  without  solemnity — 

"  A  man  cannot  live  forever." 

"  What !  "  said  Faith,  motioning  to  her  deeply-interested 
auditors  to  restrain  their  impatience,  "  has  he  quitted  his 
people  ?  And  thou  lived  with  him,  Whittal,  ere  he  came 
to  his  end  ?  " 

"  He  never  looked  on  Nipset,  or  Nipset  on  him." 

"  I  know  naught  of  this  Nipset ;  tell  me  of  the  great 
Miantonimoh." 

"  Dost  need  to  hear  twice  ?  The  sachem  is  gone  to  the 
far  land,  and  Nipset  will  be  a  warrior  when  the  next  snow 
comes  !  " 

Disappointment  threw  a  cloud  on  every  countenance, 
and  the  beam  of  hope,  which  had  been  kindled  in  the  eye 
of  Ruth,  changed  to  the  former  painful  expression  of 
deep  inward  suffering.  But  Faith  still  managed  to  repress 
all  speech  among  those  who  listened,  continuing  the  ex- 
amination, after  a  short  delay  that  her  vexation  rendered 
unavoidable. 

"  I  had  thought  that  Miantonimoh  was  still  a  warrior  in 
his  tribe,"  she  said.  "  In  what  battle  did  he  fall  ? " 

"Mohican  Uncas  did  that  wicked  deed.  The  pale-men 
gave  him  great  riches  to  murder  the  sachem." 

"  Thou  speakest  of  the  father  ;  but  there  was  another 
Miantonimoh  ;  he  who  in  boyhood  dwelt  among  the  people 
of  white  blood." 

Whittal  listened  attentively,  and  after  seeming  to  rally 
his  thoughts,  he  shook  his  head,  saying  before  he  again  be- 
gan to  eat — 

"  There  never  was  but  one  of  the  name,  and  there  never 
will  be  another.  Two  eagles  do  not  build  their  nests  in 
the  same  tree." 


224  THE  WEPT  OF  WISH-TO  AT. 

"  Thou  sayest  truly,"  continued  Faith  ;  well  knowing  that 
to  dispute  the  information  of  her  brother  was,  in  effect,  to 
close  his  mouth.  "  Now  tell  me  of  Conanchet,  the  present 
Narragansett  sachem — he  who  hath  leagued  with  Metacom, 
and  hath  of  late  been  driven  from  his  fastness  near  the  sea 
— doth  he  yet  live  ? " 

The  expression  of  the  brother's  countenance  underwent 
another  change.  In  place  of  the  childish  importance  with 
which  he  had  hitherto  replied  to  the  questions  of  his  sister, 
a  look  of  overreaching  cunning  gathered  about  his  dull 
eye.  The  organ  glanced  slowly  and  cautiously  around 
him,  as  if  its  owner  expected  to  detect  some  visible  sign 
of  those  covert  intentions  he  so  evidently  distrusted.  In- 
stead of  answering,  the  wanderer  continued  his  meal, 
though  less  like  one  who  had  need  of  sustenance,  than  one 
resolved  to  make  no  communications  which  might  prove 
dangerous.  This  change  was  not  unobserved  by  Faith, 
nor  by  any  of  those  who  so  intently  watched  the  means  by 
which  she  had  been  endeavoring  to  thread  the  confused 
ideas  of  one  so  dull,  and  yet  who  at  need  seemed  so  prac- 
tised in  savage  artifice.  She  prudently  altered  her  man- 
ner of  interrogating  by  endeavoring  to  lead  his  thoughts 
to  other  matters. 

"I  warrant  me,"  continued  the  sister,  "that  thou  now 
beginnest  to  call  to  mind  the  times  when  thou  led'st  the 
cattle  among  the  bushes,  and  how  thou  wert  wont  to  call 
on  Faith  to  give  thee  food,  when  a-weary  with  threading 
the  woods  in  quest  of  the  kine.  Hast  ever  been  assailed 
by  the  Narrgansetts  thyself,  Whittal,  when  dwelling  in  the 
house  of  a  pale-face  ? " 

The  brother  ceased  eating.  Again  he  appeared  to  muse, 
as  intently  as  was  possible  for  one  of  his  circumscribed  in- 
tellects. But  shaking  his  head  in  the  negative,  he  silently 
resumed  the  grateful  office  of  mastication. 

"What!  hast  come  to  be  a  warrior,  and  never  known  a 
scalp  taken,  or  seen  a  fire  lighted  in  the  roof  of  a  wig- 
wam ? " 

Whittal  laid  down  the  food,  and  turned  to  his  sister. 
His  face  was  teeming  with  a  wild  and  fierce  meaning,  and 
he  indulged  in  a  low  but  triumphant  laugh.  When  this 
exhibition  of  satisfaction  was  over,  he  consented  to  reply. 

"  Certain,"  he  said.  "  We  went  on  a  path  in  the  night, 
against  the  lying  Yengeese,  and  no  burning  of  the  woods 
ever  scorched  the  'arth  as  we  blackened  their  fields  !  All 
their  proud  housen  were  turned  into  piles  of  coals." 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  225 

"  And  where  and  when  did  you  this  act  of  brave  ven- 
geance ?  " 

"  They  called  the  place  after  the  bird  of  night ;  as  if  an 
Indian  name  could  save  them  from  an  Indian  massacre  ! " 

"  Ha  !  Tis  of  the  Wish-Ton-Wish  thou  speakest !  But 
thou  wast  a  sufferer,  and  not  an  actor,  brother,  in  that 
heartless  burning." 

"  Thou  liest  like  a  wicked  woman  of  the  pale-faces,  as 
thou  art  !  Nipset  was  only  a  boy  on  that  path,  but  he  went 
with  his  people.  I  tell  thee  we  singed  the  very  'arth  with 
our  brands,  and  not  a  head  of  them  all  ever  rose  again 
from  the  ashes." 

Notwithstanding  her  great  self-command,  and  the  object 
that  was  constantly  before  the  mind  of  Faith,  she  shud- 
dered at  the  fierce  pleasure  writh  which  her  brother  pro- 
nounced the  extent  of  the  vengeance  that  in  his  imaginary 
character  he  believed  he  had  taken  on  his  enemies.  Still, 
cautious  not  to  destroy  an  illusion  which  might  aid  her  in 
the  so  long-defeated  and  so  anxiously-desired  discovery, 
the  woman  repressed  her  horror,  and  continued — 

"True, — yet  some  were  spared;  surely  the  warriors 
carried  prisoners  back  to  their  village.  Thou  didst  not 
slay  all  ? " 

"All." 

"  Nay  ;  thou  speakest  now  of  the  miserables  who  were 
wrapped  in  the  blazing  block  ;  but — but  some  without 
might  have  fallen  into  thy  hands,  ere  the  assailed  sought 
shelter  in  the  tower.  Surely,  surely  thou  didst  not  kill  all  ?  " 

The  hard  breathing  of  Ruth  caught  the  ear  of  Whittal, 
and  for  a  moment  he  turned  to  regard  her  countenance  in 
dull  wonder.  But  again  shaking  his  head,  he  answered,  in 
a  low,  positive  tone — 

"  All  ; — aye,  to  the  screeching  women  and  crying  babes  !  " 

"  Surely,  there  is  a  child, — I  would  say  there  is  a  woman 
in  thy  tribe  of  fairer  skin  and  of  form  different  from  most 
of  thy  people.  Was  not  such  a  one  led  a  captive  from  the 
burning  of  the  Wish-Ton-Wish  ? " 

"  Dost  think  the  deer  will  live  with  the  wolf,  or  hast  ever 
found  the  cowardly  pigeon  in  the  nest  of  the  hawk  ?" 

"Nay,  thou  art  of  different  color  thyself,  Whittal,  and  it 
well  may  be  thou  art  not  alone." 

The  youth  regarded  his  sister  a  moment  with  marked 
displeasure,  and  then  on  turning  to  eat  he  muttered— 

"  There  is  as  much  fire  in  snow  as  truth  in  a  lying  Yen- 
geese  ! " 


226  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

11  This  examination  must  close,"  said  Content,  with  a 
heavy  sigh  ;  "  at  another  hour  we  may  hope  to  push  the 
matter  to  some  more  fortunate  result  ;  but  yonder  cornet^ 
one  charged  with  especial  service  from  the  towns  below, 
as  would  seem  by  the  fact  that  he  disregardeth  the  holiness 
of  the  day,  no  less  than  by  the  earnest  manner  in  which 
he  is  journeying." 

As  the  individual  named  was  visible  to  all  who  chose  to 
look  in  the  direction  of  the  hamlet,  his  sudden  appearance 
caused  a  general  interruption  to  the  interest  which  had  been 
so  strongly  awakened  on  a  subject  that  was  familiar  to  every 
resident  in  the  valley. 

The  early  hour,  the  gait  at  which  the  stranger  urged 
his  horse,  the  manner  in  which  he  passed  the  open  and 
inviting  door  of  the  Whip- Poor- Will,  proclaimed  him  a 
messenger,  who  probably  bore  some  communication  of 
importance  from  the  government  of  the  colony  to  the 
younger  Heathcote,  who  filled  the  highest  station  of  of- 
ficial authority  in  that  distant  settlement.  Observations 
to  this  purport  had  passed  from  mouth  to  mouth,  and 
curiosity  was  actively  alive  by  the  time  the  horseman  rode 
into  the  court.  There  he  dismounted,  and  covered  with 
the  dust  of  the  road  he  presented  himself,  with  the  air  of 
one  who  had  passed  the  night  in  the  saddle,  before  the 
man  he  sought. 

"  I  have  orders  for  Captain  Content  Heathcote,"  said 
the  messenger,  saluting  all  around  him  with  the  usual 
grave  but  studied  courtesy  of  the  people  to  wThom  he  be- 
longed. 

"  He  is  here  to  receive  and  to  obey,"  was  the  answer. 

The  traveller  wore  a  little  of  that  mysteriousness  that  is 
so  grateful  to  certain  minds,  which,  from  inability  to  com- 
mand respect  in  any  other  manner,  are  fond  of  making 
secrets  of  matters  that  might  as  well  be  revealed.  In  obe- 
dience to  this  feeling  he  expressed  a  desire  that  his  com- 
munications  might  be  made  apart.  Content  quietly  mo- 
tioned for  him  to  follow,  leading  the  way  into  an  inner 
apartment  of  the  house.  As  a  new  direction  was  given  by 
this  interruption  to  the  thoughts  of  the  spectators  of  the 
foregoing  scene,  we  shall  also  take  the  opportunity  to  di- 
gress, in  order  to  lay  before  the  reader  some  general  facts 
that  may  be  necessary  to  the  connection  of  the  subsequent 
parts  of  the  legend. 


THE  IVLPT   OF  \VISII-TO.\~-IVISIL  227 


CHAPTER   XXI. 

"  Be  certain  what  you  do,  sir  ;  lest  your  justice 
Prove  violence." — Winters  Tale. 

THE  designs  of  the  celebrated  Metacom  had  been  be- 
trayed to  the  colonists  by  the  treachery  of  a  subordinate 
warrior,  named  Sausaman.  The  punishment  of  this  trea- 
son led  to  inquiries  which  terminated  in  accusations  against 
the  great  sachem  of  the  Wampanoags.  Scorning  to  vindi- 
cate himself  before  enemies  that  he  hated,  and  perhaps  dis- 
trusting  their  clemency,  Metacom  no  longer  endeavored  to 
cloak  his  proceedings,  but  throwing  aside  the  emblems  of 
peace,  he  openly  appeared  with  an  armed  hand. 

The  tragedy  had  commenced  about  a  year  before  the 
period  at  which  the  tale  has  now  arrived.  A  scene  not  un- 
like that  detailed  in  the  foregoing  pages  took  place  ;  the 
brand,  the  knife,  and  the  tomahawk  doing  their  work  of 
destruction,  without  pity  and  without  remorse.  But  un- 
like the  inroad  of  the  Wish-Ton-Wish,  this  expedition  was 
immediately  followed  by  others,  until  the  whole  of  New 
England  was  engaged  in  the  celebrated  war,  to  which  we 
have  before  referred. 

The  entire  white  population  of  the  colonies  of  New 
England  had  shortly  before  been  estimated  at  one  hundred 
and  twenty  thousand  souls.  Of  this  number  it  was  thought 
that  sixteen  thousand  men  were  capable  of  bearing  arms. 
Had  time  been  given  for  the  maturity  of  the  plans  of  Met- 
acom, he  might  have  readily  assembled  bands  of  warriors, 
who,  aided  by  their  familiarity  with  the  woods,  and  accus- 
tomed to  the  privations  of  such  a  warfare,  would  have 
threatened  serious  danger  to  the  growing  strength  of  the 
whites.  But  the  ordinary  and  selfish  feelings  of  man  were 
as  active  among  these  wild  tribes  as  they  are  known  to  be 
in  more  artificial  communities.  The  indefatigable  Meta- 
com, like  that  Indian  hero  of  our  own  times,  Tecumthe, 
had  passed  years  in  endeavoring  to  appease  ancient  enmi- 
ties and  to  lull  jealousies,  in  order  that  all  of  red  blood 
might  unite  in  crushing  a  foe  that  promised,  should  he  be 
longer  undisturbed  in  his  march  to  power,  soon  to  be  too 
formidable  for  their  united  efforts  to  subdue.  The  prema- 
ture explosion  in  some  measure  averted  the  danger.  It 
gave  the  English  time  to  strike  several  severe  blows  against 


228  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

the  tribe  of  their  great  enemy,  before  his  allies  had  deter- 
mined to  make  common  cause  in  his  design.  The  summer 
and  autumn  of  1675  had  been  passed  in  active  hostilities 
between  the  English  and  Wampanoags,  without  openly 
drawing  any  other  nation  into  the  contest.  Some  of  the 
Pequods,  with  their  dependent  tribes,  even  took  sides  with 
the  whites  ;  and  we  read  of  the  Mohicans  being  actively 
employed  in  harassing  the  sachem  on  his  well-known  re- 
treat from  that  neck  of  land,  where  he  had  been  hemmed 
in  by  the  English,  with  the  expectation  that  he  might  be 
starved  into  submission. 

The  warfare  of  the  first  summer  was,  as  might  be  expect- 
ed, attended  by  various  degrees  of  success,  fortune  quite 
as  often  favoring  the  red  men,  in  their  desultory  attempts 
at  annoyance,  as  their  more  disciplined  enemies.  Instead 
of  confining  his  operations  to  his  own  circumscribed  and 
easily  environed  districts,  Metacom  had  led  his  warriors  to 
the  distant  settlements  on  the  Connecticut  ;  and  it  was 
during  the  operations  of  this  season  that  several  of  the 
towns  on  that  river  were  first  assailed  and  laid  in  ashes. 
Active  hostilities  had  in  some  measure  ceased  between  the 
Wampanoags  and  the  English,  with  the  cold  wreather,  most 
of  the  troops  retiring  to  their  homes,  while  the  Indians  ap- 
parently paused  to  take  breath  for  their  final  effort. 

It  was,  however,  previously  to  this  cessation  of  activity, 
that  the  commissioners  of  the  united  colonies,  as  they 
were  called,  met  to  devise  the  means  of  a  concerted  resist- 
ance. Unlike  their  former  dangers  from  the  same  quarter, 
it  was  manifest  by  the  manner  in  which  a  hostile  feeling 
was  spreading  around  their  whole  frontier,  that  a  leading 
spirit  had  given  as  much  of  unity  and  design  to  the  move- 
ments of  the  foe  as  could  probably  ever  be  created  among 
a  people  so  separated  by  distance  and  so  divided  in  com- 
munities. Right  or  wrong,  the  colonists  gravely  decided 
that  the  war  on  their  part  was  just.  Great  preparations 
were  therefore  made  to  carry  it  on  the  ensuing  summer,  in 
a  manner  more  suited  to  their  means,  and  to  the  absolute 
necessities  of  their  situation.  It  was  in  consequence  of  the 
arrangements  made  for  bringing  a  portion  of  the  inhabi- 
tants of  the  Colony  of  Connecticut  into  the  field  that  we 
find  the  principal  characters  of  our  legend  in  the  warlike 
guise  in  which  they  have  just  been  re-introduced  to  the 
reader. 

Although  the  Narragansetts  had  not  at  first  been  openly 
implicated  in  the  attacks  on  the  colonists,  facts  soon  came 


THE   WEPT   OF  IVISH-TOX-WISH.  229 

to  the  knowledge  of  the  latter,  which  left  no  doubt  of  the 
state  of  feeling  in  that  nation.  Many  of  their  young  men 
were  discovered  among  the  followers  of  Metacom,  and  arms 
taken  from  whites  who  had  been  slain  in  the  different  en. 
counters  were  also  seen  in  their  villages.  One  of  the  first 
measures  of  the  commissioners,  therefore,  was  to  anticipate 
more  serious  opposition,  by  directing  an  overwhelming 
force  against  this  people.  The  party  collected  on  that  oc- 
casion was  probably  the  largest  military  body  which  the 
English  at  that  early  day  had  ever  assembled  in  their  col- 
onies. It  consisted  of  a  thousand  men,  of  whom  no  incon- 
siderable number  was  cavalry — a  species  of  troops  that,  as 
all  subsequent  experience  has  shown,  is  admirably  adapted 
to  operations  against  so  active  and  so  subtle  a  foe. 

The  attack  was  made  in  the  depth  of  winter,  and  it 
proved  fearfully  destructive  to  the  assailed.  The  defence  of 
Conanchet,  the  young  sachem  of  the  Narragansetts,  was 
every  way  worthy  of  his  high  character  for  courage  and 
mental  resources,  nor  was  the  victory  gained  without  serious 
loss  to  the  colonists.  The  native  chief  had  collected  his 
warriors,  and  taken  post  on  a  small  area  of  firm  land  that 
was  situated  in  the  centre  of  a  densely  wrooded  swamp  ;  and 
the  preparations  for  resistance  betrayed  a  singular  famili- 
arity with  the  military  expedients  of  a  white  man.  There 
had  been  a  palisadoed  breast-work,  a  species  of  redoubt, 
and  a  regular  block-house  to  overcome,  ere  the  colonists 
could  penetrate  into  the  fortified  village  itself.  The  first  at- 
tempts were  unsuccessful,  the  Indians  having  repulsed  their 
enemies  with  loss.  But  better  arms  and  greater  concert 
finally  prevailed,  though  not  without  a  struggle  that  lasted 
for  many  hours,  and  not  until  the  defendants  were,  in  truth, 
nearly  surrounded. 

The  events  of  that  memorable  day  made  a  deep  impres- 
sion on  the  minds  of  men  who  were  rarely  excited  by  any 
incidents  of  a  great  and  moving  character.  It  was  still  the 
subject  of  earnest,  and  not  unfrequently  of  melancholy  dis- 
course, around  the  fire-sides  of  the  colonists  ;  nor  was  the 
victory  achieved  without  accompaniments,  which,  however 
unavoidable  they  might  have  been,  had  a  tendency  to  raise 
doubts  in  the  minds  of  conscientious  religionists,  concern- 
ing the  lawfulness  of  their  cause.  It  is  said  that  a  village 
of  six  hundred  cabins  was  burnt,  and  that  hundreds  of  dead, 
and  wounded  were  consumed  in  the  conflagration.  A 
thousand  warriors  were  thought  to  have  lost  their  lives  in 
this  affair,  and  it  was  believed  that  the  power  of  the  nation 


$3o  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON- WISH. 

was  broken  forever.  The  sufferers  among  the  colonists 
themselves  were  numerous,  and  mourning  came  into  avast 
many  families,  with  the  tidings  of  victory. 

In  this  expedition  most  of  the  men  of  the  Wish-Ton- 
Wish  had  been  conspicuous  actors,  under  the  orders  of 
Content.  They  had  not  escaped  with  impunity  ;  but  it 
was  confidently  hoped  that  their  courage  was  to  meet  its 
reward  in  a  long  continuance  of  peace,  which  was  the 
more  desirable  on  account  of  their  remote  and  exposed 
situation. 

In  the  meantime  the  Narragansetts  were  far  from  being 
subdued.  Throughout  the  whole  continuance  of  the  inclem- 
ent season  they  had  caused  alarms  on  the  frontiers  ;  and 
in  one  or  two  instances  their  renowned  sachem  had  taken 
signal  vengeance  for  the  dire  affair  in  which  his  people  had 
so  heavily  suffered.  As  the  spring  advanced  the  inroads 
became  still  more  frequent,  and  the  appearances  of  danger 
so  far  increased  as  to  require  a  new  call  'on  the  colonists 
to  arm.  The  messenger  introduced  in  the  last  chapter 
was  charged  with  matter  that  had  a  reference  to  the  events 
of  this  war  ;  arid  it  was  \vith  an  especial  communication 
of  great  urgency  that  he  had  now  demanded  his  secret 
audience  with  the  leader  of  the  military  force  of  the  valley. 

"  Thou  hast  affairs  of  moment  to  deal  with,  Captain 
Heathcote,"  said  the  hard-riding  traveller,  when  he  found 
himself  alone  with  Content.  "  The  orders  of  his  Honor 
are  to  spare  neither  whip  nor  spur,  until  the  chief  men  of 
the  borders  shall  be  warned  of  the  actual  situation  of  the 
colony." 

"  Hath  aught  of  moving  interest  occurred  that  his  Honor 
deemeth  there  is  necessity  for  unusual  watchfulness  ? 
We  had  hoped  that  the  prayers  of  the  pious  were  not  in 
vain  ;  and  that  a  time  of  quiet  was  about  to  succeed  to  that 
violence,  of  which,  bounden  by  our  social  covenants,  we 
have  unhappily  been  unwilling  spectators.  The  bloody 
assault  of  Pettyquamscott  hath  exercised  our  minds  se- 
verely— nay,  it  hath  even  raised  doubts  of  the  lawfulness 
of  some  of  our  deeds." 

"  Thou  hast  a  commendable  spirit  of  forgiveness,  Cap- 
tain Heathcote,  or  thy  memory  would  extend  to  other 
scenes  than  those  which  bear  relation  to  the  punishment 
of  an  enemy  so  remorseless.  It  is  said  on  the  river,  that 
the  valley  of  Wish-Ton-Wish  hath  been  visited  by  the  sav- 
age in  its  day,  and  men  speak  freely  of  the  wrongs  suffered 
by  its  owners  on  that  pitiless  occasion." 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  231 

"  The  truth  may  not  be  denied,  even  that  good  should 
come  thereof.  It  is  certain  that  much  suffering  was  in- 
flicted on  me  and  on  mine,  by  the  inroad  of  which  you 
speak  ;  nevertheless  we  have  ever  striven  to  consider  it  as 
a  merciful  chastisement  inflicted  for  manifold  .sins,  rather 
than  as  a  subject  that  might  be  remembered,  in  order  to 
stimulate  passions  that,  in  all  reason  as  in  all  charity, 
should  slumber  as  much  as  a  weak  nature  will  allow." 

"  This  is  well,  Captain  Heathcote,  and  in  exceeding  con- 
formity with  the  most  received  doctrines,"  returned  the 
stranger,  slightly  gaping,  either  from  want  of  rest  the  pre- 
vious night,  or  from  disinclination  to  so  grave  a  subject ; 
"but  it  hath  little  connection  with  present  duties.  My 
charge  beareth  especial  concern  with  the  further  destruc- 
tion of  the  Indians,  rather  than  to  any  inward  searchings 
into  the  condition  of  our  own  mental  misgivings,  concern- 
ing any  right  it  may  be  thought  proper  to  question,  that 
hath  a  reference  to  the  duty  of  self-protection.  There  is 
no  unworthy  dweller  in  the  Connecticut  Colony,  sir,  that 
hath  endeavored  more  to  cultivate  a  tender  conscience 
than  the  wretched  sinner  who  standeth  before  you  ;  for  I 
have  the  exceeding  happiness  to  sit  under  the  outpourings 
of  a  spirit  that  hath  few  mortal  superiors  in  the  matter  of 
precious  gifts.  I  now  speak  of  Dr.  Calvin  Pope  ;  a  most 
worthy  and  soul-quieting  divine  ;  one  who  spareth  not  the 
goad  when  the  conscience  needeth  pricking,  nor  hesitateth 
to  dispense  consolation  to  him  who  seeth  his  fallen  estate  ; 
and  one  that  never  faileth  to  deal  with  charity,  and  hum- 
bleness of  spirit,  and  forbearance  with  the  failings  of 
friends,  and  forgiveness  of  enemies,  as  the  chiefest  signs  of 
a  renovated  moral  existence  ;  and  therefore,  there  can  be 
but  little  reason  to  distrust  the  spiritual  rightfulness  of  all 
that  listen  to  the  riches  of  his  discourse.  But  when  it  com- 
eth  to  be  question  of  life  or  death,  a  matter  of  dominion 
and  possession  of  these  fair  lands,  that  the  Lord  hath  given 
— why,  sir,  then  I  say  that,  like  the  Israelites  dealing  with 
the  sinful  occupants  of  Canaan,  it  behoveth  us  to  be  true 
to  each  other,  and  to  look  upon  the  heathen  with  a  dis- 
trustful eye." 

"  There  may  be  reason  in  that  thou  utterest,"  observed 
Content,  sorrowfully.  "  Still  it  is  lawful  to  mourn  even 
the  necessity  which  conduceth  to  all  this  strife.  I  had 
hoped  that  they  who  direct  the  Councils  of  the  Colony 
might  have  resorted  to  less  violent  means  of  persuasion, 
to  lead  the  savage  back  to  reason,  than  that  which  com- 


232  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISIT. 

eth  from  the  armed  hand.  Of  what  nature  is  thy  special 
errand  ? " 

"  Of  deep  urgency,  sir,  as  will  be  seen  in  the  narration," 
returned  the  other,  dropping  his  voice  like  one  habitually 
given  to  the  dramatic  part  of  diplomacy,  however  unskil' 
ful  he  might  have  been  in  its  more  intellectual  accom- 
plishments. "  Thou  wast  in  the  Pettyquamscott  scourging, 
and  need  not  be  reminded  of  the  manner  in  which  the 
Lord  dealt  with  our  enemies  on  that  favor-dispensing  day  ; 
but  it  may  not  be  known  to  one  so  remote  from  the  stir- 
ring and  daily  transactions  of  Christendom,  in  what  man- 
ner the  savage  hath  taken  the  chastisement.  The  restless 
and  still  unconquered  Conanchet  hath  deserted  his  towns 
and  taken  refuge  in  the  open  woods  ;  where  it  exceedeth 
the  skill  and  usage  of  our  civilized  men  of  war,  to  discover, 
at  all  times,  the  position  and  force  of  their  enemies.  The 
consequences  may  be  easily  conjectured.  The  savage 
hath  broken  in  upon,  and  laid  waste,  in  whole  or  in  part, 
firstly — Lancaster,  on  the  tenth,"  counting  on  his  fingers, 
"  when  many  were  led  into  captivity ;  secondly,  Marlbor- 
ough,  on  the  twentieth  ;  on  the  thirteenth  ultimo,  Groton  ; 
Warwick,  on  the  seventeenth  ;  and  Rehoboth,  Chelrnsford, 
Andover,  Weymouth>  and  divers  other  places,  have  been 
greatly  sufferers,  between  the  latter  period  and  the  day 
when  I  quitted  the  abode  of  his  Honor.  Pierce,  of  Scitu- 
ate,  a  stout  warrior,  and  one  practised  in  the  wiles  of  this 
nature  of  warfare,  hath  been  cut  off  with  a  whole  com- 
pany of  followers  ;  and  Wadsworth  and  Brockleband,  men 
known  and  esteemed  for  courage  and  skill,  have  left  their 
bones  in  the  woods,  sleeping  in  common  among  their  luck- 
less followers." 

"  These  are  truly  tidings  to  cause  us  to  mourn  over  the 
abandoned  condition  of  our  nature,"  said  Content,  in 
whose  meek  mind  there  was  no  affectation  of  regrets  on 
such  a  subject.  "  It  is  not  easy  to  see  in  what  manner  the 
evil  may  be  arrested  without  again  going  forth  to  do  battle." 

"  Such  is  the  opinion  of  his  Honor,  and  of  all  who  sit 
with  him  in  Council ;  for  we  have  sufficient  knowledge  of 
the  proceedings  of  the  enemy,  to  be  sure  that  the  master- 
spirit of  wickedness,  in  the  person  of  him  called  Philip,  is 
raging  up  and  down  the  whole  extent  of  the  borders, 
awakening  the  tribes  to  what  he  calleth  the  necessity  of 
resisting  further  aggression,  and  stirring  up  their  ven* 
geance  by  divers  subtle  expedients  of  malicious  cun- 
ning ' 


THE  WEPT  OF  WISH-TON-WISPI.  233 

"  And  what  manner  of  proceeding  hath  been  ordered  in 
so  urgent  a  strait  by  the  wisdom  of  our  rulers  ?" 

"  First,  there  is  a  fast  ordained,  that  we  come  to  the 
duty  as  men  purified  by  mental  struggle  and  deep  self* 
examination  ;  secondly,  it  is  recommended  that  the  con- 
gregations deal  with  more  than  wonted  severity  with  all 
backsliders  and  evil-doers,  in  order  that  the  towns  may 
not  fall  under  the  Divine  displeasure,  as  happened  to 
them  that  dwelt  in  the  devoted  cities  of  Canaan  ;  thirdly, 
it  is  determined  to  lend  our  feeble  aid  to  the  ordering  of 
Providence,  by  calling  forth  the  allotted  number  of  the 
trained  bands  ;  and  fourthly,  it  is  contemplated  to  coun- 
teract the  seeds  of  vengeance,  by  setting  a  labor-earning 
price  on  the  heads  of  our  enemies." 

"  I  accord  with  the  three  first  of  these  expedients,  as  the 
known  and  lawful  resorts  of  Christian  men,"  said  Content. 
"  But  the  latter  seemeth  a  measure  that  needeth  to  be  en- 
tertained with  great  wariness  of  manner,  and  some  dis- 
trust of  purpose." 

"  Fear  not,  since  all  suiting  and  economical  discretion 
is  active  in  the  minds  of  our  rulers,  who  have  pondered 
sagaciously  on  so  grave  a  policy.  It  is  not  intended  to 
offer  more  than  half  the  reward  that  is  held  forth  by  our 
more  wealthy  and  elder  sister  of  the  bay  ;  and  there  is 
some  acute  question  about  the  necessity  of  bidding  at  all 
for  any  of  tender  years.  And  now,  Captain  Heathcote, 
with  the  good  leave  of  so  respectable  a  subject,  I  will  pro- 
ceed to  lay  before  you  the  details  of  the  number  and  the 
nature  of  the  force  that  it  is  hoped  you  will  lead  in  person 
in  the  ensuing  campaign." 

As  the  result  of  that  which  followed  will  be  seen  in  the 
course  of  the  legend,  it  is  not  necessary  to  accompany  the 
messenger  any  further  in  his  communication.  We  shall 
therefore  leave  him  and  Content  busied  with  the  matter  of 
their  conference,  and  proceed  to  give  some  account  of  the 
other  personages  connected  with  our  subject. 

When  interrupted,  as  already  related,  by  the  arrival  of 
the  stranger,  Faith  had  endeavored  by  a  new  expedient  to 
elicit  some  evidences  of  a  more  just  remembrance  from  the 
dull  mind  of  her  brother.  Accompanied  by  most  of  the 
dependents  of  the  family,  she  had  led  him  to  the  summit 
of  that  hill  which  was  now  crowned  with  the  foliage  of  a 
young  and  thrifty  orchard,  and  placing  him  at  the  foot  of 
the  ruin,  she  tried  to  excite  a  train  of  recollections  that 
should  lead  to  deeper  impressions,  and  possibly,  by  their 


234  THE   WEPT  OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

aid,  to  a  discovery  of  the  important  circumstance  that  all 
so  much  longed  to  have  explained. 

The  experiment  proved  no  happy  result.  The  place, 
and  indeed  the  whole  valley,  had  undergone  so  great  a 
change,  that  one  more  liberally  gifted  might  have  hesitated 
to  believe  them  those  that  have  been  described  in  our 
earlier  pages.  This  rapid  alteration  of  objects,  which  else- 
where know  so  little  change  in  a  long  course  of  ages,  is  a 
fact  familiar  to  all  who  reside  in  the  newer  districts  of  the 
Union.  It  is  caused  by  the  rapid  improvements  that  are 
made  in  the  first  stages  of  a  settlement.  To  fell  the  forest 
alone,  is  to  give  an  entirely  new  aspect  to  the  view  ;  and 
it  is  far  from  easy  to  see  in  a  village  and  in  cultivated 
fields,  however  recent  the  existence  of  the  one  or  imper- 
fect the  other,  any  traces  of  a  spot  that  a  short  time  be- 
fore was  known  as  the  haunt  of  the  wo}f  or  the  refuge  of 
the  deer. 

The  features,  and  more  particularly  the  eye  of  his  sister, 
had  stirred  long-dormant  recollections  in  the  mind  of  Whit- 
tal  Ring  ;  and  though  these  glimpses  of  the  past  were  de- 
tached and  indistinct,  they  had  sufficed  to  quicken  that  an- 
cient confidence  which  was  partially  exhibited  in  their 
opening  conference.  But  it  exceeded  his  feeble  powers 
to  recall  objects  that  would  appeal  to  rfo  very  lively  sym- 
pathies, and  which  had  themselves  undergone  so  material 
alterations.  Still  the  witless  youth  did  not  look  on  the 
ruin  entirely  without  some  strivings  of  his  nature.  Al- 
though the  sward  around  its  base  was  lively  in  the  bright- 
est verdure  of  early  summer,  and  the  delicious  odor  of  the 
wild  clover  saluted  his  senses,  still  there  was  that  in  the 
blackened  and  ragged  walls,  the  position  of  the  tower,  and 
the  view  of  the  surrounding  hills,  shorn  as  so  much  of 
them  now  were,  that  evidently  spoke  to  his  earliest  im- 
pressions. He  looked  at  the  spot  as  a  hound  gazes  at  a 
master  who  has  been  so  long  lost  as  even  to  deaden  his 
instinct ;  and  at  times,  as  his  companions  endeavored  to  aid 
his  faint  images,  it  would  seem  as  if  memory  were  likely 
to  triumph,  and  all  those  deceptive  opinions  which  habit 
and  Indian  wiles  had  drawn  over  his  dull  mind,  were 
about  to  vanish  before  the  light  of  reality.  But  the  allure- 
ments of  a  life  in  which  there  was  so  much  of  the  freedom 
of  nature  mingled  with  the  fascinating  pleasures  of  the 
chase  and  of  the  woods,  were  not  to  be  dispossessed  so 
readily.  When  Faith  artfully  led  him  back  to  those  ani- 
mal enjoyments  of  which  he  had  been  so  fond  in  boyhood, 


THE   U'RPT    OF  IVISH-TON-IVISH.  235 

the  fantasy  of  her  brother  seemed  most  to  waver ;  but 
whenever  it  became  apparent  that  the  dignity  of  a  warrior, 
and  all  the  more  recent  and  far  more  alluring  delights  of 
his  later  life,  were  to  be  abandoned  ere  his  being  could  re- 
turn into  its  former  existence,  his  dull  faculties  obstinately 
refused  to  lend  themselves  to  a  change  that,  in  his  case, 
would  have  been  little  short  of  that  attributed  to  the  trans- 
migration of  souls. 

After  an  hour  of  anxious,  and  frequently,  on  the  part  of 
Faith,  of  angry  efforts  to  extract  some  evidences  of  his 
recollection  of  the  condition  of  life  to  which  he  had  once 
belonged,  the  attempt  for  the  moment  was  abandoned.  At 
times,  it  seemed  as  if  the  woman  were  about  to  prevail. 
He  often  called  himself  Wittal,  but  he  continued  to  insist 
that  he  was  also  Nipset,  a  man  of  the  Narragan setts,  who 
had  a  mother  in  his  wigwam,  and  who  had  reason  to  be- 
lieve that  he  should  be  numbered  among  the  warriors  of 
his  tribe  ere  the  fall  of  another  snow. 

In  the  meantime,  a  very  different  scene  was  passing  at 
the  place  where  the  first  examination  had  been  held,  and 
which  had  been  immediately  deserted  by  most  of  the  spec- 
tators, on  the  sudden  arrival  of  the  messenger.  But  a  soli- 
tary individual  was  seated  at  the  spacious  board,  which  had 
been  provided  alike  for  those  who  owned  and  presided  over 
the  estate,  and  for  their  dependents  to  the  very  meanest. 
The  individual  who  remained  had  thrown  himself  into  a 
seat,  less  with  the  air  of  him  who  consults  the  demands  of 
appetite,  than  of  one  whose  thoughts  were  so  engrossing 
as  to  render  him  indifferent  to  the  situation  or  employ- 
ment of  his  more  corporeal  part.  His  head  rested  on  his 
arms,  the  latter  effectually  concealing  the  face,  as  they 
were  spread  over  the  plain  but  exquisitely  neat  table  of 
cherry-wood,  which,  by  being  placed  at  the  side  of  one  of 
less  costly  material,  was  intended  to  form  the  only  dis- 
tinction between  the  guests,  as,  in  more  ancient  times  and 
in  other  countries,  the  salt  was  knowrn  to  mark  the  differ- 
ence in  rank  among  those  who  partook  of  the  same  feast. 

"  Mark,"  said  a  timid  voice  at  his  elbow,  "  thou  art 
weary  with  this  night-watching,  and  with  the  scouting  on 
the  hills.  Dost  not  think  of  taking  food  before  seeking 
thy  rest  ?" 

"  I  sleep  not,"  returned  the  youth,  raising  his  head,  and 
gently  pushing  aside  the  basin  of  simple  food  that  was 
offered  by  one  whose  eye  looked  feelingly  on  his  flushed 
features,  and  whose  suffused  cheek  perhaps  betrayed  there 


236  THE   WEPT   OF  WISII-TON-WISH. 

was  a  secret  consciousness  that  the  glance  was  kinder  than 
maiden  diffidence  should  allow.  "  I  sleep  not,  Martha, 
nor  doth  it  seem  to  me  that  I  shall  ever  sleep  again." 

"  Thou  frightest  me  by  this  wild  and  unhappy  eye.  Hast 
suffered  aught  in  the  march  on  the  mountains  ?" 

"  Dost  think  one  of  my  years  and  strength  unable  to 
bear  the  weariness  of  a  few  hours'  watching  in  the  forest  ? 
The  body  is  well,  but  the  mind  endureth  grievously." 

"  And  wilt  not  say  what  causeth  this  vexation?  Thou 
knowest,  Mark,  that  there  are  none  in  this  dwelling — nay, 
I  am  certain,  I  might  add  in  this  valley,  that  do  not  wish 
thee  happiness." 

"'Tis  kind  to  say  it,  good  Martha;  but  thou  never 
hadst  a  sister  !  " 

"  Tis  true,  I  am  all  of  my  race  ;  and  yet  to  me  it  seem- 
eth  that  no  tie  of  blood  could  have  been  nearer  than  the 
love  I  bore  to  her  who  is  lost." 

"  Nor  mother  !  Thou  never  knewest  what  'tis  to  rever- 
ence a  parent." 

"  And  is  not  thy  mother  mine  ?  "  answered  a  voice  that 
was  deeply  melancholy,  and  yet  so  soft  that  it  caused  the 
young  man  to  gaze  intently  at  his  companion,  for  a  mo- 
ment, ere  he  again  spoke. 

"True,  true,"  he  said  hurriedly.  "Thou  must  and  dost 
love  her  who  hath  nursed  thy  infancy,  and  brought  thee, 
with  care  and  tenderness,  to  so  fair  and  happy  a  woman- 
hood." The  eye  of  Martha  grew  brighter,  and  the  color 
of  her  healthful  cheek  deepened,  as  Mark  unconsciously 
uttered  this  simple  commendation  of  her  appearance  ;  but 
as  she  shrank,  with  female  sensitiveness,  from  his  obser- 
vation, the  change  \vas  unnoticed,  and  he  continued  :  "Thou 
seest  that  my  mother  is  drooping  hourly  under  this  sorrow 
for  our  little  Ruth  ;  and  who  can  say  what  may  be  the  end 
of  a  grief  that  endureth  so  long  ? " 

"'Tis  true  that  there  hath  been  reason  to  fear  much  in 
her  behalf  ;  but,  of  late,  hope  hath  gotten  the  better  of 
apprehension.  Thou  dost  not  well,  nay,  I  am  not  assured 
thou  dost  not  evil,  to  permit  this  discontent  with  Provi- 
dence, because  thy  mother  yieldeth  to  a  little  more  than  her 
usual  mourning,  on  account  of  the  unexpected  return  of 
one  so  nearly  connected  with  her  that  we  have  lost." 

"  Tis  not  that,  girl — 'tis  not  that !  " 

"  If  thou  refusest  to  say  what  'tis  that  giveth  thee  this 
pain,  I  can  do  little  more  than  pity." 

"  Listen,  and  I  will  say.     It  is  now  many  years,  as  thou 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  237 

k newest,  since  the  savage  Mohawk  or  Narragansett,  Pequod 
or  Wampanoag,  broke  in  upon  our  settlement,  and  did  his 
vengeance.  We  were  then  children,  Martha  ;  and  'tis  as  a 
child  that  I  have  thought  of  that  merciless  burning.  Our 
little  Ruth  was,  like  thyself,  a  blooming  infant  of  some 
seven  or  eight  years  ;  and  I  know  not  how  the  folly  hath 
beset  me,  but  it  hath  been  ever  as  one  of  that  innocence 
and  age,  that  I  have  continued  to  think  of  my  sister." 

"  Surely  thou  knowest  that  time  cannot  stay  ;  the  greater 
therefore  is  the  reason  that  we  should  be  industrious  to 
improve " 

"  Tis  what  our  duty  teacheth.  I  tell  thee,  Martha,  that 
at  night,  when  dreams  come  over  me,  as  they  sometimes 
will,  and  I  see  our  Ruth  wandering  in  the  forest,  it  is  as  a 
playful,  laughing  child,  such  as  we  knew  her ;  and  even 
while  waking,  do  I  fancy  my  sister  at  my  knee,  as  she  was 
wont  to  stand  when  listening  to  those  idle  tales  with  which 
we  lightened  our  childhood." 

"  But  we  had  our  birth  in  the  same  year  and  month — « 
dost  think  of  me  too,  .Mark,  as  one  of  that  childish  age  ? " 

"  Of  thee  !  That  cannot  well  be.  Do  I  not  see  that 
thou  art  grown  into  the  condition  of  a  woman,  that  thy 
little  tresses  of  brown  have  become  the  jet  black  and  flow- 
ing hair  that  becomes  thy  years,  and  that  thou  hast  the 
stature — and,  I  say  it  not  in  idleness  of  speech,  Martha,  for 
thou  knowest  my  tongue  is  no  vain  flatterer — but  do  I  not 
see  that  thou  hast  grown  into  all  the  excellence  of  a  most 
comely  maiden  ?  But  'tis  not  thus,  or  rather  'twas  not 
thus,  with  her  we  mourn  ;  for  till  this  hour  have  I  ever 
pictured  my  sister  the  little  innocent  we  sported  with,  that 
gloomy  night  she  was  snatched  from  our  arms  by  the 
cruelty  of  the  savage." 

"  And  what  hath  changed  this  pleasing  image  of  our 
Ruth?"  asked  his  companion,  half-covering  her  face  to 
conceal  the  still  deeper  glow  of  female  gratification  which 
had  been  kindled  by  the  words  just  heard.  "  I  often  think 
of  her  as  thou  hast  described,  nor  do  I  now  see  why  we 
may  not  still  believe  her,  if  she  yet  live,  all  that  we  could 
desire  to  see." 

"  That  cannot  be.  The  delusion  is  gone,  and  in  its  place 
a  frightful  truth  has  visited  me.  Here  is  Whittal  Ring, 
whom  we  lost  a  boy ;  thou  seest  he  is  returned  a  man,  and 
a  savage  !  No,  no  ;  my  sister  is  no  longer  the  child  I  loved 
to  think  her,  but  one  grown  into  the  estate  of  womanhood." 

"  Thou  thinkest  of  her  unkindly,  while  thou  thinkest  of 


238  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-W1SH. 

others  far  less  endowed  by  nature  with  too  much  indul- 
gence ;  for  thou  rememberest,  Mark,  she  was  ever  of  more 
pleasing  aspect  than  any  that  we  knew." 

"  I  know  not  that — I  say  not  that — I  think  not  that. 
But  be  she  what  hardships  and  exposure  may  have  made 
her,  still  must  Ruth  Heathcote  be  far  too  good  for  an  In- 
dian wigwam.  Oh  !  'tis  horrible  to  believe  that  she  is  the 
bondwoman,  the  servitor,  the  wife  of  a  savage  ! " 

Martha  recoiled,  and  an  entire  minute  passed,  during 
which  she  made  no  reply.  It  was  evident  that  the  revolt- 
ing idea  for  the  first  time  crossed  her  mind,  and  all  the 
natural  feelings  of  gratified  and  maiden  pride  vanished  be- 
fore the  genuine  and  pure  sympathies  of  a  female  bosom. 

"This  cannot  be,"  she  at  length  murmured — "  it  can 
never  be  !  Our  Ruth  must  still  remember  the  lessons 
taught  her  in  her  infancy.  She  knoweth  she  is  born  of 
Christian  lineage  !  of  reputable  name  !  of  exalted  hope  !  of 
glorious  promise  ! " 

"  Thou  seest  by  the  manner  of  Whittal,  who  is  of  greater 
age,  how  little  of  that  taught  can  withstand  the  wily  sav- 
age." 

"  But  Whittal  faileth  of  Nature's  gifts  ;  he  hath  ever  been 
below  the  rest  of  men  in  understanding." 

"And  yet  to  what  degree  of  Indian  cunning  hath  he  al- 
ready attained." 

"  But  Mark,"  rejoined  his  companion  timidly,  as  if,  while 
she  felt  all  its  force,  she  only  consented  to  urge  the  argu- 
ment in  tenderness  to  the  harassed  feelings  of  the  brother, 
"  we  are  of  equal  years  ;  that  which  hath  happened  to  me, 
may  well  have  been  the  fortune  of  our  Ruth." 

"  Dost  mean,  that  being  unespoused  thyself,  or  that  hav 
ing  at  thy  years  inclinations  that  are  free,  my  sister  may 
have  escaped  the  bitter  curse  of  being  the  wife  of  a  Narra- 
gansett,  or  what  is  not  less  frightful,  the  slave  of  his  hu- 
mors ? " 

"  Truly,  I  mean  little  else  than  the  former." 

"And  not  the  latter,"  continued  the  young  man,  with  a 
quickness  that  showed  some  sudden  revolution  in  his 
thoughts.  "  But  though  with  opinions  that  are  decided, 
and  with  kindness  awakened  in  behalf  of  one  favored,  thou 
hesitatest,  Martha,  it  is  not  like  that  a  girl  left  in  the  fetters 
of  savage  life  would  so  long  pause  to  think.  Even  here 
in  the  settlements  all  are  not  difficult  of  judgment  as 
thou ! " 

The  long  lashes  vibrated  above  the  dark  eyes  of  the 


THE   WEFT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  239 

maiden,  and  for  an  instant  it  seemed  as  if  she  had  no  in- 
tention to  reply.  But  looking  timidly  aside,  she  answered 
in  a  voice  so  low,  that  her  companion  scarcely  gathered 
the  meaning  of  that  she  uttered. 

"  I  know  not  how  I  may  have  earned  this  false  character 
among  my  friends,"  she  said  ;  "for  to  me  it  ever  seemeth 
that  what  I  feel  and  think  is  but  too  easily  known." 

"Then  is  the  smart  gallant  from  the  Hartford  town,  who 
cometh  and  goeth  so  often  between  this  distant  settlement 
and  his  father's  house,  better  assured  of  his  success  than  I 
had  thought.  He  will  not  journey  the  long  road  much 
oftener  alone  ! " 

"  I  have  angered  thee,  Mark,  or  thou  wouldst  not  speak 
with  so  cold  an  eye  to  one  who  hath  ever  lived  with  thee 
in  kindness." 

"  I  do  not  speak  in  anger,  for  'twould  be  both  unreason- 
able and  unmanly  to  deny  all  of  thy  sex  right  of  choice  ; 
but  yet  it  doth  seem  right  that  when  taste  is  suited  and 
judgment  appeased,  there  should  be  little  motive  for  with- 
holding speech." 

"  And  wouldst  thou  have  a  maiden  of  my  years  in  haste 
to  believe  that  she  was  sought,  when  haply  it  may  be  that 
he  of  whom  you  speak  is  in  quest  of  thy  society  and  friend- 
ship, rather  than  of  my  favor?" 

"  Then  might  he  spare  much  labor  and  some  bodily  suf- 
fering, unless  he  finds  great  pleasure  in  the  saddle  ;  for  I 
know  not  a  youth  in  the  Connecticut  Colony  for  whom  I 
have  smaller  esteem.  Others  may  see  matter  of  approval 
in  him,  but  to  me,  he  is  of  bold  speech,  ungainly  air,  and 
great  disagreeableness  of  discourse." 

"  I  am  happy  that  at  last  we  find  ourselves  of  one  mind  • 
for  that  thou  sayest  of  the  youth,  is  much  as  I  have  long 
considered  him." 

"  Thou  !  Thou  thinkest  of  the  gallant  thus  !  Then  \vhy 
dost  listen  to  his  suit  ?  I  had  believed  thee  a  girl  too 
honest,  Martha,  to  affect  such  niceties  of  deception.  With 
this  opinion  of  his  character  why  not  refuse  his  company  ? " 

"Can  a  maiden  speak  too  hastily?" 

"  And  if  here,  and  ready  to  ask  thy  favor,  the  answer 
would  be " 

"  No  !  "  said  the  girl,  raising  her  eyes  for  an  instant,  and 
bashfully  meeting  the  eager  look  of  her  companion,  though 
she  uttered  the  monosyllable  firmly. 

Mark  seemed  bewildered.  An  entirely  new  and  a  novel 
idea  took  possession  of  his  brain.  The  change  was  ap* 


240  THE  WEPT   OF  WISH-TON- WISH. 

parent  by  his  altering  countenance,  and  a  cheek  that  glowed 
like  flame.  What  he  might  have  said,  most  of  our  readers 
over  fifteen  may  presume  ;  but  at  that  moment  the  voices 
of  those  who  had  accompanied  Whittal  to  the  ruin  were 
heard  on  their  return,  and  Martha  glided  away  so  silently 
as  to  leave  him  for  a  moment  ignorant  of  her  absence. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

*'Oh  !  when  amid  the  throngs  of  men 
The  heart  grows  sick  of  hollow  mirth, 
How  willingly  we  turn  us,  then, 
Away  from  this  cold  earth  ; 
And  look  into  thy  azure  breast, 
For  seats  of  innocence  and  rest !  " — BRYANT'S  Skies. 

THE  day  was  the  Sabbath.  This  religious  festival,  which 
is  even  now  observed  in  most  of  the  States  of  the  Union 
with  a  strictness  that  is  little  heeded  in  the  rest  of  Christen- 
dom, was  then  reverenced  with  a  severity  suited  to  the 
austere  habits  of  the  colonists.  The  circumstance  that  one 
should  journey  on  such  a  day,  had  attracted  the  observa- 
tion of  all  in  the  hamlet ;  but  as  the  stranger  had  been 
seen  to  ride  toward  the  dwelling  of  the  Heathcotes,  and 
the  times  were  known  to  teem  with  more  than  ordinary  in- 
terest to  the  province,  it  was  believed  that  he  found  his 
justification  in  some  apology  of  necessity.  Still  none  vent- 
ured forth  to  inquire  into  the  motive  of  this  extraordinary 
visit.  At  the  end  of  an  hour  the  horseman  was  seen  to  de- 
part as  he  had  arrived,  seemingly  urged  on  by  the  calls  of 
some  pressing  emergency.  He  had  in  truth  proceeded 
further  with  his  tidings,  though  the  lawfulness  of  discharg- 
ing even  this  imperious  duty  on  the  Sabbath  had  been 
gravely  considered  in  the  Councils  of  those  who  had  sent 
him.  Happily  they  had  found,  or  thought  they  had  found, 
in  some  of  the  narratives  of  the  sacred  volume,  a  sufficient 
precedent  to  bid  their  messenger  proceed. 

In  the  meantime  the  unusual  excitement  which  had  been 
so  unexpectedly  awakened  in  the  dwelling  of  the  Heath- 
cotes,  began  to  subside  in  that  quiet  which  is  in  so  beauti- 
ful accordance  with  the  sacred  character  of  the  day.  The 
sun  rose  bright  and  cloudless  over  the  hills,  every  vapor  of 
the  past  night  melting  before  his  genial  warmth  into  the 
invisible  element.  The  valley  then  lay  in  that  species  of 


THE  WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  241 

holy  calm  which  conveys  so  sweet  and  so  forcible  an  appeal 
to  the  heart.  The  world  presented  a  picture  of  the  glori- 
ous handiwork  of  Him  who  seems  to  invite  the  gratitude 
and  adoration  of  his  creatures.  To  the  mind  yet  untainted, 
there  is  exquisite  loveliness  and  even  godlike  repose  in  such 
a  scene.  The  universal  stillness  permits  the  softest  natural 
sounds  to  be  heard  ;  and  the  buzz  of  the  bee  or  the  wing 
of  the  humming-bird  reaches  the  ear  like  the  loud  notes  of 
a  general  anthem.  This  temporary  repose  is  full  of  mean- 
ing. It  should  teach  how  much  of  the  beauty  of  this 
world's  enjoyments,  how  much  of  its  peace,  and  even  how 
much  of  the  comeliness  of  nature  itself,  is  dependent  on 
the  spirit  by  which  we  are  actuated.  When  man  reposes, 
all  around  him  seems  anxious  to  contribute  to  his  rest ; 
and  when  he  abandons  the  contentions  of  grosser  interests, 
to  elevate  his  spirit,  all  living  things  appear  to  unite  in 
worship.  Although  this  apparent  sympathy  of  nature  may 
be  less  true  than  imaginative,  its  lesson  is  not  destroyed, 
since  it  sufficiently  shows  that  what  man  chooses  to  con- 
sider good  in  this  world  is  good,  and  that  most  of  its  strife 
and  deformities  proceed  from  his  own  perversity. 

The  tenants  of  the  valley  of  the  Wish-Ton-Wish  were 
little  wont  to  disturb  the  quiet  of  the  Sabbath.  Their 
error  lay  in  the  other  extreme,  since  they  impaired  the 
charities  of  life  by  endeavoring  to  raise  man  altogether 
above  the  weakness  of  his  nature.  They  substituted  the 
revolting  aspect  of  a  sublimated  austerity,  for  that  gra- 
cious though  regulated  exterior,  by  which  all  in  the  body 
may  best  illustrate  their  hopes  or  exhibit  their  gratitude. 
The  peculiar  air  of  those  of  whom  we  write,  was  generated 
by  the  error  of  the  times  and  of  the  country,  though  some- 
thing of  its  singularly  rigid  character  might  have  been  de- 
rived from  the  precepts  and  example  of  the  individual  who 
had  the  direction  of  the  spiritual  interests  of  the  parish. 
As  this  person  will  have  further  connection  with  the  matter 
of  the  legend,  he  shall  be  more  familiarly  introduced  in 
its  pages. 

The  Reverend  Meek  Wolfe,  was,  in  spirit,  a  rare  combi- 
nation of  the  humblest  self-abasement  and  of  fierce  spirit- 
ual denunciation.  Like  so  many  others  of  his  sacred  call- 
ing in  the  colony  he  inhabited,  he  was  not  only  the  de- 
scendant of  a  line  of  priests,  but  it  was  his  greatest  earthly 
hope  that  he  should  also  become  the  progenitor  of  a  race 
in  whom  the  ministry  was  to  be  perpetuated  as  severely 
as  if  the  regulated  formula  of  the  Mosaic  dispensation 
16 


*42  THE  WEPT   t>f  WISH-TON-WISH. 

were  still  in  existence.  He  had  been  educated  in  the  in- 
fant college  of  Harvard,  an  institution  that  the  emigrants 
from  England  had  the  wisdom  and  enterprise  to  found 
within  the  first  five-and-twenty  years  of  their  colonial  resi- 
dence. Here  this  scion  of  so  pious  and  orthodox  astock  had 
abundantly  qualified  himself  for  the  intellectual  warfare  of 
his  future  life,  by  regarding  one  set  of  opinions  so  steadily, 
as  to  leave  little  reason  to  apprehend  he  would  ever 
abandon  the  most  trifling  outworks  of  his  faith.  No  citadel 
ever  presented  a  more  hopeless  curtain  to  the  besieger, 
than  did  the  mind  of  this  zealot  to  the  efforts  of  convic- 
tion ;  for  on  the  side  of  his  opponents,  he  contrived  that 
every  avenue  should  be  closed  by  a  wall  blank  as  indomi- 
table obstinacy  could  oppose.  He  appeared  to  think  that 
all  the  minor  conditions  of  argument  and  reason  had  been 
disposed  of  by  his  ancestors,  and  that  it  only  remained  for 
him  to  strengthen  the  many  defences  of  .his  subject,  and 
now  and  then  to  scatter  by  a  fierce  sortie  the  doctrinal 
skirmishers  who  might  occasionally  approach  his  parish. 
There  was  a  remarkable  singleness  of  mind  in  this  re- 
ligionist, which,  while  it  in  some  measure  rendered  even 
his  bigotry  respectable,  greatly  aided  in  clearing  the  knotty 
subject  with  which  he  dealt,  of  much  embarrassing  mat- 
ter. In  his  eyes,  the  straight  and  narrow  path  would  hold 
but  few,  besides  his  own  flock.  He  admitted  some  fortu- 
itous exceptions,  in  one  or  two  of  the  nearest  parishes, 
with  whose  clergymen  he  was  in  the  habit  of  exchanging 
pulpits  ;  and  perhaps,  here  and  there,  in  a  saint  of  the 
other  hemisphere,  or  of  the  more  distant  towns  of  the  Colo- 
nies, the  brightness  of  whose  faith  was  something  aided, 
in  his  eyes,  by  distance,  as  this  opaque  globe  of  ours  is 
thought  to  appear  a  ball  of  light  to  those  who  inhabit  its 
satellite.  In  short,  there  was  an  admixture  of  seeming 
charity  with  an  exclusiveness  of  hope,  an  unweariness  of 
exertion  with  a  coolness  of  exterior,  a  disregard  of  self 
with  the  most  complacent  security,  and  an  uncomplaining 
submission  to  temporal  evils  with  the  loftiest  spiritual 
pretensions,  that  in  some  measure  rendered  him  a  man  as 
difficult  to  comprehend  as  to  describe. 

At  an  early  hour  in  the  forenoon,  a  little  bell  that  was 
suspended  in  an  awkward  belfry  perched  on  the  roof  of  the 
meeting-house,  began  to  summon  the  congregation  to  the 
place  of  worship.  The  call  was  promptly  obeyed,  and  ere 
the  first  notes  had  reached  the  echoes  of  the  hills,  the  wide 
and  grassy  street  was  covered  with  family  groups,  all  taking 


THE   WEPT  OF  WISH-TON- WISH.  243 

the  same  direction.  Foremost  in  each  little  party  walked 
the  austere  father,  perhaps  bearing  on  his  arms  a  suckled 
infant,  or  some  child  yet  too  young  to  sustain  its  own 
weight  ;  while  at  a  decent  distance  followed  the  equally 
grave  matron,  casting  oblique  and  severe  glances  at  the 
little  troop  around  her,  in  whom  acquired  habits  had  yet 
some  conquests  to  obtain  over  the  lighter  impulses  of  vanity., 
Where  there  was  no  child  to  need  support,  or  where  the 
mother  chose  to  assume  the  office  of  bearing  her  infant  in 
person,  the  man  was  seen  to  carry  one  of  the  heavy  muskets 
of  the  day  ;  and  when  his  arms  were  otherwise  employed, 
the  stoutest  of  his  boys  served  -in  the  capacity  of  armor- 
bearer.  But  in  no  instance  was  this  needful  precaution 
neglected,  the  state  of  the  province  and  the  character  of 
the  enemy  requiring  that  vigilance  should  mingle  even 
with  their  devotions.  There  was  no  loitering  on  the  path, 
no  light  and  worldly  discourse  by  the  way,  nor  even  any 
salutations,  other  than  those  grave  and  serious  recognitions 
by  hat  and  eye,  which  usage  tolerated  as  the  utmost  limit 
of  courtesy  on  the  weekly  festival. 

When  the  bell  changed  its  tone,  Meek  appeared  from  the 
gate  of  the  fortified  house  where  he  resided,  in  quality  of 
castellan,  on  account  of  its  public  character,  its  additional 
security,  and  the  circumstance  that  his  studious  habits  per- 
mitted him  to  discharge  the  trust  with  less  waste  of  manual 
labor  than  it  would  cost  the  village  were  the  responsible 
office  confided  to  one  of  more  active  habits.  His  consort 
followed,  but  at  even  a  greater  distance  than  that  taken  by 
the  wives  of  other  men,  as  if  she  felt  the  awful  necessity  of 
averting  even  the  remotest  possibility  of  scandal  from  one 
of  so  sacred  a  profession.  Nine  offspring  of  various  ages, 
and  one  female  assistant,  of  years  too  tender  to  be  a  wife 
herself,  composed  the  household  of  the  divine  ;  and  it  was 
a  proof  of  the  salubrious  air  of  the  valley  that  all  were 
present,  since  nothing  but  illness  was  ever  deemed  a  suffi- 
cient excuse  for  absence  from  the  common  worship.  As 
this  little  flock  issued  from  the  palisadoes,  a  female,  in 
whose  pale  cheek  the  effects  of  recent  illness  might  yet  be 
traced,  held  open  the  gate  for  the  entrance  of  Reuben  Ring, 
and  a  stout  youth,  who  bore  the  prolific  consort  of  the  for- 
mer, with  her  bounteous  gift,  into  the  citadel  of  the  village, 
a  place  of  refuge  that  nothing  but  the  undaunted  resolu- 
tion of  the  woman  prevented  her  from  occupying  before, 
since  more  than  half  of  the  children  of  the  valley  had  first 
seen  the  light  within  the  security  of  its  defences. 


244  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON- WISH. 

The  family  of  Meek  preceded  him  into  the  temple,  and 
when  the  feet  of  the  minister  himself  crossed  its  threshold, 
there  was  no  human  form  visible  without  its  walls.  The 
bell  ceased  its  monotonous  and  mournful  note,  and  the  tall, 
gaunt  form  of  the  divine  moved  through  the  narrow  aisle 
to  its  usual  post,  with  the  air  of  one  who  had  already  more 
than  half  rejected  the  burden  of  bodily  encumbrance.  A 
searching  and  stern  glance  was  thrown  around,  as  if  he 
possessed  an  instinctive  power  to  detect  all  delinquents,  and 
then  seating  himself,  the  deep  stillness  that  always  preceded 
the  exercises,  reigned  in  the  place. 

When  the  divine  next  showed  his  austere  countenance 
to  his  expecting  people,  its  meaning  was  expressive  rather 
of  some  matter  of  worldly  import,  than  of  that  absence  of 
carnal  interest  with  which  he  usually  strove  to  draw  near 
to  his  Creator  in  prayer. 

"  Captain  Content  Heathcote,"  he  said,  with  grave  se^ 
verity,  after  permitting  a  short  pause  to  awaken  reverence, 
"  there  has  one  ridden  through  this  valley  on  the  Lord's 
day,  making  thy  habitation  his  halting-place.  Hath  the 
traveller  warranty  for  this  disrespect  of  the  Sabbath,  and 
canst  thou  find  sufficient  reason  in  his  motive,  for  permit- 
ting the  stranger  within  thy  gates  to  neglect  the  solemn 
ordinance  delivered  on  the  Mount?  " 

"  He  rideth  on  especial  commission,"  answered  Content, 
who  had  respectfully  arisen  when  thus  addressed  by  name ; 
"  for  matter  of  grave  interest  to  the  well-being  of  the  Col- 
ony is  contained  in  the  subject  of  his  errand." 

"  There  is  naught  more  deeply  connected  with  the  well- 
being  of  man,  whether  resident  in  this  colony  or  in  more 
lofty  empires,  than  reverence  to  God's  declared  will,"  re- 
turned Meek,  but  half-appeased  by  the  apology.  "  It  would 
have  been  expedient  for  one,  who  in  common  not  only  set- 
teth  so  good  an  example  himself,  but  who  is  also  charged 
with  the  mantle  of  authority,  to  have  looked  with  distrust 
into  the  pretences  of  a  necessity  that  may  be  only  seeming." 

"  The  motive  shall  be  declared  to  the  people  at  a  fitting 
moment  ;  but  it  hath  seemed  more  wise  to  retain  the  sub- 
stance of  the  horseman's  errand  until  worship  hath  been 
offered,  without  the  alloy  of  temporal  concerns." 

"  Therein  hast  thou  acted  discreetly  ;  fora  divided  mind 
giveth  but  little  joy  above.  I  hope  there  is  equal  reason 
why  all  of  thy  household  are  not  with  thee  in  the  tem- 
ple?" 

Notwithstanding  the  usual  self-command  of  Content,  he 


THE   WEPT  OF  W2SH-TON-WISH.  245 

did  not  revert  to  this  subject  without  emotion.  Casting  a 
subdued  glance  at  the  empty  seat  where  she  whom  he  so 
much  loved  was  wont  to  worship  at  his  side,  he  said,  in  a 
voice  that  evidently  struggled  to  maintain  its  customary 
equanimity — 

"There  has  been  powerful  interest  awakened  beneath 
my  roof  this  day,  and  it  may  be  that  the  duty  of  the  Sab- 
bath has  been  overlooked  by  minds  so  exercised.  If  we 
have  therein  sinned,  I  hope  He  that  looketh  kindly  on  the 
penitent,  will  forgive  !  She  of  whom  thou  speakest,  hath 
been  shaken  by  the  violence  of  griefs  renewed  ;  though 
willing  in  spirit,  a  feeble  and  sinking  frame  is  not  equal  to 
support  the  fatigue  of  appearing  here,  even  though  it  be 
the  house  of  God." 

This  extraordinary  exercise  of  pastoral  authority  was 
uninterrupted,  even  by  the  breathings  of  the  congregation. 
Any  incident  of  an  unusual  character  had  attraction  for  the 
inhabitants  of  a  village  so  remote  ;  but  here  was  deep,  do- 
mestic interest,  connected  with  breach  of  usage  and  indeed 
of  law,  and  all  heightened  by  that  secret  influence  that 
leads  us  to  listen  with  singular  satisfaction  to  those  emo- 
tions in  others  which  it  is  believed  to  be  natural  to  wish  to 
conceal.  Not  a  syllable  that  fell  from  the  lips  of  the 
divine,  or  of  Content — not  a  deep  tone  of  severity  in  the 
former,  nor  a  struggling  accent  of  the  latter,  escaped  the 
dullest  ear  in  that  assembly.  Notwithstanding  the  grave 
and  regulated  air  that  was  common  to  all,  it  is  needless  to 
say  there  was  pleasure  in  the  little  interruption  of  this 
scene,  which,  however,  was  far  from  being  extraordinary 
in  a  community  where  it  was  not  only  believed  that  spirit- 
ual authority  might  extend  itself  to  the  most  familiar  prac- 
tices, but  where  few  domestic  interests  were  deemed  so  ex- 
clusive, or  individual  feelings  considered  so  sacred,  that  a 
very  large  proportion  of  the  whole  neighborhood  might 
not  claim  a  right  to  participate  largely  in  both.  The  Rev- 
erend Mr.  Wolfe  was  appeased  by  the  explanation,  and 
after  allowing  a  sufficient  time  to  elapse,  in  order  that  the 
minds  of  the  congregation  should  recover  their  tone,  he 
proceeded  with  the  regular  services  of  the  morning. 

It  is  needless  to  recount  the  well-known  manner  of  the 
religious  exercises  of  the  Puritans.  Enough  of  their  forms 
and  of  their  substance  has  been  transmitted  to  us  to  render 
both  manner  and  doctrine  familiar  to  most  of  our  readers. 
We  shall  therefore  confine  our  duty  to  a  relation  of  such 
portions  of  the  ceremonies — if  that  which  sedulously  avoid- 


246  THE   WEPT  OF  WISH-TON- WISH. 

ed  every  appearance  of  form,  can  thus  be  termed — as  have 
an  immediate  connection  with  the  incidents. 

The  divine  had  gone  through  the  short  opening  prayer, 
had  read  the  passage  of  holy  writ,  had  given  out  the  verses 
of  the  psalm,  and  had  joined  in  the  strange  nasal  melody 
with  which  his  flock  endeavored  to  render  it  doubly  accept- 
able, and  had  ended  his  long  and  fervent  wrestling  of  the 
spirit  in  a  colloquial  petition  of  some  forty  minutes'  dura- 
tion, in  which  direct  allusion  had  been  made  not  only  to 
the  subject  of  his  recent  examination,  but  to  divers  other 
familiar  interests  of  his  parishioners,  and  all  without  any 
departure  from  the  usual  zeal  on  his  own  part,  or  of  the 
customary  attention  and  grave  decorum  on  that  of  his 
people.  But  when,  for  the  second  time,  he  arose  to  read 
another  song  of  worship  and  thanksgiving,  a  form  was  seen 
in  the  centre  or  principal  aisle,  that  as  well  by  its  attire  and 
aspect,  as  by  the  unusual  and  irreverent  tardiness  of  its  ap- 
pearance, attracted  general  observation.  Interruptions  of 
this  nature  were  unfrequent,  and  even  the  long  practised 
and  abstracted  minister  paused  for  an  instant,  ere  he  pro- 
ceeded with  the  hymn,  though  there  was  a  suspicion  cur- 
rent among  the  more  instructed  of  his  parishioners,  that 
the  sonorous  version  was  an  eifusion  of  his  own  muse. 

The  intruder  was  Whittal  Ring.  The  witless  young  man 
had  strayed  from  the  abode  of  his  sister,  and  found  his 
way  into  that  general  receptacle,  where  most  of  the  village 
was  congregated.  During  his  former  residence  in  the  val- 
ley, there  had  been  no  temple,  and  the  edifice,  its  interior 
arrangements,  the  faces  of  those  it  contained,  and  the  busi- 
ness on  which  they  had  assembled,  appeared  alike  stran- 
gers to  him.  It  was  only  when  the  people  lifted  up  their 
voices  in  the  song  of  praise,  that  some  glimmerings  of  his 
ancient  recollections  were  discoverable  in  his  inactive 
countenance.  Then,  indeed,  he  betrayed  a  portion  of  the 
delight  which  powerful  sounds  can  quicken,  even  in  beings 
of  his  unhappy  mental  constitution.  As  he  was  satisfied, 
however,  to  remain  in  a  retired  part  of  the  aisle,  listening 
with  dull  admiration,  even  the  grave  Ensign  Dudley,  whose 
eye  had  once  or  twice  seemed  ominous  of  displeasure,  saw 
no  necessity  for  interference. 

Meek  had  chosen  for  his  text,  on  that  day,  a  passage 
from  the  book  of  Judges  ;  "  And  the  children  of  Israel  did 
evil  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord  ;  and  the  Lord  delivered  them 
into  the  hands  of  Midian  seven  years."  With  this  text  the 
subtle-minded  divine  dealt  powerfully,  entering  largely 


THE   WEPT   OF  WlSH-TOtf-WISH.  247 

into  the  mysterious  and  allegorical  allusions  then  so  much, 
in  vogue.  In  whatever  manner  he  viewed  the  subject,  he 
found  reason  to  liken  the  suffering,  bereaved,  and  yet 
chosen  dwellers  of  the  Colonies,  to  the  race  of  the  Hebrews. 
If  they  were  not  set  apart  and  marked  from  all  others  of 
the  earth,  in  order  that  one  mightier  than  man  should 
spring  from  their  loins,  they  were  led  into  that  distant  wil- 
derness, far  from  the  temptations  of  licentious  luxury,  or 
the  woiidly-mindedness  of  those  who  built  their  structure 
of  faith  on  the  sands  of  temporal  honors,  to  preserve  the 
word  in  purity.  As  there  appeared  no  reason  on  the  part 
of  the  divine  himself  to  distrust  his  construction  of  the 
words  he  had  quoted,  so  it  was  evident  that  most  of  his 
listeners  willingly  lent  their  ears  to  so  soothing  an  argu- 
ment. 

In  reference  to  Midian,  the  preacher  was  far  less  ex- 
plicit. That  the  great  father  of  evil  was  in  some  way 
intended  by  this  allusion,  could  not  be  doubted  ;  but  in 
what  manner  the  chosen  inhabitants  of  those  regions  were 
to  feel  his  malign  influence,  was  matter  of  more  uncer- 
tainty. At  times,  the  greedy  ears  of  those  who  had  long 
been  wrought  up  into  the  impression  that  visible  mani- 
festations of  the  anger  or  of  the  love  of  Providence  were 
daily  presented  to  their  eyes,  were  flattered  with  the  stern 
joy  of  believing  that  the  war  which  then  raged  around 
them  was  intended  to  put  their  moral  armor  to  the  proof, 
and  that  out  of  the  triumph  of  their  victories  were  to  flow 
honor  and  security  to  the  Church.  Then  came  ambiguous 
qualifications,  which  left  it  questionable  whether  a  return 
of  the  invisible  powers,  that  had  been  known  to  be  so  busy 
in  the  provinces,  were  not  the  judgment  intended.  It  is 
not  to  be  supposed  that  Meek  himself  had  the  clearest 
mental  intelligence  on  a  point  of  this  subtlety,  for  there 
was  something  of  misty  hallucination  in  the  manner  in 
which  he  treated  it,  as  will  be  seen  by  his  closing  words. 

"To  imagine  that  Azazel  regardeth  the  long  suffering 
and  steadfastness  of  a  chosen  people  with  a  pleasant  eye," 
he  said,  "  is  to  believe  that  the  marrow  of  righteousness 
can  exist  in  the  carrion  of  deceit.  We  have  already  seen 
his  envious  spirit  raging  in  many  tragical  instances.  If 
required  to  raise  a  warning  beacon  to  your  eyes,  by  which 
the  presence  of  this  treacherous  enemy  might  be  known, 
I  should  say,  in  the  words  of  one  learned  and  ingenious  in 
this  craftiness,  that  '  when  a  person,  having  full  reason,  doth 
knowingly  and  wittingly  seek  and  obtain  of  the  Devil,  Of 


248  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

any  other  god  besides  the  true  God  Jehovah,  an  ability 
to  do  or  know  strange  things,  which  he  cannot  by  his  own 
human  abilities  arrive  unto,'  that  then  he  may  distrust  his 
gifts  and  tremble  for  his  soul.  And,  oh  !  my  brethren, 
how  many  of  ye  cling  at  this  very  moment  to  those  trag- 
ical delusions,  and  worship  the  things  of  the  world,  in- 
stead of  fattening  on  the. famine  of  the  desert,  which  is 
the  sustenance  of  them  that  would  live  forever!  Lift  your 
eyes  upwards,  my  brethren " 

*'  Rather  turn  them  to  the  earth  !  "  interrupted  a  deep, 
authoritative  voice  from  the  body  of  the  church  ;  "  there 
is  present  need  of  all  your  faculties  to  save  life,  and  even 
to  guard  the  tabernacle  of  the  Lord  ! " 

Religious  exercises  composed  the  recreation  of  the 
dwellers  in  that  distant  settlement.  When  they  met  in 
companies  to  lighten  the  load  of  life,  prayer  and  songs  of 
praise  were  among  the  usual  indulgences  of  the  entertain- 
ment. To  them  a  sermon  was  like  a  gay  scenic  exhibition 
in  other  and  vainer  communities,  and  none  listened  to  the 
word  with  cold  and  inattentive  ears.  In  literal  obedience 
to  the  command  of  the  preacher,  and  sympathizing  with 
his  own  action,  every  eye  in  the  congregation  had  been 
turned  toward  the  naked  rafters  of  the  roof,  when  the  un- 
known tones  of  him  who  spoke  broke  the  momentary  de- 
lusion. It  is  needless  to  say  that,  by  a  common  movement, 
they  sought  an  explanation  of  this  extraordinary  appeal. 
The  divine  became  mute,  equally  with  wonder  and  with 
indignation. 

A  first  glance  was  enough  to  assure  all  present,  that  new 
and  important  interests  were  likely  to  be  awakened.  A 
stranger  of  grave  aspect,  and  of  a  calm  but  understanding 
eye,  stood  at  the  side  of  Whittal  Ring.  His  attire  was  of 
the  simple  guise  and  homely  materials  of  the  country.  Still 
he  bore  about  his  person  enough  of  the  equipments  of  one 
familiar  with  the  wars  of  the  eastern  hemisphere,  to  strike 
the  senses.  His  hand  was  armed  with  a  shining  broad- 
sword, such  as  was  then  used  by  the  cavaliers  of  England, 
and  at  his  back  was  slung  the  short  carbine  of  one  who 
battled  in  the  saddle.  His  mien  was  dignified  and  even 
commanding,  and  there  was  no  second  look  necessary  to 
show  that  he  was  an  intruder  of  a  character  altogether 
different  from  the  moping  innocent  at  his  side. 

"  Why  is  one  of  an  unknown  countenance  come  to  dis- 
turb the  worship  of  the  temple  ? "  demanded  Meek,  when 
astonishment  permitted  utterance.  "  Thrice  hath  this 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-W1SH.  249 

holy  day  been  profaned  by  the  foot  of  the  stranger,  and 
well  may  it  be  doubted  whether  we  live  not  under  an  evil 
agency." 

"Arm,  men  of  the  Wish-Ton-Wish!  arm,  and  to  your 
defences  ! " 

A  cry  arose  without,  that  seemed  to  circle  the  whole 
valley  ;  and  then  a  thousand  whoops  rolled  out  of  the 
arches  of  the  forest,  and  appeared  to  meet  in  one  hostile 
din  above  the  devoted  hamlet.  These  were  sounds  that 
had  been  too  often  heard,  or  too  often  described,  not  to 
be  generally  understood.  A  scene  of  wild  confusion  fol- 
lowed. 

Each  man,  on  entering  the  church,  had  deposited  his 
arms  at  the  door,  and  thither  most  of  the  stout  borderers 
were  now  seen  hastening,  to  resume  their  weapons.  Women 
gathered  their  children  to  their  sides,  and  the  wails  of  hor- 
ror and  alarm  were  beginning  to  break  through  the  re- 
straints of  habit. 

"  Peace  ! "  exclaimed  the  pastor,  seemingly  excited  to  a 
degree  above  human  emotion.  "  Ere  we  go  forth,  let 
there  be  a  voice  raised  to  our  heavenly  Father.  The 
asking  shall  be  as  a  thousand  men  of  war  battling  in  our 
behalf ! " 

The  commotion  ceased  as  suddenly  as  if  a  mandate  had 
been  issued  from  that  place  to  which  their  petition  was  to 
be  addressed.  Even  the  stranger,  who  had  regarded  the 
preparations  with  a  stern  but  anxious  eye,  bowed  his  head, 
and  seemed  to  join  in  the  prayer,  with  a  devoted  and  con- 
fiding heart. 

"  Lord  ! "  said  Meek,  stretching  his  meagre  arms,  with 
the  palms  of  the  hands  open,  high  above  the  heads  of  his 
flock,  "  at  thy  bidding,  we  go  forth;  with  thy  aid,  the 
gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail  against  us  ;  with  thy  mercy, 
there  is  hope  in  heaven  and  on  earth.  It  is  for  thy  taber- 
nacle that  we  shed  blood  ;  it  is  for  thy  word  that  we  con- 
tend. Battle  in  our  behalf,  King  of  Kings!  send  thy  heavenly 
legions  to  our  succor,  that  the  song  of  victory  may  be  in< 
cense  at  thy  altars,  and  a  foul  hearing  to  the  ears  of  the 
enemy — Amen." 

There  was  a  depth  in  the  voice  of  the  speaker,  a  super- 
natural calmness  in  the  tones,  and  so  great  a  confidence  in 
the  support  of  the  mighty  ally  implored,  that  the  words 
went  to  every  heart.  It  was  impossible  that  Nature  should 
not  be  powerful  within,  but  a  high  and  exciting  enthusi- 
asm began  to  lift  the  people  far  above  its  influence.  Thus 


250  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

awakened  by  an  appeal  to  feelings  that  had  never  slum- 
bered, and  stimulated  by  all  the  moving  interests  of  life, 
the  men  of  the  valley  poured  out  of  the  temple  in  defence 
of  person  and  fireside,  and,  as  they  believed,  of  religion 
and  of  God. 

There  was  pressing  necessity  not  only  for  this  zeal,  but 
for  all  the  physical  energies  of  the  stoutest  of  their  num- 
bers. The  spectacle  that  met  the  view  on  issuing  into  the 
open  air,  was  one  that  might  have  appalled  the  hearts  of 
warriors  more  practised,  and  have  paralyzed  the  efforts  of 
men  less  susceptible  to  the  impressions  of  religious  ex- 
citement. 

Dark  forms  were  leaping  through  the  fields  on  the  hill- 
sides ;  and  all  adown  the  slopes  that  conducted  to  the  val- 
ley armed  savages  were  seen  pouring  madly  forward,  on 
their  path  of  .destruction  and  vengeance.  Behind  them, 
the  brand  and  the  knife  had  been  already  used  ;  for  the  log 
tenement,  the  stacks,  and  the  out-buildings  of  Reuben 
Ring,  and  of  several  others  who  dwelt  in  the  skirts  of  the 
settlement,  were  sending  forth  clouds  of  murky  smoke,  in 
which  forked  and  angry  flames  were  already  flashing 
fiercely.  But  danger  most  pressed  still  nearer.  A  long 
line  of  fierce  warriors  was  even  in  the  meadows  ;  and  in 
no  direction  could  the  eye  be  turned  that  it  did  not  meet 
with  the  appalling  proof  that  the  village  was  completely 
surrounded  by  an  overwhelming  superiority  of  force. 

"  To  the  garrison !"  shouted  some  of  the  foremost  of 
those  who  first  saw  the  nature  and  imminency  of  the  dan 
ger,  pressing  forward  themselves  in  the  direction  of  the  for- 
tified house.     "  To  the  garrison  or  we  are  lost !  " 

"  Hold  !  "  exclaimed  that  voice  which  was  so  strange  to 
the  ears  of  most  of  those  who  heard  it,  but  which  spoke  in  a 
manner  that  by  its  compass  and  firmness  commanded 
obedience.  "  With  this  mad  disorder  we  are  truly  lost 
Let  Captain  Content  Heathcote  come  to  my  councils." 

Notwithstanding  the  tumult  and  confusion  which  had 
now  in  truth  begun  to  rage  fearfully  around  him,  the  quiet 
and  self-restrained  individual  to  whom  the  legal  and  per- 
haps moral  right  to  command  belonged,  had  lost  none  of 
his  customary  composure.  It  was  plain  by  the  look  of 
powerful  amazement  with  which  he  had  at  first  regarded 
the  stranger  on  his  sudden  interruption  of  the  service,  and 
by  the  glances  of  secret  intelligence  and  of  recognition 
they  exchanged,  that  they  had  met  before.  But  this  was 
no  time  for  greetings  or  explanations,  nor  was  that  a  scene 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  25! 

in  which  to  waste  the  precious  moments  in  useless  contests 
about  opinions. 

"  I  am  here,"  said  he  who  was  thus  called  for  ;  "ready 
to  lead  whither  thy  prudence  and  experience  shall  point 
the  way." 

"  Speak  to  thy  people,  and  separate  the  combatants  in 
three  bodies  of  equal  strength.  One  shall  press  forward 
to  the  meado\vs,  and  beat  back  the  savage  ere  he  encircle 
the  palisadoed  house  ;  the  second  shall  proceed  with  the 
feeble  and  tender  in  their  flight  to  its  covers  ;  and  with  the 
third — but  thou  knowest  that  which  I  would  do  with  the 
third.  Hasten,  or  we  lose  all  by  tardiness." 

It  was  perhaps  fortunate  that  orders  so  necessary  and  so 
urgent  were  given  to  one  little  accustomed  to  superfluity 
of  speech.  Without  offering  either  commendation  or  dis- 
sent, Content  obeyed.  Accustomed  to  his  authority,  and 
conscious  of  the  critical  situation  of  all  that  was  dear,  the 
men  of  the  village  yielded  an  obedience  more  prompt  and 
effective  than  it  is  usual  to  meet  in  soldiers  who  are  not 
familiar  with  habits  of  discipline.  The  fighting  men  were 
quickly  separated  into  three  bodies,  consisting  of  rather 
more  than  a  score  of  combatants  in  each.  One,  command- 
ed by  Eben  Dudley,  advanced  at  quick  time  toward  the 
meadows  in  the  rear  of  the  fortress,  that  the  whooping 
body  of  savages,  who  were  already  threatening  to  cut  off 
the  retreat  of  the  women  and  children,  should  be  checked  ,• 
while  another  departed  in  a  nearly  opposite  direction,  tak- 
ing the  street  of  the  hamlet,  for  the  purpose  of  meeting 
those  who  advanced  by  the  southern  entrance  of  the  val- 
ley. The  third  and  last  of  these  small  but  devoted  bod- 
ies remained  stationary,  in  attendance  for  more  definite 
orders. 

At  the  moment  when  the  first  of  these  little  divisions  of 
force  was  ready  to  move,  the  divine  appeared  in  its  front, 
with  an  air  in  which  spiritual  reliance  on  the  purposes  of 
Providence,  and  some  show  of  temporal  determination, 
were  singularly  united.  In  one  hand  he  bore  a  Bible, 
which  he  raised  on  high  as  the  sacred  standard  of  his  fol- 
lowers, and  in  the  other  he  brandished  a  short  broadsword, 
in  a  manner  that  proved  there  might  be  danger  in  encoun- 
tering its  blade.  The  volume  was  open,  and  at  brief  inter- 
vals the  divine  read  in  a  high  and  excited  voice  such  pas, 
sages  as  accidentally  met  his  eye,  the  leaves  blowing  about 
in  a  manner  to  produce  a  rather  remarkable  admixture  of 
doctrine  and  sentiment.  But  to  these  trifling  moral  incon- 


252  THE  WEPT  OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

gruities,  both  the  pastor  and  his  parishioners  were  alike 
indifferent ;  their  subtle  mental  exercises  having  given 
birth  to  a  tendency  of  aptly  reconciling  all  seeming  dis- 
crepancies, as  well  as  of  accommodating  the  most  abstruse 
doctrines  to  the  more  familiar  interests  of  life. 

"  Israel  and  the  Philistines  had  put  their  battle  in  array, 
army  against  army,"  commenced  Meek,  as  the  troop  he  led 
began  its  advance.  Then  reading  at  short  intervals,  he 
continued,  "  Behold,  I  will  do  a  thing  in  Israel,  at  which 
both  the  ears  of  every  one  that  heareth  it  shall  tingle." — 
"  Oh  house  of  Aaron,  trust  in  the  Lord  ;  he  is  thy  help  and 
thy  shield." — "  Deliver  me,  O  Lord,  from  the  evil  man  ; 
preserve  me  from  the  violent  man." — "  Let  burning  coals 
fall  upon  them  ;  let  them  be  cast  into  the  fire  ;  into  deep 
pits,  that  they  rise  not  again." — "  Let  the  wicked  fall  into 
their  own  nets,  whilst  that  I,  withal,  escape." — "  Therefore 
doth  my  father  love  me,  because  I  lay  down  my  life,  that  I 
may  take  it  again." — "  He  that  hateth  me,'hateth  my  father 
also." — "  Father,  forgive  them,  for  they  know  not  what 
they  do." — "They  have  heard  that  it  hath  been  said,  an 
eye  for  an  eye,  and  a  tooth  for  a  tooth." — "For  Joshua 
drew  not  his  hand  back,  wherewith  he  stretched  out  the 
spear,  until  he  had  utterly  destroyed  all  the  inhabitants  of 

Ai "  Thus  far  the  words  of  Meek  were  intelligible  to 

those  who  remained,  but  distance  soon  confounded  the 
syllables.  Then  naught  was  audible  but  the  yells  of  the 
enemy,  the  tramp  of  the  men  who  pressed  in  the  rear  of 
the  priest,  with  a  display  of  military  pomp  as  formidable 
as  their  limited  means  would  allow,  and  those  clear  high 
tones,  which  sounded  in  the  ears  and  quickened  the  blood 
at  the  hearts  of  his  followers  as  though  they  had  been 
trumpet-blasts.  In  a  few  more  minutes  the  little  band  was 
scattered  behind  the  covers  of  the  fields,  and  the  rattling 
of  fire-arms  succeeded  to  the  quaint  and  characteristic 
manner  of  their  march. 

While  this  movement  was  made  in  front,  the  party 
ordered  to  cover  the  village  was  not  idle.  Commanded  by 
a  sturdy  yeoman,  who  filled  the  office  of  lieutenant,  it  ad- 
vanced with  less  of  religious  display,  but  with  equal  activ- 
ity, in  the  direction  of  the  south  ;  and  the  sounds  of  con- 
tention were  quickly  heard,  proclaiming  both  the  urgency 
of  the  measure  and  the  warmth  of  the  conflict. 

In  the  meantime  equal  decision,  though  tempered  by 
some  circumstances  of  deep  personal  interest,  was  displayed 
by  those  who  had  been  left  in  front  of  the  church.  As 


THE   WEPT  OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  253 

soon  as  the  band  of  Meek  had  got  to  such  a  distance  as  to 
promise  security  to  those  who  followed,  the  stranger  com' 
manded  the  children  to  be  led  toward  the  fortified  house. 
This  duty  was  performed  by  the  trembling  mothers,  who 
had  been  persuaded  with  difficulty  to  defer  it  until  cooler 
heads  should  pronounce  that  the  proper  moment  had  come. 
A  few  of  the  women  dispersed  among  the  dwellings  in 
quest  of  the  infirm,  while  all  the  boys  of  proper  age  were 
actively  employed  in  transporting  indispensable  articles 
from  the  village  within  the  palisadoes.  As  these  several 
movements  were  simultaneous,  but  a  very  few  minutes 
elapsed  between  the  time  when  the  orders  were  issued  and 
the  moment  when  they  were  accomplished. 

"  I  had  intended  that  thou  should'st  have  had  the  charge 
in  the  meadows,"  said  the  stranger  to  Content,  when 
naught  remained  to  be  performed,  but  that  which  had  been 
reserved  for  the  last  of  the  three  little  bands  of  fighting 
men.  "  But  as  the  work  proceedeth  bravely  in  that  quar- 
ter, we  will  move  in  company.  Why  doth  this  maiden 
tarry  ? " 

"  Truly,  I  know  not,  unless  it  may  be  of  fear.  There  is 
an  opening  for  thy  passage  into  the  fort,  Martha,  with 
others  of  thy  sex." 

"  I  will  follow  the  fighters  that  are  about  to  march  to  the 
rescue  of  them  that  remain  in  our  habitation,"  said  the 
girl,  in  a  low  but  steady  voice. 

"And  how  know'st  thou  that  such  is  the  service  in- 
tended for  those  here  arrayed  ? "  demanded  the  stranger, 
with  a  little  show  of  displeasure  that  his  military  purposes 
should  have  been  anticipated. 

"  I  see  it  in  the  countenances  of  them  that  tarry,"  re- 
turned the  other,  gazing  furtively  towards  Mark,  who, 
posted  in  the  little  line,  could  with  difficulty  brook  a  de- 
lay which  threatened  his  father's  house,  and  those  \vhom 
it  held,  with  so  much  jeopardy. 

"Forward!"  cried  the  stranger.  "Here  is  no  leisure 
for  dispute.  Let  the  maiden  take  wisdom  and  hasten  to 
the  fort.  Follow,  men,  stout  of  heart,  or  we  come  too  late 
to  the  succor  !  " 

Martha  waited  until  the  party  had  advanced  a  few  paces, 
and  then,  instead  of  obeying  the  repeated  mandate  to  con- 
sult her  personal  safety,  she  took  the  direction  of  the 
armed  band. 

"I  fear  me  that 'twill  exceed  our  strength,"  observed 
the  stranger,  who  marched  in  front  at  the  side  of  Content* 


254  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

"to  make  good  the  dwelling,  at  so  great  distance  from 
further  aid." 

"And  yet  the  visitation  will  be  heavy  that  shall  drive  us 
for  a  second  time  to  the  fields  for  a  resting-place.  In 
what  manner  didst  get  warning  of  this  inroad  ?" 

"The  savages  believed  themselves  concealed  in  the  cun- 
ning place,  where  thou  know'st  that  my  eye  had  opportu- 
nity to  overlook  their  artifices.  There  is  a  Providence  in 
our  least  seeming  calculations  :  an  imprisonment  of  weary 
years  hath  its  reward  in  this  warning  !  " 

Content  appeared  to  acquiesce,  but  the  situation  of 
affairs  prevented  the  discourse  from  becoming  more  mi- 
nute. 

As  they  approached  the  dwelling  of  the  Heathcotes, 
better  opportunity  of  observing  the  condition  of  things  in 
and  around  the  house  was  of  course  obtained.  The  posi- 
tion of  the  building  would  have  rendered  any  attempt  on 
the  part  of  those  in  it  to  gain  the  fort,  ere  the  arrival  of 
assistance,  desperately  hazardous,  since  the  meadows  that 
lay  between  them  were  already  alive  with  the  ferocious 
warriors  of  the  enemy.  But  it  was  evident  that  the  Puri- 
tan, whose  infirmities  kept  him  within  doors,  entertained 
no  such  design  ;  for  it  was  shortly  apparent  that  those 
within  were  closing  and  barring  the  windows  of  the  habi- 
tation, and  that  other  provisions  for  defence  were  in  the 
course  of  active  preparation.  The  feelings  of  Content, 
who  knew  that  the  house  contained  only  his  wife  and 
father,  with  one  female  assistant,  were  excited  to  agony, 
as  the  party  he  commanded  drew  near  on  one  side,  at  a 
distance  about  equal  to  that  of  a  band  of  the  enemy,  who 
were  advancing  diagonally  from  the  woods  on  the  other. 
He  saw  the  efforts  of  those  so  dear  to  him,  as  they  had  re- 
course to  the  means  of  security  provided  to  repel  the  very 
danger  which  now  threatened  ;  and  to  his  eyes  it  appeared 
that  the  trembling  hands  of  Ruth  had  lost  their  power, 
when  haste  and  confusion  more  than  once  defeated  the 
object  of  her  exertions. 

"  We  must  b'*eak  and  charge,  or  the  savage  will  be  too 
speedy  ! "  he  said,  in  tones  that  grew  thick  from  breath- 
ing quicker  than  was  wont,  for  one  of  his  calm  tempera- 
ment. "  See  !  they  enter  the  orchard  !  In  another  minute 
they  will  be  masters  of  the  dwelling !  " 

But  his  companion  marched  with  a  firmer  step,  and 
looked  with  a  cooler  eye.  There  was  in  his  gaze  the 
understanding  of  a  man  practised  in  scenes  of  sudden 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  255 

danger,  and  in  his  mien  the  authority  of  one  accustomed 
to  command. 

11  Fear  not,"  he  answered ;  "  the  art  of  old  Mark 
Heathcote  hath  departed  from  him,  or  he  still  knoweth 
how  to  make  good  his  citadel  against  a  first  onset  If 
we  quit  our  order  the  superiority  of  concert  will  be  lost, 
and  being  few  in  numbers  defeat  will  be  certain  ;  but 
with  this  front,  and  a  fitting  steadiness,  our  march  may 
not  be  repulsed.  To  thee,  Captain  Content  Heathcote,  it 
need  not  be  told,  that  he  who  now  counsels  hath  seen  the 
strife  of  savages  ere  this  hour." 

"  I  know  it  well — but  dost  not  see  my  Ruth  laboring  at 
the  ill-fated  shutter  of  the  chamber?  The  woman  will  be 
slain  in  her  heedlessness — for,  hark  !  there  beginneth  the 
volley  of  the  enemy ! " 

"  No,  'tis  he  who  led  my  troop  in  a  far  different  war- 
fare ! "  exclaimed  the  stranger,  whose  form  grew  more  erect, 
and  whose  thoughtful  and  deeply-furrowed  features  as- 
sumed something  like  the  stern  pleasure  which  kindles  in 
the  soldier  as  the  sounds  of  contention  increase.  "  'Tis 
old  Mark  Heathcote,  true  to  his  breeding  and  his  name! 
he  hath  let  off  the  culverin  upon  the  knaves!  behold,  they 
are  already  disposed  to  abandon  one  who  speaketh  so 
boldly,  and  are  breaking  through  the  fences  to  the  left,  that 
we  may  taste  something  of  their  quality.  Now,  bold  English- 
men, strong  of  hand  and  stout  of  heart,  you  have  training 
in  your  duty,  and  you  shall  not  be  wanting  in  example. 
You  have  wives  and  children  at  hand,  looking  at  your 
deeds  ;  and  there  is  One  above  that  taketh  note  of  the  man- 
ner in  which  you  serve  in  this  cause.  Here  is  an  opening 
for  your  skill  ;  scourge  the  cannibals  with  the  hand  of 
death  !  On,  on  to  the  onset,  and  to  victory !  " 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

"Hect.  Is  this  Achilles  ? 

Achil.  I  am  Achilles. 

Hect.  Stand  fair,  I  pray  thee  :  let  me  look  on  thee." 

— Troilus  and  Cressida. 

IT  may  now  be  necessary  to  take  a  rapid  glance  at  th<? 
situation  of  the  whole  combat,  which  had  begun  to  thicken 
in  different  parts  of  the  valley.  The  party  led  by  Dudley 


256  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-W.ISH. 

and  exhorted  by  Meek,  had  broken  its  order  on  reaching 
the  meadows  behind  the  fort,  and  seeking  the  covers  of  the 
stumps  and  fences,  it  had  thrown  in  its  fire  with  good  effect 
on  the  irregular  band  that  had  pressed  into  the  fields.  This 
decision  quickly  caused  a  change  in  the  manner  of  the 
advance.  The  Indians  took  to  covers  in  their  turn,  and  the 
struggle  assumed  that  desultory  but  dangerous  character, 
in  which  the  steadiness  and  resources  of  the  individual  are 
put  to  the  severest  trial.  Success  appeared  to  vacillate  ; 
the  white  men  at  one  time  widening  the  distance  between 
them  and  their  friends  in  the  dwelling,  and,  at  another, 
falling  back  as  if  disposed  to  seek  the  shelter  of  the  palisa- 
does.  Although  numbers  were  greatly  in  favor  of  the  In- 
dians, weapons  and  skill  supported  the  cause  of  their  ad- 
versaries. It  was  the  evident  wish  of  the  former  to  break 
in  upon  the  little  band  that  opposed  their  progress  to  the 
villag;e,  in  and  about  which  they  saw  that  scene  of  hurried 
exertion  which  has  already  been  described^ — a  spectacle  but 
little  likely  to  cool  the  furious  ardor  of  an  Indian  onset. 
But  the  wary  manner  in  which  Dudley  conducted  his  bat- 
tle, rendered  this  an  experiment  of  exceeding  hazard. 

However  heavy  of  intellect  the  ensign  might  appear  on 
other  occasions,  the  present  was  one  every  way  adapted  to 
draw  out  his  best  and  most  manly  qualities.  Of  large  and 
powerful  stature,  he  felt  in  moments  of  strife  a  degree 
of  confidence  in  himself,  that  was  commensurate  with  the 
amount  of  physical  force  he  wielded.  To  this  hardy  assur- 
ance was  to  be  added  no  trifling  portion  of  the  sort  of 
enthusiasm  that  can  be  awakened  in  the  most  sluggish 
bosoms,  and  which,  like  the  anger  of  an  even-tempered 
man,  is  only  the  more  formidable  from  the  usually  quiet 
habits  of  the  individual.  Nor  was  this  the  first,  by  many, 
of  Ensign  Dudley's  warlike  deeds.  Besides  the  desperate 
affair  already  related  in  these  pages,  he  had  been  engaged 
in  divers  hostile  expeditions  against  the  aborigines,  and  on 
all  occasions  had  he  shown  a  cool  head  and  a  resolute 
mind. 

There  was  pressing  necessity  for  both  these  essential 
qualities  in  the  situation  in  wThich  the  ensign  now  found 
himself.  By  properly  extending  his  little  force,  and  yet 
keeping  it  at  the  same  time  perfectly  within  supporting 
distance,  by  emulating  the  caution  of  his  foes  in  consult- 
ing the  covers,  and  by  reserving  a  portion  of  his  fire 
throughout  the  broken  and  yet  well  ordered  line,  the  sav- 
ages were  finally  beaten  back,  from  stump  to  stump,  from 


THE   WEPT   OF  IVISH-TON-WISH.  257 

hillock  to  hillock,  and  fence  to  fence,  until  they  had 
fairly  entered  the  margin  of  the  forest.  Further,  the 
experienced  eye  of  the  borderer  saw  he  could  not  follow. 
Many  of  his  men  were  bleeding,  and  growing  weaker  as 
the  wounds  still  flowed.  The  protection  of  the  trees  gave 
the  enemy  too  great  an  advantage  for  their  position  to  be 
forced,  and  destruction  would  have  been  the  inevitable 
consequence  of  the  close  struggle  which  must  have  fol- 
lowed a  charge.  In  this  stage  of  the  combat  Dudley  be- 
gan to  cast  anxious  and  inquiring  looks  behind  him.  He 
saw  that  support  was  not  to  be  expected,  and  he  also  saw 
with  regret  that  many  of  the  women  and  children  were 
still  busy  transporting  necessaries  from  the  village  into 
the  fort.  Falling  back  to  a  better  line  of  covers,  and  to  a 
distance  that  materially  lessened  the  danger  of  the  arrows, 
the  weapons  used  by  quite  two-thirds  of  his  enemies,  he 
awaited  in  sullen  silence  the  proper  moment  to  effect  a 
fuither  retreat. 

It  was  while  the  party  of  Dudley  stood  thus  at  bay,  that 
a  fierce  yell  rang  in  the  arches  of  the  forest.  It  was  an 
exclamation  of  pleasure,  uttered  in  the  wild  manner  of 
those  people  ;  as  if  the  tenants  of  the  woods  were  ani- 
mated by  some  sudden  and  general  impulse  of  joy.  The 
crouching  yeomen  regarded  each  other  in  uneasiness,  but 
seeing  no  sign  of  wavering  in  the  steady  mien  of  their 
leader,  each  man  kept  close,  awaiting  some  further  exhi- 
bition of  the  devices  of  their  foes.  Ere  another  minute 
had  passed,  two  warriors  appeared  at  the  margin  of  the 
wood,  where  they  stood  apparently  in  contemplation  of 
the  different  scenes  that  were  acting  in  various  parts  of 
the  valley.  More  than  one  musket  was  levelled  with  the 
intent  to  injure  them,  but  a  sign  from  Dudley  prevented 
attempts  that  would  most  probably  have  been  frustrated 
by  the  never-slumbering  vigilance  of  a  North  American 
Indian. 

There  was,  however,  something  in  the  air  and  port  of 
these  two  individuals,  that  had  its  share  in  producing  the 
forbearance  of  Dudley.  They  were  evidently  both  chiefs, 
and  of  far  more  than  usual  estimation.  As  was  common 
with  the  military  leaders  of  the  Indians,  they  were  men 
also  of  large  and  commanding  stature.  Viewed  at  the 
distance  from  which  they  were  seen,  one  seemed  a  war- 
rior who  had  reached  the  meridian  of  his  days,  while  the 
other  had  the  lighter  step  and  more  flexible  movement  of 
a  much  briefer  existence.  Both  were  well  armed,  and,  as 


258  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WJSH. 

was  usual  with  the  people  of  their  origin,  on  the  war-path, 
they  were  clad  only  in  the  customary  scanty  covering  of 
waist-cloths  and  leggings.  The  former,  however,  were  of 
scarlet,  and  the  latter  were  rich  in  the  fringes  and  bright 
colors  of  Indian  ornaments.  The  elder  of  the  two  wore 
a  gay  belt  of  wampum  around  his  head  in  the  form  of  a 
turban ;  but  the  younger  appeared  with  a  shaven  crown, 
on  which  nothing  but  the  customary  chivalrous  scalp-lock 
was  visible. 

The  consultation,  like  most  of  the  incidents  that  have 
been  just  related,  occupied  but  a  very  few  minutes.  Tne 
eldest  of  the  chiefs  issued  some  orders.  The  mind  of  Dud- 
ley was  anxiously  endeavoring  to  anticipate  their  nature, 
when  the  two  disappeared  together.  The  ensign  would 
now  have  been  left  entirely  to  vague  conjectures,  had  not 
the  rapid  execution  of  the  mandates  that  had  been  issued 
to  the  youngest  of  the  Indians,  soon  left  him  in  no  doubt 
of  their  intentions.  Another  loud  and  general  shout  drew 
his  attention  toward  the  right  ;  and  when  he  had  endeav- 
ored to  strengthen  his  position  by  calling  three  or  four  of 
the  best  marksmen  to  that  end  of  his  little  line,  the  young- 
est of  the  chiefs  was  seen  bounding  across  the  meadow, 
leading  a  train  of  whooping  followers  to  the  covers  that 
commanded  its  opposite  extremity.  In  short,  the  position 
of  Dudley  was  completely  turned  ;  and  the  stumps  and 
angles  of  the  fences  which  secreted  his  men,  were  likely 
to  become  of  no  further  use.  The  emergency  demanded 
decision.  Collecting  his  yeomen  ere  the  enemy  had  time 
to  profit  by  his  advantage,  the  ensign  ordered  a  rapid  re- 
treat toward  the  fort.  In  this  movement  he  was  favored 
by  the  formation  of  the  ground,  a  circumstance  that  had 
been  well  considered  on  the  advance  ;  and  in  a  very  few 
minutes  the  party  found  itself  safely  posted  under  the  pro- 
tection of  a  scattering  fire  from  the  palisadoes,  which  im- 
mediately checked  the  pursuit  of  the  whooping  and  exult- 
ing foe.  The  wounded  men,  after  a  stern  or  rather  sullen 
halt,  that  was  intended  to  exhibit  the  unconquerable  deter- 
mination of  the  whites,  withdrew  into  the  works  for  suc- 
cor, leaving  the  command  of  Dudley  reduced  by  nearly 
one-half  of  its  numbers.  With  this  diminished  force,  how- 
ever, he  promptly  turned  his  attention  toward  the  assist- 
ance of  those  who  combated  at  the  opposite  extremity  of 
the  village.  - 

Allusion  has  already  been  made  to  the  manner  in  which 
the  houses  of  a  new  settlement  were  clustered  near  each 


THE   WEPT  OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  259 

other,  at  the  commencement  of  the  colonial  establishments. 
In  addition  to  the  more  obvious  and  sufficient  motive, 
which  has  given  rise  to  the  same  inconvenient  and  unpict- 
uresque  manner  of  building  over  nine-tenths  of  the  conti- 
nent of  Europe,  there  had  been  found  a  religious  induce- 
ment for  conforming  to  the  custom.  One  of  the  enactments 
of  the  Puritans  said,  that  "  no  man  shall  set  his  dwelling- 
house  above  the  distance  of  half-a-mile,  or  a  mile  at  far- 
thest, from  the  meeting  of  the  congregation  where  the 
church  doth  usually  assemble  for  the  worship  of  God." 
"The  support  of  the  worship  of  God,  in  church  fellowship," 
was  the  reason  alleged  for  this  arbitrary  provision  of  the 
law;  but  it  is  quite  probable  that  support  against  danger  of 
a  more  temporal  character  was  another  motive.  There  were 
those  within  the  fort  who  believed  the  smoking  piles  that 
were  to  be  seen,  here  and  there,  in  the  clearings  on  the 
hills,  owed  their  destruction  to  a  disregard  of  that  protec- 
tion which  was  thought  to  be  yielded  to  those  who  leaned 
with  the  greatest  confidence,  even  in  the  forms  of  earthly 
transactions,  on  the  sustaining  power  of  an  all-seeing  and 
all-directing  Providence.  Among  this  number  was  Reuben 
Ring,  who  submitted  to  the  loss  of  his  habitation,  as  to  a 
merited  punishment  for  the  light-mindedness  that  had 
tempted  him  to  erect  a  dwelling  at  the  utmost  limits  of  the 
prescribed  distance. 

As  the  party  of  Dudley  retreated,  that  sturdy  yeoman 
stood  at  a  window  of  the  chamber  in  which  his  prolific 
partner  with  her  recent  gift  were  safely  lodged,  for  in  that 
moment  of  confusion  the  husband  was  compelled  to  dis- 
charge the  double  duty  of  sentinel  and  nurse.  He  had  just 
fired  his  piece,  and  he  had  reason  to  think  with  success,  on 
the  enemies  that  pressed  too  closely  on  the  retiring  party, 
and  as  he  reloaded  the  gun,  he  turned  a  melancholy  eye  on 
the  pile  of  smoking  embers,  that  now  lay  where  his  hum- 
ble but  comfortable  habitation  had  so  lately  stood. 

"  I  fear  me,  Abundance,"  he  said,  shaking  his  head  with 
a  sigh,  "that  there  was  error  in  the  measurement  between 
the  meeting  and  the  clearing.  Some  misgivings  of  the  law- 
fulness of  stretching  the  chain  across  the  hollows,  came 
over  me  at  the  time  ;  but  the  pleasant  knoll,  where  the 
dwelling  stood,  was  so  healthful  and  commodious,  that,  if 
it  were  a  sin,  I  hope  it  is  one  that  is  forgiven  !  There  doth 
not  seem  so  much  as  the  meanest  of  its  logs,  that  is  not 
now  melted  uito  white  ashes  by  the  fire  !" 

"  Raise  me,   husband,"  returned   the  wife,  in  the  weak 


s»6o  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

voice  natural  to  her  feeble  situation  ;  "  raise  me  with  thine 
arm,  that  I  may  look  upon  the  place  where  my  babes  first 
oaw  the  light." 

Her  request  was  granted,  and,  for  a  minute,  the  woman 
gazed  in  mute  grief  at  the  destruction  of  her  comfortable 
home.  Then,  as  a  fresh  yell  from  the  foe  rose  on  the  air 
without,  she  trembled,  and  turned  with  a  mother's  care  to- 
ward the  unconscious  beings  that  slumbered  at  her  side. 

"  Thy  brother  hath  been  driven  by  the  heathen  to  the 
foot  of  the  palisadoes,"  observed  the  other,  after  regarding 
his  companion  with  manly  kindness  for  a  moment,  "  and  he 
hath  lessened  his  force  by  many  that  are  wounded." 

A  short  but  eloquent  pause  succeeded.  The  wToman 
turned  her  tearful  eyes  upward,  and  stretching  out  a  blood- 
less hand,  she  answered — 

"  I  know  what  thou  would'st  do — :it  is  not  meet  that  Ser- 
geant Ring  should  be  a  woman-tender,  when  the  Indian 
enemy  is  in  his  neighbor's  fields  !  Go  to  thy  duty,  and  that 
which  is  to  be  done,  do  manfully  !  and  yet  would  I  have 
thee  remember  how  many  there  are  who  lean  upon  thy  life 
for  a  father's  care." 

The  yeoman  first  cast  a  cautious  look  around  him,  for 
this  the  decent  and  stern  usages  of  the  Puritans  exacted, 
and  perceiving  that  the  girl  who  had  occasionally  entered 
to  tend  the  sick  was  not  present,  he  stooped,  and  impress- 
ing his  lips  on  the  cheek  of  his  wife,  he  threw  a  yearning 
look  at  his  offspring,  shouldered  his  musket,  and  descended 
to  the  court. 

When  Reuben  Ring  joined  the  party  of  Dudley,  the  lat- 
ter had  just  issued  an  order  to  march  to  the  support  of 
those  who  still  stoutly  defended  the  southern  entry  of  the 
village.  The  labor  of  securing  necessaries  was  not  yet 
ended,  and  it  was  on  every  account  an  object  of  the  last 
importance  to  make  good  the  hamlet  against  the  enemy. 
The  task,  however,  was  not  as  difficult  as  the  force  of  the 
Indians  might  at  first  have  given  reason  to  believe.  The  con- 
flict, by  this  time,  had  extended  to  the  party  which  was 
headed  by  Content,  and,  in  consequence,  the  Indians  were 
compelled  to  contend  with  a  divided  force.  The  buildings 
themselves,  with  the  fences  and  out-houses,  were  so  many 
breastworks,  and  it  was  plain  that  the  assailants  acted  with 
a  caution  and  concert,  that  betrayed  the  direction  of  some 
mind  more  highly  gifted  than  those  which  ordinarily  fall  to 
the  lot  of  uncivilized  men. 

The  task  of  Dudley  was  not  so  difficult  as  before,  since  the 


THE   WEPT   OF  JVISH-TOAT-JVISff.  201 

enemy  ceased  to  press  upon  his  march,  preferring  to  watch 
the  movements  of  those  who  held  the  fortified  house,  of 
whose  numbers  they  were  ignorant,  and  of  whose  attacks 
they  were  evidently  jealous.  As  soon  as  the  reinforcement 
reached  the  lieutenant  who  defended  the  village,  he  com- 
manded the  charge,  and  his  men  advanced  with  shouts  and 
clamor,  some  singing  spiritual  songs,  others  lifting  up 
their  voices  in  prayer,  while  a  few  availed  themselves  of 
the  downright  and  perhaps  equally  effective  means  of 
raising  sounds  as  fearful  as  possible.  The  whole  being 
backed  by  spirited  and  well-directed  discharges  of  mus- 
ketry, the  effort  was  successful.  In  a  few  minutes  the  enemy 
fled,  leaving  that  side  of  the  valley  momentarily  free  from 
danger. 

Pursuit  would  have  been  folly.  After  posting  a  few 
lookouts  in  secret  arid  safe  positions  among  the  houses, 
the  whole  party  returned,  with  an  intention  of  cutting  off 
the  enemy  who  still  held  the  meadows  near  the  garrison. 
In  this  design,  however,  their  intentions  were  frustrated. 
The  instant  they  were  pressed,  the  Indians  gave  way,  evi- 
dently for  the  purpose  of  gaining  the  protection  of  the 
woods  ;  and  when  the  whites  returned  to  their  works,  they 
were  followed  in  a  manner  to  show  that  they  could  make 
no  further  movement  without  the  hazard  of  a  serious  as- 
sault. In  this  condition,  the  men  in  and  about  the  fort 
were  compelled  to  be  inefficient  spectators  of  the  scene 
that  was  taking  place  around  the  "  Heathcote-house,"  as 
the  dwelling  of  old  Mark  was  commonly  called. 

The  fortified  building  had  been  erected  for  the  protec- 
tion of  the  village  and  its  inhabitants,  an  object  that  its 
position  rendered  feasible  ;  but  it  could  offer  no  aid  to 
those  who  dwelt  without  the  range  of  the  musketry.  The 
only  piece  of  artillery  belonging  to  the  settlement,  was  the 
culverin  which  had  been  discharged  by  the  Puritan,  and 
which  served  for  the  moment  to  check  the  advance  of  his 
enemies.  But  the  exclamations  of  the  stranger,  and  the 
appeal  to  his  men,  with  which  the  last  chapter  closed,  suf- 
ficiently proclaimed  that  the  attack  was  diverted  from  the 
house,  and  that  work  of  a  bloody  character  now  offered  it- 
self to  those  he  and  his  companion  led. 

The  ground  around  the  dwelling  of  the  Heathcotes  ad- 
mitted of  closer  and  more  deadly  conflict  than  that  on 
which  the  other  portions  of  the  combat  had  occurred. 
Time  had  given  size  to  the  orchards,  and  wealth  had  mul- 
tiplied and  rendered  more  secure  the  enclosures  and  out- 


262  THE   WEPT  OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

buildings.  It  was  in  one  of  the  former  that  the  hostile 
parties  met,  and  came  to  that  issue  which  the  warlike  stran- 
ger had  foreseen. 

Content,  like  Dudley,  caused  his  men  to  separate,  and 
they  threw  in  their  fire  with  the  same  guarded  reservation 
that  had  been  practised  by  the  other  party.  Success  again 
attended  the  efforts  of  discipline  ;  the  whites  gradually 
beating  back  their  enemies,  until  there  was  a  probability 
of  forcing  them  entirely  into  the  open  ground  in  their 
rear,  a  success  that  would  have  been  tantamount  to  a  vic- 
tory. But  at  this  flattering  moment,  yells  were  heard  be- 
hind the  leaping  and  whooping  band  that  was  still  seen 
gliding  through  the  openings  of  the  smoke,  resembling  so 
many  dark  and  malignant  spectres  acting  their  evil  rites. 
Then,  as  a  chief  with  a  turbaned  head,  terrific  voice,  and 
commanding  stature,  appeared  in  their  front,  the  whole  of 
the  wavering  line  received  an  onward  impulse.  The  yells 
redoubled  ;  another  warrior  was  seen  brandishing  a  toma- 
hawk on  one  flank,  and  the  whole  of  the  deep  phalanx  came 
rushing  in  upon  the  whites,  threatening  to  sweep  them  away, 
as  the  outbreaking  torrent  carries  desolation  in  its  course. 

"  Men,  to  your  square  !  "  shouted  the  stranger,  disregard- 
ing cover  and  life  together,  in  such  a  pressing  emergency  ; 
"  to  your  square,  Christians,  and  be  firm." 

The  command  was  repeated  by  Content,  and  echoed 
from  mouth  to  mouth.  But  before  those  on  the  flanks 
could  reach  the  centre,  the  shock  had  come.  All  order 
being  lost,  the  combat  was  hand  to  hand,  one  party  fight- 
ing fiercely  for  victory,  and  the  other  knowing  that  they 
stood  at  the  awful  peril  of  their  lives.  After  the  first  dis- 
charge of  the  musket  and  the  twang  of  the  bow,  the  strug- 
gle was  maintained  with  knife  and  axe  ;  the  thrust  of  the 
former,  or  the  descent  of  the  keen  and  glittering  toma- 
hawk, being  answered  by  sweeping  and  crushing  blows  of 
the  musket's  butt,  or  by  throttling  grasps  of  hands  that 
were  clenched  in  the  death-gripe.  Men  fell  on  each  other 
in  piles,  and  when  the  conqueror  rose  to  shake  off  the 
bodies  of  those  who  gasped  at  his  feet,  his  frowning  eye 
rested  alike  on  friend  and  enemy.  The  orchard  rang  with 
yells  of  the  Indians,  but  the  colonists  fought  in  mute  de- 
spair. Sullen  resolution  only  gave  way  with  life  ;  and  it 
happened  more  than  once,  that  fearful  day,  that  the  usual 
reeking  token  of  an  Indian  triumph  was  swung  before  the 
stern  and  still  conscious  eyes  of  the  mangled  victim  from 
whose  head  it  had  been  torn. 


THE  WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  263 

In  this  frightful  scene  of  slaughter  and  ferocity,  the 
principal  personages  of  our  legend  were  not  idle.  By  a 
tacit  but  intelligent  understanding,  the  stranger  with  Con- 
tent and  his  son  placed  themselves  back  to  back,  and 
struggled  manfully  against  their  luckless  fortune.  The 
former  showed  himself  no  soldier  of  parade  ;  for,  knowing 
the  uselessness  of  orders  when  each  one  fought  for  life,  he 
dealt  out  powerful  blows  in  silence.  His  example  was 
nobly  emulated  by  Content ;  and  young  Mark  moved  limb 
and  muscle  with  the  vigorous  activity  of  his  age.  A  first 
onset  of  the  enemy  was  repelled,  and  for  a  moment  there 
was  a  faint  prospect  of  escape.  At  the  suggestion  of  the 
stranger,  the  three  moved  in  their  order  toward  the  dwell- 
ing, with  the  intention  of  trusting  to  their  personal  activity 
when  released  from  the  throng.  But  at  this  luckless  in- 
stant, when  hope  was  beginning  to  assume  the  air  of  prob- 
ability, a  chief  came  stalking  through  the  horrible  melee, 
seeking  on  each  side  some  victim  of  his  uplifted  axe.  A 
crowd  of  the  inferior  herd  pressed  at  his  heels,  and  a  first 
glance  told  the  assailed  that  the  decisive  moment  had 
come. 

At  the  sight  of  so  many  of  their  hated  enemies  still  liv- 
ing and  capable  of  suffering,  a  common  and  triumphant 
shout  burst  from  the  lips  of  the  Indians.  Their  leader, 
Jike  one  superior  to  the  more  vulgar  emotions  of  his  fol- 
lowers, alone  approached  in  silence.  As  the  band  opened 
and  divided  to  encircle  the  victims,  chance  brought  him 
face  to  face  with  Mark,  Like  his  foe  the  Indian  warrior 
was  still  in  the  freshness  and  vigor  of  young  manhood.  In 
stature,  years,  and  agility,  the  antagonists  seemed  equal ; 
and,  as  the  followers  of  the  chief  threw  themselves  on  the 
stranger  and  Content,  like  men  who  knew  their  leader 
needed  no  aid,  there  was  every  appearance  of  a  fierce  and 
doubtful  struggle.  But,  while  neither  of  the  combatants 
showed  any  desire  to  avoid  the  contest,  neither  was  in 
haste  to  give  the  commencing  blow.  A  painter,  or  rather 
sculptor,  would  have  seized  the  attitudes  of  these  young 
combatants  for  a  rich  exhibition  of  the  power  of  his  art. 

Mark,  like  most  of  his  friends,  had  cast  aside  all  super- 
fluous vestments  ere  he  approached  the  scene  of  strife. 
The  upper  part  of  his  body  was  naked  to  the  shirt,  and 
even  this  had  been  torn  asunder  by  the  rude  encounters 
through  which  he  had  already  passed.  The  whole  of  his 
full  and  heaving  chest  was  bare,  exposing  the  white  skin 
and  blue  veins  of  one  whose  fathers  had  come  from  to- 


264  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

ward  the  rising  sun.  His  swelling  form  rested  on  a  leg  that 
seemed  planted  in  defiance,  while  the  other  was  thrown  in 
front  like  a  lever  to  control  the  expected  movements.  His 
arms  were  extended  to  the  rear,  the  hands  grasping  the 
barrel  of  a  musket  which  threatened  death  to  all  who 
should  corne  within  its  sweep.  The  head,  covered  with 
the  short,  curling,  yellow  hair  of  his  Saxon  lineage,  was 
a  little  advanced  above  the  left  shoulder,  and  seemed  placed 
in  a  manner  to  preserve  the  equipoise  of  the  whole  frame. 
The  brow  was  flushed,  the  lips  compressed  and  resolute,  the 
veins  of  the  neck  and  temples  swollen  nearly  to  bursting, 
and  the  eyes  contracted,  but  of  a  gaze  that  bespoke  equally 
the  feelings  of  desperate  determination  and  of  entranced 
surprise. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  Indian  warrior  was  a  man  still  more 
likely  to  be  remarked.  The  habits  of  his  people  had  brought 
him,  as  usual,  into  the  field  with  naked  limbs  and  nearly  un- 
covered body.  The  position  of  his  frame  was  that  of  one 
prepared  to  leap;  and  it  would  have  been  a  comparison 
tolerated  by  the  license  of  poetry  to  have  likened  his 
straight  and  agile  form  to  the  semblance  of  a  crouching 
panther.  The  projecting  leg  sustained  the  body,  bending 
under  its  load  more  with  the  free  play  of  muscle  and  sinew 
than  from  any  weight,  while  the  slightly  stooping  head 
was  a  little  advanced  beyond  the  perpendicular.  One 
hand  was  clenched  on  the  helve  of  an  axe  that  lay  in  a 
line  with  the  right  thigh,  while  the  other  was  placed  with 
a  firm  gripe  on  the  buck-horn  handle  of  a  knife  that  was 
still  sheathed  at  his  girdle.  The  expression  of  the  face 
was  earnest,  severe,  and  perhaps  a  little  fierce,  and  yet  the 
whole  was  tempered  by  the  immovable  and  dignified  calm 
of  a  chief  of  high  qualities.  The  eye,  however,  was  gaz- 
ing and  riveted  ;  and,  like  that  of  the  youth  whose  life  he 
threatened,  it  appeared  singularly  contracted  with  wonder. 

The  momentary  pause  that  succeeded  the  movement  by 
which  the  two  antagonists  threw  themselves  into  these  fine 
attitudes  was  full  of  meaning.  Neither  spoke,  neither  per- 
mitted play  of  muscle,  neither  even  seemed  to  breathe. 
The  delay  was  not  like  that  of  preparation,  for  each  stood 
ready  for  his  deadly  effort,  nor  would  it  have  been  possible 
to  trace  in  the  compressed  energy  of  the  countenance  of 
Mark,  or  in  the  lofty  and  more  practised  bearing  of  the 
front  and  eye  of  the  Indian,  anything  like  wavering  of 
purpose.  An  emotion  foreign  to  the  scene  appeared  to 
possess  them  both,  each  active  brain  unconsciously  accom- 


THE  WEPT  OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  265 

modating  itself  to  the  bloody  business  of  the  hour,  while 
the  inscrutable  agency  of  the  mind  held  them  for  a  brief 
interval  in  check. 

A  yell  of  death  from  the  mouth  of  a  savage  who  was 
beaten  to  the  very  feet  of  his  chief  by  a  blow  of  the  stranger, 
and  an  encouraging  shout  from  the  lips  of  the  latter, 
broke  the  short  trance.  The  knees  of  the  chief  bent  still 
lower,  the  head  of  the  tomahawk  was  a  little  raised,  the 
blade  of  the  knife  was  seen  glittering  from  its  sheath,  and 
the  butt  of  Mark's  musket  had  receded  to  the  utmost  ten- 
sion of  his  sinews,  when  a  shriek  and  a  yell,  different  from 
any  before  heard  that  day,  sounded  near.  At  the  same 
moment,  the  blows  of  both  the  combatants  were  suspended, 
though  by  the  agency  of  very  different  degrees  of  force. 
Mark  felt  the  arms  of  one  cast  around  his  limbs  with  a 
power  sufficient  to  embarrass,  though  not  to  subdue  him, 
while  the  well-known  voice  of  Whittal  Ring  sounded  in  his 
ears — 

"  Murder  the  lying  and  hungry  pale-faces !  They  leave 
us  no  food  but  air — no  drink  but  water  !  " 

On  the  other  hand,  when  the  chief  turned  in  anger  to 
strike  the  daring  one  who  presumed  to  arrest  his  arm,  he 
saw  at  his  feet  the  kneeling  figure,  the  uplifted  hands, 
and  agonized  features  of  Martha.  Averting  the  blow  that 
a  follower  already  aimed  at  the  life  Of  the  suppliant,  he 
spoke  rapidly  in  his  own  language,  and  pointed  to  the 
struggling  Mark.  The  nearest  Indians  cast  themselves  on 
the  already  half-captured  youth.  A  whoop  brought  a 
hundred  more  to  the  spot,  and  then  a  calm  as  sudden,  and 
almost  as  fearful,  as  the  previous  tumult  prevailed  in  the 
orchard.  It  was  succeeded  by  the  long-drawn,  frightful, 
and  yet  meaning  yell  by  which  the  American  warrior  pro- 
claims his  victory. 

With  the  end  of  the  tumult  in  the  orchard,  the  sounds 
of  strife  ceased  in  all  the  valley.  Though  conscious  of  the 
success  of  their  enemies,  the  men  in  the  fort  saw  the  cer- 
tainty of  destruction,  not  only  to  themselves,  but  to  those 
feeble  ones  whom  they  should  be  compelled  to  leave  with- 
out a  sufficient  defence,  were  they  to  attempt  a  sortie  to 
that  distance  from  their  works.  They  were,  therefore, 
compelled  to  remain  passive  and  grave  spectators  of  an 
evil  they  had  not  the  means  to  avert. 


206  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

"Were  such  things  here,  as  we  do  speak  about? 
Or  have  we  eaten  of  the  insane  root 
That  takes  the  reason  prisoner?" — Macbeth. 

AN  hour  later  presented  a  different  scene.  Bands  of  the 
enemy,  that  in  civilized  warfare  would  be  called  parties  of 
observation,  lingered  in  the  skirts  of  the  forest  nearest  to 
the  village  ;  and  the  settlers  still  stood  to  their  arms,  posted 
among  the  buildings,  or  maintaining  their  array  at  the  foot 
of  the  palisadoes.  Though  the  toil  of  securing  the  valua- 
bles continued,  it  was  evident  that,  as  the  first  terrors  of 
alarm  had  disappeared,  the  owners  of  the  hamlet  began  to 
regain  some  assurance  in  their  ability  to  make  it  good 
against  their  enemies.  Even  the  women  were  now  seen 
moving  through  its  grassy  street  with  greater  seeming  con- 
fidence, and  there  was  a  regularity  in  the  air  of  the  armed 
men,  which  denoted  a  determination  that  was  calculated 
to  impose  on  their  wild  and  undisciplined  assailants. 

But  the  dwelling,  the  out-buildings,  and  all  the  imple- 
ments of  domestic  comfort,  which  had  so  lately  contributed 
to  the  ease  of  the  tieathcotes,  were  completely  in  posses- 
sion of  the  Indians.  The  open  shutters  and  doors,  the 
scattered  and  half-destroyed  furniture,  the  air  of  devasta- 
tion and  waste,  and  the  general  abandonment  of  all  interest 
in  the  protection  of  property,  proclaimed  the  licentious 
disorder  of  a  successful  assault.  Still  the  work  of  destruc- 
tion and  plunder  did  not  go  on.  Although  here  and  there 
might  be  seen  some  warrior,  decorated,  according  to  the 
humors  of  his  savage  taste,  with  the  personal  effects  of  the 
former  inmates  of  the  building,  every  hand  had  been 
checked,  and  the  furious  tempers  of  the  conquerors  had 
been  quieted,  seemingly  by  the  agency  of  some  unseen  and 
extraordinary  authority.  The  men,  who  so  lately  had  been 
moved  by  the  fiercest  passions  of  our  nature,  were  sudden- 
ly restrained,  if  not  appeased  ;  and,  instead  of  that  exulting 
indulgence  of  vengeance  which  commonly  accompanies  an 
Indian  triumph,  the  warriors  stalked  about  the  buildings 
and  through  the  adjacent  grounds,  in  a  silence  which, 
though  gloomy  and  sullen,  was  marked  by  their  character- 
istic submission  to  events. 

The  principal  leaders  of  the  inroad,  and  all  the  surviv 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON"- WISH.  267 

ing  sufferers  by  the  defeat,  were  assembled  in  the  piazza 
of  the  dwelling.  Ruth,  pale,  sorrowing,  and  mourning  for 
others  rather  than  for  herself,  stood  a  little  apart,  attended 
by  Martha  and  the  young  assistant  whose  luckless  fortune 
it  was  to  be  found  at  her  post  on  this  eventful  day.  Con- 
tent, the  stranger,  and  Mark,  were  near,  subdued  and 
bound,  the  sole  survivors  of  all  that  band  they  had  so  re- 
cently led  into  the  conflict.  The  gray  hairs  and  bodily 
infirmities  of  the  Puritan  spared  him  the  same  degradation. 
The  only  other  being  present,  of  European  origin,  was 
Whittal  Ring.  The  innocent  stalked  slowly  among  the 
prisoners*,  sometimes  permitting  ancient  recollections  and 
sympathies  to  come  over  his  dull  intellect,  but  oftener 
taunting  the  unfortunate  with  the  injustice  of  their  race, 
and  with  the  wrongs  of  his  adopted  people. 

The  chiefs  of  the  successful  party  stood  in  the  centre, 
apparently  engaged  in  some  grave  deliberation.  As  they 
were  few  in  number,  it  was  evident  that  the  council  only 
included  men  of  the  highest  importance.  Chiefs  of  infe- 
rior rank,  but  of  great  names  in  the  limited  renown  of 
those  simple  tribes,  conversed  in  knots  among  the  trees,  or 
paced  the  court  at  a  respectful  distance  from  the  consulta- 
tion of  their  superiors. 

The  least  practised  eye  could  not  mistake  the  person  of 
him  on  whom  the  greatest  weight  of  authority  had  fallen. 
The  turbaned  warrior,  already  introduced  in  these  pages, 
occupied  the  centre  of  the  group,  in  the  calm  and  dignified 
attitude  of  an  Indian  who  hearkens  to  or  who  utters  advice. 
His  musket  was  borne  by  one  who  stood  in  waiting,  while 
the  knife  and  axe  were  returned  to  his  girdle.  He  had 
thrown  a  light  blanket,  or  it  might  be  better  termed  a  robe 
of  scarlet  cloth,  over  his  left  shoulder,  whence  it  gracefully 
fell  in  folds,  leaving  the  whole  of  the  right  arm  free,  and 
most  of  his  ample  chest  exposed  to  view.  From  beneath 
this  mantle,  blood  fell  slowly  in  drops,  dyeing  the  floor  on 
which  he  stood.  The  countenance  of  this  warrior  was 
grave,  though  there  was  a  quickness  in  the  movements  of 
an  ever-restless  eye,  that  denoted  great  mental  activity,  no 
less  than  the  disquiet  of  suspicion.  One  skilled  in  physiog- 
nomy might  too  have  thought,  that  a  shade  of  suppressed 
discontent  was  struggling  with  the  self-command  of  habits 
that  had  become  part  of  the  nature  of  the  individual. 

The  two  companions  nearest  this  chief  were,  like  himself, 
men  past  the  middle  age,  and  of  mien  and  expression  that 
were  similar,  though  less  strikingly  marked  ;  neither  show- 


268  THE   WEPT   OF  WISir-TON-WISff. 

ing  those  signs  of  displeasure,  which  occasionally  shot  from 
organs  that,  in  spite  of  a  mind  so  trained  and  so  despotic, 
could  not  always  restrain  their  glittering  brightness.  One 
was  speaking,  and  by  his  glance  it  was  evident  that  the  sub- 
ject of  his  discourse  was  the  fourth  and  last  of  their  number, 
who  had  placed  himself  in  a  position  that  prevented  his 
being  an  auditor  of  what  was  said. 

In  the  person  of  the  latter  chief,  the  reader  will  recognize 
the  youth  who  had  confronted  Mark,  and  whose  rapid  move- 
ment on  the  flank  of  Dudley  had  first  driven  the  colonists 
from  the  meadows.  The  eloquent  expression  of  limb,  the 
tension  of  sinews,  and  the  compression  of  muscles,  as  last 
exhibited,  were  now  gone.  They  had  given  place  to  the 
peculiar  repose  that  distinguishes  the  Indian  warrior  in  his 
moments  of  inaction,  quite  as  much  as  it  marks  the  man- 
ner of  one  schooled  in  the  forms  of  more  polished  life.  With 
one  hand  he  leaned  lightly  on  a  musket,  while  from  the 
wrist  of  the  other,  which  hung  loose  at  his  side,  depended, 
by  a  thong  of  deer's  sinew,  a  tomahawk  from  which  fell 
drops  of  human  blood.  His  person  bore  no  other  covering 
than  that  in  which  he  had  fought,  and,  unlike  his  more  aged 
companion  in  authority,  his  body  had  escaped  without  a 
wound. 

In  form  and  in  features,  this  young  warrior  might  be 
deemed  a  model  of  Uie  excellence  of  Indian  manhood.  The 
limbs  were  full,  round,  faultlessly  straight,  and  distinguished 
by  an  appearance  of  extreme  activity,  without  being  equally 
remarkable  for  muscle.  In  the  latter  particular,  in  the  up- 
right attitude,  and  in  the  distant  and  noble  gaze  which  so 
often  elevated  his  front,  there  was  a  close  affinity  to  the 
statue  of  the  Pythian  Apollo  ;  while  in  the  full  though 
slightly  effeminate  chest,  there  was  an  equal  resemblance  to 
that  look  of  animal  indulgence  which  is  to  be  traced  in  the 
severe  representations  of  Bacchus.  This  resemblance,  how- 
ever, to  a  deity  that  is  little  apt  to  awaken  lofty  sentiments 
in  the  spectator,  was  not  displeasing,  since  it  in  some  meas- 
ure relieved  the  sternness  of  an  eye  that  penetrated  like  the 
glance  of  the  eagle,  and  that  might  otherwise  have  left  an 
impression  of  too  little  sympathy  with  the  familiar  weak- 
nesses of  humanity.  Still  the  young  chief  was  less  to  be 
remarked  by  this  peculiar  fulness  of  chest,  the  fruit  of  in- 
tervals of  inaction,  constant  indulgence  of  the  first  wants 
of  nature,  and  a  total  exemption  from  toil,  than  most  of 
those,  who  either  counselled  in  secret  near,  or  paced  the 
grounds  about  the  building.  In  him,  it  was  rather  a  poinr 


THE  WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  269 

to  be  admired  than  a  blemish ;  for  it  seemed  to  say,  that 
notwithstanding  the  evidences  of  austerity  which  custom, 
and  perhaps  character,  as  well  as  rank,  had  gathered  in 
his  air,  there  was  a  heart  beneath  that  might  be  touched 
by  the  charities  of  humanity.  On  the  present  occasion, 
the  glances  of  his  roving  eye,  though  searching  and  full 
of  meaning,  were  evidently  weakened  by  an  expression 
that  betrayed  a  strange  and  unwonted  confusion  of  mind. 

The  conference  of  the  three  was  ended,  and  the  warrior 
with  a  turbaned  head  advanced  toward  his  captives,  with 
the  step  of  a  man  whose  mind  had  come  to  a  decision.  As 
the  dreaded  chief  drew  near,  Whittal  retired,  stealing  to 
the  side  of  the  young  warrior,  in  a  manner  that  denoted 
greater  familiarity,  and  perhaps  greater  confidence.  A 
sudden  thought  lighted  the  countenance  of  the  latter.  He 
led  the  innocent  to  the  extremity  of  the  piazza,  spoke  low 
and  earnestly,  pointing  to  the  forest,  and  when  he  saw  that 
his  messenger  was  already  crossing  the  fields  at  the  top  of 
his  speed,  he  moved  with  a  calm  dignity  into  the  centre  of 
the  group,  taking  his  station  so  near  his  friend,  that  the 
folds  of  the  scarlet  blanket  brushed  his  elbow.  Until  this 
movement  the  silence  was  not  broken.  When  the  great 
chief  felt  the  passage  of  the  other,  he  glanced  a  look  of 
hesitation  at  his  friends,  but  resuming  his  former  air  of 
composure,  he  spoke  : 

"  Man  of  many  winters,"  he  commenced,  in  an  English 
that  was  quite  intelligible,  while  it  betrayed  a  difficulty  of 
speech  we  shall  not  attempt  imitating,  "  why  hath  the 
Great  Spirit  made  thy  race  like  hungry  wolves  ? — why  hath 
a  pale-face  the  stomach  of  a  buzzard,  the  throat  of  a 
hound,  and  the  heart  of  a  deer  ?  Thou  hast  seen  many 
meltings  of  the  snow  ;  thou  rememberest  the  young  tree  a 
sapling.  Tell  me,  why  is  the  mind  of  a  Yengeese  so  big, 
that  it  must  hold  all  that  lies  between  the  rising  and  the 
setting  sun  ?  Speak,  for  we  would  know  the  reason  why 
arms  so  long  are  found  on  so  little  bodies." 

The  events  of  that  day  had  been  of  a  nature  to  awaken 
all  the  latent  energies  of  the  Puritan.  He  had  lifted  up  his 
spirit,  with  the  morning,  in  the  customary  warmth  with 
which  he  ever  hailed  the  Sabbath  ;  the  excitement  of  the 
assault  had  found  him  sustained  above  most  earthly  calam- 
ities, and  while  it  quickened  feelings  that  can  never  be- 
come extinct  in  one  who  has  been  familiar  with  martial 
usages,  it  left  him,  stern  in  his  manhood,  and  exalted  in  his 
sentiments  of  submission  and  endurance.  Under  such  in- 


270  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON- WISH. 

fluences,  he  answered  with  an  austerity  that  equalled  the 
gravity  of  the  Indian  : 

"The  Lord  hath  delivered  us  into  the  bonds  of  the  hea«= 
then,"  he  said,  "and  yet  his  name  shall  be  blessed  beneath 
my  roof  !  Out  of  evil  shall  come  good  ;  and  from  this  tri- 
umph of  the  ignorant  shall  proceed  an  everlasting  victory  !" 

The  chief  gazed  intently  at  the  speaker,  whose  attenuated 
frame,  venerable  face,  and  long  locks,  aided  by  the  hectic 
of  enthusiasm  that  played  beneath  a  glazed  and  deep-set 
eye,  imparted  a  character  that  seemed  to  rise  superior  to 
human  weakness.  Bending  his  head  in  superstitious  rever- 
ence, he  turned  gravely  to  those  who,  appearing  to  pos- 
sess more  of  the  world  in  their  natures,  were  more  fitting 
subjects  for  the  designs  he  meditated. 

"The  mind  of  my  father  is  strong,  but  his  body  is  like  a 
branch  of  the  scorched  hemlock  ! "  was  the  pithy  declara- 
tion with  which  he  prefaced  his  next  remark.  "Why  is 
this  ?"  he  continued,  looking  severely  at  the  three  who  had 
so  lately  been  opposed  to  him  in  deadly  contest.  "  Here 
are  men  with  skins  like  the  blossom  of  the  dog-wTood,  and 
yet  their  hands  are  so  dark  that  I  cannot  see  them  ! " 

"They  have  been  blackened  by  toil  beneath  a  burning 
sun,v  returned  Content,  who  knew  how  to  discourse  in  the 
figurative  language  of  the  people  in  whose  power  he  found 
himself.  "We  have  labored,  that  our  women  and  children 
might  eat." 

"No — the  blood  of  red  men  hath  changed  their  color." 

"We  have  taken  up  the  hatchet,  that  the  land  which  the 
Great  Spirit  hath  given  might  still  be  ours,  and  that  our 
scalps  might  not  be  blown  about  in  the  smoke  of  a  wig- 
wam. Would  a  Narragansett  hide  his  arms,  and  tie  up  his 
hands,  with  the  war-whoop  ringing  in  his  ears  ? " 

When  allusion  was  made  to  the  ownership  of  the  valley, 
the  blood  rushed  into  the  cheek  of  the  warrior  in  such  a 
flood  that  it  deepened  even  the  natural  swarthy  hue  ;  but, 
clenching  the  handle  of  his  axe  convulsively,  he  continued 
to  listen,  like  one  accustomed  to  entire  self-command. 

"What  a  red  man  does  may  be  seen,"  he  answered, 
pointing  with  a  grim  smile  toward  the  orchard  ;  exposing, 
by  the  movement  of  the  blanket,  as  he  raised  his  arm,  two 
of  the  reeking  trophies  of  victory  attached  to  his  belt. 
"  Our  ears  are  open  very  wide.  We  listen,  to  hear  in  what 
manner  the  hunting  grounds  of  the  Indian  have  become 
the  ploughed  fields  of  tke  Yengeese.  Now  let  my  wise  men 
hearken,  that  they  may  grow  more  cunning,  as  the  snows 


THE   WEPT  OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  2j\ 

settle  on  their  heads.  The  pale  men  have  a  secret  to  make 
the  black  seem  white  !  " 

"  Narragansett — — " 

"Wampanoag  !  "  interrupted  the  chief,  with  the  lofty  air 
with  which  an  Indian  identifies  himself  with  the  glory  of 
his  people  ;  then  glancing  a  milder  look  at  the  young  war- 
rior at  his  elbow,  he  added,  hastily,  and  in  the  tone  of  a 
courtier,  "  'tis  very  good — Narragansett  or  Wampanoag — • 
Wampanoag  or  Narragansett.  The  red  men  are  brothers 
and  friends.  They  have  broken  down  the  fences  between 
their  hunting  grounds,  and  they  have  cleared  the  paths  be- 
tween their  villages  of  briers.  What  have  you  to  say  to 
the  Narragansett  ? — he  has  not  yet  shut  his  ear." 

"  Wampanoag,  if  such  be  thy  tribe,"  resumed  Content, 
"  thou  shalt  hear  that  which  my  conscience  teacheth  is 
language  to  be  uttered.  The  God  of  an  Englishman  is  the 
God  of  men  of  all  ranks,  and  of  all  time."  His  listeners 
shook  their  heads  doubtingly,  with  the  exception  of  the 
youngest  chief,  whose  eye  never  varied  its  direction  while 
the  other  spoke,  each  word  appearing  to  enter  deep  within 
the  recesses  of  his  mind.  "  In  defiance  of  these  signs  of 
blasphemy,  do  I  still  proclaim  the  power  of  him  I  wor- 
ship !  "  Content  continued;  "  my  God  is  thy  God  ;  and  he 
now  looketh  equally  on  the  deeds,  and  searcheth,  with  in- 
scrutable knowledge,  into  the  hearts  of  both.  This  earth 
is  his  footstool  ;  yonder  heaven  his  throne  !  I  pretend  not 
to  enter  into  his  sacred  mysteries,  or  to  proclaim  the  reason 
why  one-half  of  his  fair  work  hath  been  so  long  left  in  that 
slough  of  ignorance  and  heathenish  abomination  in  which 
my  fathers  found  it ;  why  these  hills  never  before  echoed 
the  songs  of  praise,  or  why  the  valleys  have  been  so  long 
mute.  These  are  truths  hid  in  the  secret  designs  of  his 
sacred  purpose,  and  they  may  not  be  known  until  the  last 
fulfilment.  But  a  great  and  righteous  spirit-hath  led  hither 
men,  filled  with  the  love  of  truth  and  pregnant  with  the 
designs  of  a  heavily-burdened  faith,  inasmuch  as  their  long- 
ings are  for  things  pure,  while  the  consciousness  of  their 
transgressions  bends  them  in  deep  humility  to  the  dust. 
Thou  bringest  against  us  the  charge  of  coveting  thy  lands, 
and  of  bearing  minds  filled  with  the  corruption  of  riches. 
This  cometh  of  ignorance  of  that  which  hath  been  aban- 
doned, in  order  that  the  spirit  of  the  godly  might  hold  fast 
to  the  truth.  When  the  Yengeese  came  into  this  wilder- 
ness, he  left  behind  him  all  that  can  delight  the  eye,  please 
the  senses,  and  feed  the  longing  of  the  human  heart,  in  the 


272  THE  WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

country  of  his  fathers  ;  for  fair  as  is  the  work  of  the  Lord 
in  other  lands,  there  is  none  that  is  so  excellent  as  that 
from  which  these  pilgrims  in  the  wilderness  have  departed. 
In  that  favored  isle,  the  earth  groaneth  with  the  abundance 
of  its  products  ;  the  odors  of  its  sweet  savors  salute  the 
nostrils,  and  the  eye  is  never  wearied  in  gazing  at  its  love- 
liness. No  ;  the  men  of  the  pale-faces  have  deserted  home, 
and  all  that  sweeteneth  life,  that  they  might  serve  God  ; 
and  not  at  the  instigations  of  craving  minds  or  of  evil 
vanities  !  " 

Content  paused — for  as  he  grew  warm  with  the  spirit  by 
which  he  was  animated,  he  had  insensibly  strayed  from  the 
closer  points  of  his  subject.  His  conquerors  maintained 
the  decorous  gravity  with  which  an  Indian  always  listens 
to  the  speech  of  another,  until  he  had  ended,  and  then  the 
Great  Chief,  or  Wampanoag^as  he  had  proclaimed  himself 
to  be,  laid  a  finger  lightly  on^he  shoulder  of  his  prisoner, 
as  he  demanded — 

"Why  have  the  people  of  the  Yengees'e  lost  themselves 
on  a  blind  path  ?  If  the  country  they  have  left  is  pleasant, 
cannot  their  God  hear  them  from  the  wigwams  of  their 
fathers  ?  See — if  our  trees  are  but  bushes,  leave  them  to  the 
red  man  ;  he  will  find  room  beneath  their  branches  to  lie 
in  the  shade.  If  our  rivers  are  small,  it  is  because  the  In- 
dians are  little.  If  the  hills  are  low  and  the  valleys  narrow, 
the  legs  of  my  people  are  weary  with  much  hunting,  and 
they  will  journey  among  them  the  easier.  Now  what  the 
Great  Spirit  hath  made  for  a  red  man,  a  red  man  should 
keep.  They  whose  skins  are  like  the  light  of  the  morning, 
should  go  back  toward  the  rising  sun,  out  of  which  they 
have  come  to  do  us  \vrong." 

The  chief  spoke  calmly  ;  but  it  was  like  a  man  much  ac- 
customed to  deal  in  the  subtleties  of  controversy,  according 
to  the  fashion  of  the  people  to  whom  he  belonged. 

"God  hath  otherwise  decreed,"  said  Content.  "He  hath 
led  his  servants  hither,  that  the  incense  of  praise  may  arise 
from  the  wilderness." 

"  Your  Spirit  is  a  wicked  Spirit.  Your  ears  have  been 
cheated.  The  counsel  that  told  your  young  men  to  come  so 
far,  was  not  spoken  in  the  voice  of  the  Manitou.  It  came 
from  the  tongue  of  one  that  loves  to  see  game  scarce,  and 
the  squaws  hungry.  Go — you  follow  the  mocker,  or  your 
hands  would  not  be  so  dark." 

"  I  know  not  what  injury  may  have  been  done  the  Warn- 
panoags,  by  men  of  wicked  minds  ;  for  some  such  there 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  273 

are,  even  in  the  dwellings  of  the  well-disposed — but  wrong 
to  any  hath  never  come  from  those  that  dwell  within  my 
doors.  For  these  lands,  a  price  hath  been  paid,  and  what 
is  now  seen  of  abundance  in  the  valley,  hath  been 
wrought  by  much  labor.  Thou  art  a  Wampanoag,  and 
dost  know  that  the  hunting  grounds  of  thy  tribe  have  been 
held  sacred  by  my  people.  Are  not  the  fences  standing 
which  their  hands  placed,  that  not  even  the  hoof  of  colt 
should  trample  the  corn  ?  and  when  was  it  known  that  the 
Indian  came  for  justice  against  the  trespassing  ox,  and  did 
not  find  it  ?  " 

"  The  moose  doth  not  taste  the  grass  at  the  root — he 
liveth  on  the  tree  !  He  doth  not  stoop  to  feed  on  that  which 
he  treadeth  under  foot !  Does  the  hawk  look  for  the  mos- 
quito ?  His  eye  is  too  big.  He  can  see  a  bird.  Go — when 
the  deer  have  been  killed,  the  Wampanoags  will  break  down 
the  fence  with  their  own  hands.  The  arm  of  a  hungry  man 
is  strong.  A  cunning  pale-face  hath  made  that  fence  ;  it 
shutteth  out  the  colt,  and  it  shutteth  in  the  Indian.  But 
the  mind  of  a  warrior  is  too  big  ;  it  will  not  be  kept  at 
grass  with  the  ox." 

A  low  but  expressive  murmur  of  satisfaction  from  the 
mouths  of  his  grim  companions,  succeeded  this  reply  of 
the  chief. 

"  The  country  of  thy  tribe  is  far  distant,"  returned  Con- 
tent, "  and  I  will  not  lay  untruth  to  my  soul,  by  presuming 
to  say  whether  justice  or  injustice  hath  been  done  them  in 
the  partition  of  the  lands.  But  in  this  valley  hath  wrong 
never  been  done  to  the  red  man.  What  Indian  hath  asked 
for  food,  and  not  got  it  ?  If  he  hath  been  a-thirst,  the  cider 
came  at  his  wish  ;  if  he  hath  been  a-cold,  there  was  a  seat 
by  the  hearth  ;  and  yet  hath  there  been  reason  why  the 
hatchet  should  be  in  my  hand,  and  why  my  foot  should  be 
on  the  war-path  !  For  many  seasons  we  lived  on  lands 
which  were  bought  of  both  red  and  white  man,  in  peace. 
But  through  the  sun  shone  clear  so  long,  the  clouds  came 
at  last.  There  was  a  dark  night  fell  upon  this  valley. 
Wampanoag,  arid  death  and  the  brand  entered  my  dwell- 
ing together.  Our  young  men  were  killed,  and — our 
spirits  were  sorely  tried." 

Content  paused — for  his  voice  became  thick,  and  his  eye 
had  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  pale  and  drooping  countenance 
of  her  who  leaned  on  the  arm  of  the  still  excited  and 
frowning  Mark  for  support.  The  young  chief  listened 
with  a  charmed  ear.  As  Content  had  proceeded,  his  body 


274  THE  WEPT  OF  WISH-TON-WISff. 

was  inclined  a  little  forward,  and  his  whole  attitude  was 
that  which  men  unconsciously  assume  when  intensely  oc- 
cupied in  listening  to  sounds  of  the  deepest  interest. 

"  But  the  sun  rose  again  ! "  said  the  great  chief,  point- 
ing at  the  evidences  of  prosperity  which  were  everywhere 
apparent  in  the  settlement,  casting  at  the  same  time  an 
uneasy  and  suspicious  glance  at  his  youngest  companion. 
"  The  morning  was  clear,  though  the  night  was  so  dark,, 
The  cunning  of  a  pale-face  knows  how  to  make  corn  grow 
on  a  rock.  The  foolish  Indian  eats  roots,  when  crops  fail 
and  grain  is  scarce." 

"  God  ceased  to  be  angry,"  returned  Content  meekly, 
folding  his  arms  in  a  manner  to  show  he  wished  to  speak 
no  more. 

The  great  chief  was  about  to  continue,  when  his  younger 
associate  laid  a  finger  on  his  naked  shoulder,  and  by  a  sign, 
indicated  that  he  wished  to  hold  communication  with  him 
apart.  The  former  met  the  request  with  respect,  though  it 
might  be  discovered  that  he  little  liked  the  expression  of 
his  companion's  features,  and  that  he  yielded  with  reluc- 
tance, if  not  with  disgust.  But  the  countenance  of  the 
youth  was  firm,  and  it  would  have  needed  more  than  usual 
hardihood  to  refuse  a  request  seconded  by  so  steady  and  so 
meaning  an  eye.  The  elder  spoke  to  the  warrior  nearest 
his  elbow,  addressing  him  by  the  name  of  Annawon,  and 
then,  by  a  gesture  so  natural  and  so  dignified  that  it  might 
have  graced  the  air  of  a  courtier,  he  announced  his  readi- 
ness to  proceed.  Notwithstanding  the  habitual  reverence 
of  the  aborigines  for  age,  the  others  gave  way  for  the 
passage  of  the  young  man,  in  a  manner  to  proclaim  that 
merit  or  birth,  or  both,  had  united  to  purchase  for  him  a 
personal  distinction  which  far  exceeded  that  shown  in  com- 
mon to  men  of  his  years.  The  two  chiefs  left  the  piazza 
in  the  noiseless  manner  of  the  moccasoned  foot. 

The  passage  of  these  dignified  warriors  toward  the 
grounds  in  the  rear  of  the  dwelling,  as  it  was  characteristic 
of  their  habits,  is  worthy  of  being  mentioned.  Neither 
spoke,  neither  manifested  any  womanish  impatience  to  pry 
into  the  musings  of  the  other's  mind,  and  neither  failed  in 
those  slight  but  still  sensible  courtesies  by  which  the  path 
was  rendered  commodious  and  the  footing  sure.  They 
had  reached  the  summit  of  the  elevation  so  often  named, 
ere  they  believed  themselves  sufficiently  retired  to  indulge 
in  a  discourse  which  might  otherwise  have  enlightened 
profane  ears.  When  beneath  the  shade  of  the  fragrant 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  27^ 

orchard  which  grew  on  the  hill,  the  senior  of  the  two 
stopped,  and  throwing  about  him  one  of  those  quick, 
nearly  imperceptible,  and  yet  wary  glances  by  which  an 
Indian  understands  his  precise  position,  as  it  were  by  in- 
stinct,  he  commenced  the  dialogue.  The  discourse  was  in 
the  dialect  of  their  race  ;  but  as  it  is  not  probable  that 
many  who  read  these  pages  would  be  much  enlightened 
were  we  to  record  it  in  the  precise  words  in  which  it  has 
been  transmitted  to  us,  a  translation  into  English,  as  freely 
as  the  subject  requires  and  the  geniuses  of  the  two  lan- 
guages will  admit,  shall  be  attempted. 

"  Wnat  would  my  brother  have  ?  "  commenced  he  with 
the  turbaned  head,  uttering  the  guttural  sounds  in  the  low, 
soothing  tones  of  friendship,  and  even  of  affection.  "  What 
troubles  the  Great  Sachem  of  the  Narragansetts  ?  His 
thoughts  seem  uneasy.  I  think  there  is  more  before  his 
eye  than  one  whose  sight  is  getting  dim  can  see.  Doth  he 
behold  the  spirit  of  the  brave  Miantonimoh,  who  died  like 
a  dog,  beneath  the  blows  of  cowardly  Pequods  and  false- 
tongued  Yengeese  ?  Or  does  his  heart  swell  with  longing 
to  see  the  scalps  of  treacherous  pale-faces  hanging  at  his 
belt  ?  Speak,  my  son  ;  the  hatchet  hath  long  been  buried 
in  the  path  between  our  villages,  and  thy  words  will  enter 
the  ears  of  a  friend." 

"  I  do  not  see  the  spirit  of  my  father,"  returned  the 
young  sachem ;  "  he  is  afar  off  in  the  hunting  grounds  of 
just  warriors.  My  eyes  are  too  weak  to  look  over  so  many 
mountains  and  across  so  many  rivers.  He  is  chasing  the 
moose  in  grounds  where  there  are  no  briers  ;  he  needeth 
not  the  sight  of  a  young  man  to  tell  him  which  way  the 
trail  leadeth.  Why  should  I  look  at  the  place  where  the 
Pequod  and  the  pale-face  took  his  life  ?  The  fire  which 
scorched  this  hill  hath  blackened  the  spot,  and  I  can  no 
longer  find  the  marks  of  blood." 

"My  son  is  very  wise — cunning  beyond  his  winters! 
That  which  hath  been  once  revenged,  is  forgotten.  He 
looks  no  further  than  six  moons.  He  sees  the  warriors  of 
the  Yengeese  coming  into  his  village,  murdering  his  old 
women,  and  slaying  the  Narragansett  girls  ;  killing  his 
warriors  from  behind,  and  lighting  their  fires  with  the  bones 
of  red  men.  I  will  now  stop  my  ears,  for  the  groans  of 
the  slaughtered  make  my  soul  feel  weak." 

"  Wampanoag,"  answered  the  other,  with  a  fierce  flash- 
ing of  his  eagle  eye,  and  laying  his  hand  firmly  on  his 
breast,  "  the  night  the  snows  were  red  with  the  blood  ol 


276  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

my  people,  is  here  !  my  mind  is  dark  :  none  of  my  race  have 
since  looked  upon  the  place  where  the  lodges  of  the  Nar- 
ragansetts  stood,  and  yet  it  hath  never  been  hid  from  our 
sight.  Since  that  time  have  we  travelled  in  the  woods,  bear- 
ing on  our  backs  all  that  is  left  but  our  sorrow — that  we 
carry  in  our  hearts." 

"Why  is  my  brother  troubled?  There  are  many  scalps 
among  his  people,  and  see,  his  own  tomahawk  is  very  red ! 
Let  him  quiet  his  anger  till  the  night  cometh,  and  there 
will  be  a  deeper  stain  on  the  axe.  I  know  he  is  in  a  hurry, 
but  our  councils  say  it  is  better  to  wrait  for  darkness,  since 
the  cunning  of  the  pale-faces  is  too  strong  for  the  hands 
of  our  young  men." 

"  When  was  a  Narragansett  slow  to  leap,  after  the  whoop 
was  given,  or  unwilling  to  stay  when  men  of  gray  heads 
say  'tis  better  ?  I  like  your  counsel — it  is  full  of  wisdom. 
Yet  an  Indian  is  but  a  man  !  Can  he  fight  with  the  God 
of  the  Yengeese  ?  He  is  too  weak.  An  Indian  is  but  a 
man,  though  his  skin  be  red  ! " 

"I  look  into  the  clouds,  at  the  trees,  among  the  lodges," 
said  the  other,  affecting  to  gaze  curiously  at  the  different 
objects  he  named,  "  but  I  cannot  see  the  white  Manitou. 
The  pale  men  were  talking  to  him  when  we  raised  the 
whoop  in  their  fields,  and  yet  he  has  not  heard  them.  Go  ; 
my  son  has  struck  their  warriors  with  a  strong  hand  ;  has 
he  forgotten  to  count  how  many  dead  lie  among  the  trees, 
with  the  sweet-smelling  blossoms?" 

"  Metacom,"  returned  he  who  has  been  called  the  Sachem 
of  the  Narragansetts,  stepping  cautiously  nearer  to  his 
friend,  and  speaking  lower,  as  if  he  feared  an  invisible 
auditor;  "thou  hast  put  hate  into  the  bosoms  of  the  red 
men,  but  canst  thou  make  them  more  cunning  than  the 
Spirits?  Hate  is  very  strong,  but  cunning  hath  a  longer 
arm.  See,"  he  added,  raising  the  fingers  of  his  two  hands 
before  the  eyes  of  his  attentive  companion,  "ten  snows 
have  come  and  melted  since  there  stood  a  lodge  of  the 
pale-faces  on  this  hill.  Conanchet  was  then  a  boy.  His 
hand  had  struck  nothing  but  deer.  His  heart  was  full  of 
wishes.  By  day  he  thought  of  Pequod  scalps,  at  night  he 
heard  the  dying  words  of  Miantonimoh.  Though  slain  by 
cowardly  Pequods  and  lying  Yengeese,  his  father  came 
with  the  night  into  his  wigwam, 'to  talk  to  his  son.  'Does 
the  child  of  so  many  great  sachems  grow  big?'  would  he 
say  ;  *  is  his  arm  getting  strong,  his  foot  light,  his  eye 
quick,  his  heart  valiant  ?  Will  Conanchet  be  like  his 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON- WISH.  277 

fathers  ?  when  will  the  young  Sachem  of  the  Narragan- 
setts  become  a  man  ?'*  Why  should  I  tell  my  brother  of 
these  visits  ?  Metacom  hath  often  seen  the  long  line  of 
Wampanoag  chiefs,  in  his  sleep.  The  brave  sachems 
sometimes  enter  into  the  heart  of  their  son  ! " 

The  lofty-minded  though  wily  Philip  struck  his  hand 
heavily  upon  his  naked  breast,  as  he  answered — 

"They  are  always  here.  Metacom  has  no  soul  but  the 
spirit  of  his  fathers  ! " 

"When  he  was  tired  of  silence  the  murdered  Miantoni- 
moh  spoke  aloud,"  continued  Conanchet,  after  permitting 
the  customary  courteous  pause  to  succeed  the  emphatic 
words  of  his  companion.  u  He  bade  his  son  arise,  and  go 
among  the  Yengeese,  that  he  might  return  with  scalps  to 
hang  in  his  wigwam  ;  for  the  eyes  of  the  dead  chief  liked 
not  to  see  the  place  so  empty.  The  voice  of  Conanchet 
was  then  too  feeble  for  the  council-fire  ;  he  said  nothing — 
he  went  alone.  An  evil  spirit  gave  him  into  the  hands  of 
the  pale-faces.  He  was  a  captive  many  moons.  They  shut 
him  in  a  cage,  like  a  tamed  panther !  It  was  here.  The 
news  of  his  ill-luck  passed  from  the  mouths  of  the  young 
men  of  the  Yengeese  to  the  hunters,  and  from  the  hunters 
it  came  to  the  ears  of  the  Narragansetts.  My  people  had 
lost  their  sachem,  and  they  came  to  seek  him.  Metacom, 
the  boy  had  felt  the  power  of  the  God  of  the  Yengeese  ! 
His  mind  began  to  grow  weak  ;  he  thought  less  of  revenge  ; 
the  spirit  of  his  father  came  no  more  at  night.  There  was 
much  talking  with  the  unknown  God,  and  the  words  of  his 
enemies  were  kind.  He  hunted  with  them.  When  he  met 
the  trail  of  his  warriors  in  the  woods  his  mind  was  troubled, 
for  he  knew  their  errand.  Still  he  saw  his  father's  spirit, 
and  waited.  The  whoop  was  heard  that  night  ;  many  died, 
and  the  Narragansetts  took  scalps.  Thou  seest  this  lodge 
of  stone,  over  which  fire  has  passed.  There  was  then  a 
cunning  place  above,  and  in  it  the  pale  men  went  to  fight 
for  their  lives.  But  the  fire  kindled,  and  then  there  was 
no  hope.  The  soul  of  Conanchet  was  moved  at  that  sight, 
for  there  was  much  honesty  in  them  within.  Though  their 
skins  were  so  white,  they  had  not  slain  his  father.  But  the 
flames  would  not  be  spoken  to,  and  the  place  became  like 
the  coals  of  a  deserted  council-fire.  All  within  were  turned 
to  ashes.  If  the  spirit  of  Miantonimoh  rejoiced,  it  was 
well,  but  the  soul  of  his  son  was  very  heavy.  The  weak- 
ness was  on  him,  and  he  no  longer  thought  of  boasting  of 
his  deeds  at  the  war-post." 


278  THE   WEPT  OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

"  That  fire  scorched  the  stain  of  blood  from  the  sachem's 
plain? " 

"  It  did.  Since  that  time  I  have  not  seen  the  marks  of 
my  father's  blood.  Gray  heads  and  boys  were  in  that  fire, 
and  when  the  timbers  fell  nothing  was  left  but  coals.  Yet 
do  they,  who  were  in  the  blazing  lodge,  stand  there  !  " 

The  attentive  Metacom  started,  and  glanced  a  hasty  look 
at  the  ruin. 

"  Does  my  son  see  spirits  in  the  air !  "  he  asked  hastily. 

"  No,  they  live  ;  they  are  bound  for  the  torments.  In 
the  white  head,  is  he  who  talked  much  with  his  god.  The 
elder  chief  who  struck  our  young  men  so  hard,  was  then 
also  a  captive  in  this  lodge.  He  who  spoke,  and  she  who 
seems  even  paler  than  her  race,  died  that  night  ;  and  yet 
are  they  now  here  !  Even  the  brave  youth  that  was  so 
hard  to  conquer,  looks  like  a  boy  that  was  in  the  fire  !  The 
Yengeese  deal  with  unknown  gods  ;  they  are  too  cunning 
for  an  Indian  !  " 

Philip  heard  this  strange  tale,  as  a  being  educated  in 
superstitious  legends  would  be  apt  to  listen  ;  and  yet  it  was 
with  a  leaning  to  incredulity,  that  was  generated  by  his 
fierce  and  indomitable  desire  for  the  destruction  of  the 
hated  race.  He  had  prevailed,  in  the  councils  of  his  nation, 
over  many  similar  signs  of  supernatural  agency  that  was 
exercised  in  favor  of  his  enemies,  but  never  before  had 
facts  so  imposing  come  so  directly  and  from  so  high  a 
source  before  his  mind.  Even  the  proud  resolution  and 
far-sighted  wisdom  of  this  sagacious  chief  was  shaken  by 
such  testimony,  and  there  was  a  single  moment  when  the 
idea  of  abandoning  a  league  that  seemed  desperate  took 
possession  of  his  brain.  But  true  to  himself  and  his  cause, 
second  thoughts  and  a  firmer  purpose  restored  his  resolu- 
tion, though  they  could  not  remove  the  perplexity  of  his 
doubts. 

"What  does  Conanchet  wish?"  he  said.  "Twice  have 
his  warriors  broken  into  this  valley,  and  twice  have  the 
tomahawks  of  his  young  men  been  redder  than  the  head 
of  the  woodpecker.  The  fire  was  not  good  fire  ;  the 
tomahawk  will  kill  surer.  Had  not  the  voice  of  my 
brother  said  to  his  young  men,  *  let  the  scalps  of  the  pris- 
oners alone,'  he  could  not  now  say,  'yet  do  they  now 
stand  here  ! ' ' 

"  My  mind  is  troubled,  friend  of  my  father.  Let  them, 
be  questioned  artfully,  that  the  truth  be  known." 

Metacom  mused  an  instant  ;  then  smiling  in  a  friendly 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  279 

manner  on  his  young  and  much  moved  companion  he  made 
a  sign  to  a  youth  who  was  straying  about  the  fields  to  ap- 
proach. This  young  warrior  was  made  the  bearer  of  an 
order  to  lead  the  captives  to  the  hill,  after  which  the  two 
chiefs  stalked  to  and  fro  in  silence,  each  brooding  over  what 
had  passed,  in  a  humor  that  was  suited  to  his  particular 
character  and  more  familiar  feelings. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

"  No  withered  witch  shall  here  be  seen, 
No  goblins  lead  their  nightly  crew  ; 
The  female  fays  shall  haunt  the  green, 
And  dress  thy  grave  with  pearly  dew." — COLLINS. 

IT  is  rarely  indeed  that  the  philosophy  of  a  dignified 
Indian  is  so  far  disturbed  as  to  destroy  the  appearance  of 
equanimity.  When  Content  and  the  family  of  the  Heath- 
cotes  appeared  on  the  hill,  they  found  the  chiefs  still  pac- 
ing the  orcjiard,  with  the  outward  composure  of  men  un- 
moved, and  with  the  gravity  that  was  suited  to  their  rank. 
Annawon,  who  had  acted  as  their  conductor,  caused  the 
captives  to  be  placed  in  a  row,  choosing  the  foot  of  the 
ruin  for  their  position,  and  then  he  patiently  awaited  the 
moment  when  his  superiors  might  be  pleased  to  renew 
the  examination.  In  this  habitual  silence,  there  was  noth- 
ing of  the  abject  air  of  Asiatic  deference.  It  proceeded 
from  the  habit  of  self-command  which  taught  the  Indian 
to  repress  all  natural  emotions.  A  very  similar  effect  was 
produced  by  the  religious  abasement  of  those  whom  fort- 
une had  now  thrown  into  their  power.  It  would  have 
been  a  curious  study  for  one  interested  in  the  manners  of 
the  human  species,  to  note  the  difference  between  the 
calm,  physical,  and  perfect  self-possession  of  the  wild 
tenants  of  the  forest,  and  the  ascetic,  spiritually  sustained, 
and  yet  meek  submission  to  Providence,  that  was  exhibited 
by  most  of  the  prisoners.  We  say  of  most,  for  there  was 
an  exception.  The  brow  of  young  Mark  still  retained  its 
frown,  and  the  angry  character  of  his  eye  was  only  lost 
when  by  chance  it  lighted  on  the  drooping  form  and  pallid 
features  of  his  mother.  There  was  ample  time  for  these 
several  and  peculiar  qualities  to  be  thus  silently  exhibited, 
many  minutes  passing  before  either  of  the  sachems  seemed 


28o  THE  WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

inclined  to  recommence  the  conference.  At  length  Philip, 
or  Metacom,  as  we  shall  indifferently  call  him,  drew  near 
and  spoke. 

"This  earth  is  a  good  earth,"  he  said  ;  "it  is  of  many 
colors,  to  please  the  eyes  of  Him  who  made  it.  In  one  part 
it  is  dark,  and  as  the  worm  taketh  the  color  of  the  leaf  on 
which  he  crawls,  there  the  hunters  are  black  ;  in  another 
part  it  is  white,  and  that  is  the  part  where  pale  men  were 
born,  and  where  they  should  die ;  or  they  may  miss  the 
road  which  leads  to  their  happy  hunting  grounds.  Many 
just  warriors  who  have  been  killed  on  distant  war-paths 
still  wander  in  the  woods,  because  the  trail  is  hid  and  their 
sight  dim.  It  is  not  good  to  trust  so  much  to  the  cunning 
of " 

"Wretched  and  blind  worshipper  of  Apollyon  !  "  inter- 
rupted the  Puritan,  "we  are  not  of  the  idolatrous  and 
foolish-minded  !  It  hath  been  accorded  to  us  to  know  the 
Lord  ;  to  his  chosen  worshippers  all  regions  are  alike. 
The  spirit  can  mount  equally  through  snows  and  whirl- 
winds ;  the  tempest  and  the  calm  ;  from  the  lands  of  the 
sun,  and  the  lands  of  frosts  ;  from  the  depths  of  the  ocean, 
from  fire,  from  the  forest " 

He  was  interrupted  in  his  turn.  At  the  word  fire,  the 
finger  of  Metacom  fell  meaningly  on  his  shoulder,  and 
when  he  had  ceased,  for  until  then  no  Indian  would  have 
spoken,  the  other  gravely  asked — 

"And  when  a  man  of  a  pale  skin  hath  gone  up  in  the 
fire  can  he  again  walk  upon  earth  ?  Is  the  river  between 
this  clearing  and  the  pleasant  fields  of  a  Yengeese  so 
narrow,  that  the  just  men  can  step  across  it  when  they 
please  ?  " 

"  This  is  the  conceit  of  one  wallowing  in  the  slough  of 
heathenish  abominations  !  Child  of  ignorance !  know  that 
the  barriers  which  separate  heaven  from  earth  are  impassa- 
ble ;  for  what  purified  being  could  endure  the  wickedness 
of  the  flesh  ?  " 

"This  is  a  lie  of  the  false  pale-faces,"  said  the  wily  Philip  ; 
11  it  is  told  that  the  Indian  might  not  learn  their  cunning, 
and  become  stronger  than  a  Yengeese.  My  father,  and 
those  with  him,  were  once  burnt  in  this  lodge,  and  now  he 
standeth  here,  ready  to  take  the  tomahawk  ! " 

"  To  be  angered  at  this  blasphemy,  would  ill  denote  the 
pity  that  I  feel,"  said  Mark,  more  excited  at  the  charge  of 
necromancy  than  he  was  willing  to  own  ;  "  and  yet  to  suffer 
so  fatal  an  error  to  spread  among  these  deluded  victims  of 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  281 

Satan,  would  be  neglect  of  duty.  Thou  hast  heard  some 
ler  end  of  thy  wild  people,  man  of  the  Wampanoags,  which 
may  heap  double  perdition  on  thy  soul  lest  thou  shouldst 
happily  be  rescued  from  the  fangs  of  the  deceiver.  It  is 
true,  that  I  and  mine  were  in  exceeding  jeopardy  in  this 
tower,  and  that  to  the  eyes  of  men  without  we  seemed 
melted  with  the  heat  of  the  flames  ;  but  the  Lord  put  it 
into  our  spirits  to  seek  refuge  whither  fire  could  not  come. 
The  well  was  made  the  instrument  of  our  safety,  for  the 
fulfilment  of  His  own  inscrutable  designs." 

Notwithstanding  the  long  practised  and  exceeding  subt- 
lety of  the  listeners,  they  heard  this  simple  explanation  of 
that  which  they  had  deemed  a  miracle,  with  a  wonder  that 
could  not  readily  be  concealed.  Delight  at  the  excellence 
of  the  artifice  was  evidently  the  first  and  common  emotion 
of  them  both  ;  nor  would  they  yield  implicit  faith  until  as- 
sured beyond  a  doubt  that  what  they  heard  was  true.  The 
little  iron  door,  which  had  permitted  access  to  the  well,  for 
the  ordinary  domestic  purposes  of  the  family,  was  still 
there  ;  and  it  was  only  after  each  had  cast  a  look  down  the 
deep  shaft,  that  he  appeared  satisfied  of  the  practicability  of 
the  deed.  Then  a  look  of  triumph  gleamed  in  the  swarthy 
visage  of  Philip,  while  the  features  of  his  associate  ex- 
pressed equally  his  satisfaction  and  his  regret.  They 
walked  apart,  musing  on  what  they  had  just  seen  and 
heard  ;  and  when  they  spoke,  it  was  again  in  the  language 
of  their  people. 

"  My  son  hath  a  tongue  that  cannot  lie,"  observed  Meta- 
com,  in  a  soothing,  flattering  accent.  "  What  he  hath  seen, 
he  tells  ;  and  what  he  tells,  is  true.  Conanchet  is  not  a 
boy,  but  a  chief  whose  wisdom  is  gray,  while  his  limbs  are 
young.  Now  why  shall  not  his  people  take  the  scalps  of 
these  Yengeese,  that  they  may  never  go  any  more  into 
holes  in  the  earth,  like  cunning  foxes  ? " 

"  The  sachem  hath  a  very  bloody  mind,"  returned  the 
young  chief,  quicker  than  was  common  for  men  of  his 
station.  "  Let  the  arms  of  the  warriors  rest,  till  they  meet 
the  armed  hands  of  the  Yengeese,  or  they  will  be  too 
tired  to  strike  heavily.  My  young  men  have  taken  scalps 
since  the  sun  came  over  the  trees,  and  they  are  satisfied — 
Why  does  Metacom  look  so  hard  ?  What  does  my  father 
see?" 

"  A  dark  spot  in  the  middle  of  a  white  plain.  The  grass 
is  not  green  ;  it  is  red  as  blood.  It  is  too  dark  for  the 
blood  of  a  pale-face.  It  is  the  rich  blood  of  a  great  \yar 


282  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-IVISH. 

rior.  The  rains  cannot  wash  it  out  ;  it  grows  darker  every 
sun.  The  snows  do  not  whiten  it  ;  it  hath  been  there  many 
winters.  The  birds  scream  as  they  fly  over  it ;  the  woff 
howls  ;  the  lizards  creep  another  way." 

"Thine  eyes  are  getting  old;  fire  hath  blackened  the 
place,  and  what  thou  seest  is  coal." 

"  The  fire  was  kindled  in  a  well  ;  it  did  not  burn  bright. 
What  I  see,  is  blood." 

"Wampanoag,"  rejoined  Conanchet,  fiercely,  "I  have 
scorched  the  spot  with  the  lodges  of  the  Yengeese.  The 
grave  of  my  father  is  covered  with  scalps  taken  by  the 
hand  of  his  son — Why  does  Metacom  look  again  ?  What 
does  the  chief  see  ?  " 

"An  Indian  town  burning  in  the  midst  of  the  snow ;  the 
young  men  struck  from  behind  ;  the  girls  screaming  ;  the 
children  broiling  on  coals,  and  the  old  men  dying  like 
dogs  !  It  is  the  village  of  the  cowardly  Pequods — No,  I  see 
better ;  the  Yengeese  are  in  the  country  of  the  Great  Nar- 
ragansett,  and  the  brave  sachem  is  there,  fighting  !  I  shut 
my  eyes,  for  smoke  blinds  them  !  " 

Conanchet  heard  this  allusion  to  the  recent  and  deplora- 
ble fate  of  the  principal  establishment  of  his  tribe,  in  sullen 
silence  ;  for  the  desire  of  revenge,  which  had  been  so  fear- 
fully awakened,  seemed  now  to  be  slumbering,  if  it  were 
not  entirely  quelled  by  the  agency  of  some  mysterious  and 
potent  feeling.  He  rolled  his  eyes  gloomily,  from  the  ap- 
parently abstracted  countenance  of  his  artful  companion, 
to  those  of  the  captives,  whose  fate  only  awaited  his  judg- 
ment, since  the  band  which  had  that  morning  broken  in 
upon  the  Wish-Ton-Wish  was,  with  but  few  exceptions, 
composed  of  the  surviving  warriors  of  his  own  powerful 
nation.  But,  while  his  look  was  displeased,  faculties  that 
were  schooled  so  highly,  could  not  easily  be  mistaken  in 
what  passed,  even  in  the  most  cursory  manner,  before  his 
sight. 

"  What  sees  my  father  next  ?  "  he  asked,  with  an  interest 
he  could  not  control,  detecting  another  change  in  the  feat- 
ures of  Metacom. 

"  One  who  is  neither  white  nor  red.  A  young  woman, 
that  boundeth  like  a  skipping  fawn  ;  who  hath  lived  in  a 
wigwam,  doing  nothing  ;  who  speaks  with  two  tongues  ; 
who  holds  her  hands  before  the  eyes  of  a  great  warrior,  till 
he  is  blind  as  the  owl  in  the  sun — I  see  her " 

Metacom  paused,  for  at  that  moment  a  being  that  singu- 
larly resembled  this  description  appeared  before  him,  offer- 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  283 

ing  the  reality  of  the  imaginary  picture  he  was  drawing 
with  so  much  irony  and  art. 

The  movement  of  the  timid  hare  is  scarce  more  hurried, 
or  more  undecided,  than  that  of  the  creature  who  now  sud- 
denly presented  herself  to  the  warriors.  It  was  apparent, 
by  the  hesitating  and  half-retreating  step  that  succeeded 
the  light  bound  with  which  she  came  in  view,  that  she 
dreaded  to  advance,  while  she  knew  not  how  far  it  might 
be  proper  to  retire.  For  the  first  moment,  she  stood  in  a 
suspended  and  doubting  posture,  such  as  one  might  sup- 
pose a  creature  of  mist,  would  assume  ere  it  vanished,  and 
then  meeting  the  eye  of  Conanchet,  the  uplifted  foot  re- 
touched the  earth,  and  her  whole  form  sank  into  the  mod- 
est and  shrinking  attitude  of  an  Indian  girl,  who  stood  in 
the  presence  of  a  sachem  of  her  tribe.  As  this  female  is 
to  enact  no  mean  part  in  that  which  follows,  the  reader 
may  be  thankful  for  a  more  minute  description  of  her  per- 
son. 

The  age  of  the  stranger  was  under  twenty.  In  form  she 
rose  above  the  usual  stature  of  an  Indian  maid,  though  the 
proportions  of  her  person  were  as  light  and  buoyant  as  at 
all  comported  with  the  fulness  that  properly  belonged  to 
her  years.  The  limbs,  seen  below  the  folds  of  a  short  kirtle 
of  bright  scarlet  cloth,  were  just  and  tapering,  even  to  the 
nicest  proportions  of  classic  beauty  ;  and  never  did  foot  of 
higher  instep,  and  softer  roundness,  grace  a  feathered  moc- 
cason.  Though  the  person,  from  the  neck  to  the  knees  was 
hid  by  a  tightly-fitting  vest  of  calico  and  the  sho'rt  kirtle 
named,  enough  of  the  shape  was  visible  to  betray  outlines 
that  had  never  been  injured,  either  by  the  mistaken  devices 
of  art  or  by  the  baneful  effects  of  toil.  The  skin  was  only 
visible  at  the  hands,  face,  and  neck.  Its  lustre  having  been 
a  little  dimmed  by  exposure,  a  rich,  rosy  tint  had  usurped 
the  natural  brightness  of  a  complexion  that  had  once  been 
fair  even  to  brilliancy.  The  eye  was  full,  sweet,  and  of  a 
blue  that  emulated  the  sky  of  evening  ;  the  brows,  soft  and 
arched  ;  the  nose,  straight,  delicate,  and  slightly  Grecian  ; 
the  forehead,  fuller  than  that  which  properly  belonged  to  a 
girl  of  the  Narragansetts,  but  regular,  delicate,  and  pol- 
ished ;  and  the  hair,  instead  of  dropping  in  long  straight 
tresses  of  jet  black,  broke  out  of  the  restraints  of  a  band 
of  beaded  wampum,  in  ringlets  of  golden  yellow. 

The  peculiarities  that  distinguished  this  female  from  the 
others  of  her  tribe,  were  not  confined  alone  to  the  indelible 
marks  of  nature.  Her  step  was  more  elastic — her  gait  more 


284  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

erect  and  graceful — her  foot  less  inwardly  inclined,  and  her 
whole  movements  freer  and  more  decided  than  those  of  a 
race  doomed  from  infancy  to  subjection  and  labor.  Though 
ornamented  by  some  of  the  prized  inventions  of  the  hated 
race  to  which  she  evidently  owed  her  birth,  she  had  the 
wild  and  timid  look  of  those  with  whom  she  had  grown 
into  womanhood.  Her  beauty  would  have  been  remarkable 
in  any  region  of  the  earth,  while  the  play  of  muscle,  the 
ingenuous  beaming  of  the  eye,  and  the  freedom  of  limb 
and  action  were  such  as  seldom  pass  beyond  the  years  of 
childhood,  among  people  who,  in  attempting  to  improve, 
so  often  mar  the  works  of  nature. 

Although  the  color  of  the  eye  was  so  very  different  from 
that  which  generally  belongs  to  one  of  Indian  origin,  the 
manner  of  its  quick  and  searching  glance,  and  of  the  half- 
alarmed  and  yet  understanding  look  with  which  this  extra- 
ordinary creature  made  herself  mistress  of  the  more  gen- 
eral character  of  the  assemblage  before  which  she  had  been 
summoned,  was  like  the  half-instinctive  knowledge  of  one 
accustomed  to  the  constant  and  keenest  exercise  of  her 
faculties.  Pointing  with  a  finger  toward  Whittal  Ring, 
who  stood  a  little  in  the  background,  a  low,  sweet  voice 
was  heard,  asking,  in  the  language  of  the  Indians — 

"  Why  has  Conanchet  sent  for  his  woman  from  the 
woods?" 

The  young  sachem  made  no  reply.  An  ordinary  specta- 
tor could  not  have  detected  about  him  even  a  consciousness 
of  the  speaker's  presence.  On  the  contrary,  he  maintained 
the  lofty  reserve  of  a  chief  engaged  in  affairs  of  moment. 
However  deeply  his  thoughts  might  have  been  troubled,  it 
was  not  easy  to  trace  any  evidence  of  the  state  of  his  mind 
in  the  calmness  of  features  that  appeared  habitually  immov- 
able. For  a  single  treacherous  instant  only,  was  a  glance 
of  kindness  shot  toward  the  timid  and  attentive  girl,  and 
then  throwing  the  still  bloody  tomahawk  into  the  hollow 
of  one  arm,  while  the  hand  of  the  other  firmly  grasped  its 
handle,  he  remained  unchanged  in  feature,  as  he  was  rigid 
in  limb.  Not  so  with  Philip.  When  the  intruder  first  ap- 
peared, a  dark  and  lowering  gleam  of  discontent  gathered 
at  his  brow.  It  quickly  changed  to  a  look  of  sarcastic  and 
biting  scorn. 

"  Does  my  brother  again  wish  to  know  what  I  see  ? "  he 
demanded,  when  sufficient  time  had  passed,  after  the  un- 
answered question  of  the  female,  to  show  that  his  com« 
pan  ion  was  not  disposed  to  answer. 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  285 

"  What  does  the  Sachem  of  the  Wampanoags  now  be- 
hold ? "  returned  Conanchet,  proudly,  unwilling  to  show 
that  any  circumstance  had  occurred  to  interrupt  the  subject 
of  their  conference. 

"  A  sight  that  his  eyes  will  not  believe.  He  sees  a  great 
tribe  on  the  war-path.  There  are  many  braves,  and  a 
chief  whose  fathers  came  from  the  clouds.  Their  hands  are 
in  the  air.  They  strike  heavy  blows  ;  the  arrow  is  swift, 
and  the  bullet  is  not  seen  to  enter — but  it  kills.  Blood 
runs  from  the  wounds,  that  is  of  the  color  of  water.  Now 
he  does  not  see,  but  he  hears !  'Tis  the  scalp-whoop,  and 
the  warriors  are  very  glad.  The  chiefs  in  the  happy  hunt- 
ing grounds  are  coming  with  joy  to  meet  Indians  that 
are  killed  ;  for  they  know  the  scalp-whoop  of  their  chil- 
dren " 

The  expressive  countenance  of  the  young  sachem  invol- 
untarily responded  to  this  description  of  the  scene  through 
which  he  had  just  passed  ;  and  it  was  impossible  for  one 
so  tutored,  to  prevent  the  blood  from  rushing  faster  to  a 
heart  that  ever  beat  strongly  with  the  wishes  of  a  warrior. 

"  What  sees  my  father  next  ? "  he  asked,  triumph  insen- 
cibly  stealing  into  the  tones  of  his  voice. 

"A  messenger:  and  then  he  hears — the  moccasons  of 
squaws  J " 

"  Enough  ; — Metacom,  the  women  of  the  Narragansetts 
have  no  lodges.  Their  villages  are  in  coals,  and  they  fol- 
low the  young  men  for  food." 

"  I  see  no  deer.  The  hunter  will  not  find  venison  in  a 
clearing  of  the  pale-faces.  But  the  corn  is  full  of  milk. 
Conanchet  is  very  hungry ;  he  hath  sent  for  his  woman, 
that  he  may  eat !  " 

The  fingers  of  that  hand  which  grasped  the  handle  of  the 
tomahawk  appeared  to  bury  themselves  in  the  wood.  The 
glittering  axe  itself  was  slightly  raised  ;  but  the  fierce 
gleaming  of  resentment  subsided,  as  the  anger  of  the  young 
sachem  vanished,  and  a  dignified  calm  again  settled  on  his 
countenance. 

"  Go,  Wampanoag,"  he  said,  waving  a  hand  proudly,  as 
if  determined  to  be  no  longer  harassed  by  the  language  of 
his  wily  associate.  "  My  young  men  will  raise  the  whoop 
when  they  hear  my  voice,  and  they  will  kill  deer  for  their 
women.  Sachem,  my  mind  is  my  own." 

Philip  answered  to  the  look  which  accompanied  these 
words,  with  one  that  threatened  vengeance  ;  but  smother- 
ing his  anger  with  his  accustomed  wisdom,  he  left  the  hill, 


286  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON- WISH. 

assuming  an  air  that  affected  more  of  commiseration  than 
of  resentment. 

"  Why  has  Conanchet  sent  for  a  woman  from  the  woods  ? " 
repeated  the  same  soft  voice,  nearer  to  the  elbow  of  the 
young  sachem,  and  which  spoke  with  less  of  the  timidity  of 
the  sex,  now  that  the  troubled  spirit  of  the  Indians  of  those 
regions  had  disappeared. 

"  Narra-mattah,  come  near,"  returned  the  young  chief, 
changing  the  deep  and  proud  tones  in  which  he  had  ad- 
dressed his  restless  and  bold  companion  in  arms,  to  those 
which  better  suited  the  gentle  ear  for  which  his  words  were 
intended.  "  Fear  not,  daughter  of  the  morning  ;  for  those 
around  us  are  of  a  race  used  to  see  women  at  the  council- 
fires.  Now  look,  with  an  open  eye.  Is  there  anything 
among  these  trees  that  seemeth  like  an  ancient  tradition  f 
Hast  ever  beheld  such  a  valley  in  thy  dreams  ?  Have  yon^ 
der  pale-faces  whom  the  tomahawks  of  my  young  men 
spared,  been  led  before  thee  by  the  Great  Spirit  in  the  dark 
night  ? " 

The  female  listened  in  deep  attention.  Her  gaze  was 
wild  and  uncertain,  and  yet  it  was  not  absolutely  without 
gleamings  of  a  half-reviving  intelligence.  Until  that  mo- 
ment she  had  been  too  much  occupied  in  conjecturing  the 
subject  of  her  visit,  to  regard  the  natural  objects  by  which 
she  was  surrounded  ;  but  with  her  attention  thus  directly 
turned  upon  them,  her  organs  of  sight  embraced  each  and 
all,  with  the  discrimination  that  is  so  remarkable  in  those 
whose  faculties  are  quickened  by  danger  and  necessity. 
Passing  from  side  to  side,  her  swift  glances  ran  over  the 
distant  hamlet,  with  its  little  fort,  the  buildings  in  the  near 
grounds,  the  soft  and  verdant  fields — the  fragrant  orchard, 
beneath  whose  leafy  shades  she  stood,  and  the  blackened 
tower  that  rose  in  its  centre  like  some  gloomy  memorial, 
placed  there  to  remind  the  spectator  not  to  trust  too  fondly 
to  the  signs  of  peace  and  loveliness  that  reigned  around. 
Shaking  back  the  ringlets  that  had  blown  about  her  tem- 
ples, the  wondering  female  returned  thoughtfully  and  in 
silence^  to  her  place. 

"  'Tis  a  village  of  the  Yengeese  !  "  she  said,  after  a  long 
and  expressive  pause.  "A  Narragansett  woman  does  not 
love  to  look  at  the  lodges  of  the  hated  race." 

"  Listen — Lies  have  never  entered  the  ears  of  Narra- 
mattah.  My  tongue  hath  spoken  like  the  tongue  of  a 
chief.  Thou  didst  not  come  of  the  sumach,  but  of  the 
snow.  This  hand  of  thine  is  not  like  the  hands  of  the 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  287 

women  of  my  tribe  ;  it  is  little,  for  the  Great  Spirit  did 
not  make  it  for  work  ;  it  is  of  the  color  of  the  sky  in  the 
morning,  for  thy  fathers  were  born  near  the  place  where 
the  sun  rises.  Thy  blood  is  like  spring-water.  All  this 
thou  knowest,  for  none  have  spoken  falsely  in  thy  ear. 
Speak — dost  thou  never  see  the  wigwam  of  thy  father  ? 
Does  not  his  voice  whisper  to  thee  in  the  language  of  his 
people  ?" 

The  female  stood  in  the  attitude  which  a  sibyl  might  be 
supposed  to  assume,  while  listening  to  the  occult  mandates 
of  the  mysterious  oracle,  every  faculty  entranced  and  at- 
tentive. 

"  Why  does  Conanchet  ask  these  questions  of  his  wife  ? 
He  knows  what  she  knows  ;  he  sees  what  she  sees  ;  his 
mind  is  her  mind.  If  the  Great  Spirit  made  her  skin  of  a 
different  color,  he  made  her  heart  the  same.  Narra-mattah 
will  not  listen  to  the  lying  language  ;  she  shuts  her  ears, 
for  there  is  deceit  in  its  sounds.  She  tries  to  forget  it. 
One  tongue  can  say  all  she  wishes  to  speak  to  Conanchet ; 
why  should  she  look  back  in  dreams,  when  a  great  chief  is 
her  husband  ?" 

The  eye  of  the  warrior,  as  he  looked  upon  the  ingenuous 
and  confiding  face  of  the  speaker,  was  kind  to  fondness. 
The  firmness  had  passed  away,  and  in  its  place  was  left  the 
winning  softness  of  affection,  which,  as  it  belongs  to  nature, 
is  seen,  at  times,  in  the  expression  of  an  Indian's  eye,  as 
strongly  as  it  is  ever  known  to  sweeten  the  intercourse  of 
a  more  polished  condition  of  life. 

"  Girl,"  he  said  with  emphasis,  after  a  moment  of  thought, 
as  if  he  would  recall  her  and  himself  to  more  important 
duties,  "  this  is  a  war-path  ;  all  on  it  are  men.  Thou  wast 
like  the  pigeon  before  its  wing  opens,  when  I  brought 
thee  from  the  nest  ;  still  the  winds  of  many  winters  had 
blown  upon  thee.  Dost  never  think  of  the  warmth  and 
of  the  food  of  the  lodge  in  which  thou  hast  passed  so  many 
seasons  ? " 

"  The  wigwam  of  Conanchet  is  warm  ;  no  woman  of  the 
tribe  hath  as  many  furs  as  Narra-mattah." 

"  He  is  a  great  hunter  !  when  they  hear  his  moccason, 
the  beavers  lie  down  to  be  killed !  But  the  men  of  the 
pale-faces  hold  the  plough.  Does  not  '  the  driven  snow ' 
think  of  those  who  fenced  the  wigwam  of  her  father 
from  the  cold,  or  of  the  manner  in  which  the  Yengeese 
live?" 

His  youthful  and  attentive  wife  seemed  to  reflect ;  but 


288  THE  WEPT  OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

raising  her  face,  with  an  expression  of  content  that  could 
not  be  counterfeited,  she  shook  her  head  in  the  negative. 

"  Does  she  never  see  a  fire  kindled  among  the  lodges, 
or  hear  the  whoops  of  warriors  as  they  break  into  a  settle- 
ment ? " 

"  Many  fires  have  been  kindled  before  her  eyes.  The 
ashes  of  the  Narragansett  town  are  not  yet  cold." 

"Does  not  Narra-mattah  hear  her  father  speaking  to  the 
God  of  the  Yengeese  !  Listen — he  is  asking  favor  of  his 
child  ? " 

"  The  Great  Spirit  of  the  Narragansett  has  ears  for  his 
people." 

"  But  I  hear  a  softer  voice  !  'Tis  a  woman  of  the  pale- 
faces among  her  children  ;  cannot  the  daughter  hear  ?  " 

Narra-mattah,  or  "  the  driven  snow,"  laid  her  hand 
lightly  on  the  arm  of  the  chief,  and  she  looked  wistfully 
and  long  into  his  face,  without  an  answer.  The  gaze 
seemed  to  deprecate  the  anger  that  might  be  awakened  by 
what  she  was  about  to  reveal. 

"  Chief  of  my  people,"  she  said,  encouraged  by  his  still 
calm  and  gentle  brow,  to  proceed,  "  what  a  girl  of  the 
clearings  sees  in  her  dreams,  shall  not  be  hid.  It  is  not 
the  lodges  of  her  race,  for  the  wigwam  of  her  husband  is 
warmer.  It  is  not  the  food  and  clothes  of  a  cunning  peo- 
ple, for  who  is  richer  than  the  wife  of  a  great  chief  ?  It 
is  not  her  father  speaking  to  their  Spirit,  for  there  is  none 
stronger  than  Manitou.  Narra-mattah  has  forgotten  all ; 
she  does  not  wish  to  think  of  things  like  these.  She  knows 
how  to  hate  a  hungry  and  craving  race.  But  she  sees  one 
that  the  wives  of  the  Narragansetts  do  not  see.  She  sees 
a  woman  with  a  white  skin  ;  her  eyes  look  softly  on  her 
child  in  her 'dreams;  it  is  not  an  eye,  it  is  a  tongue  !  It 
says,  what  does  the  wife  of  Conanchet  wish  ? — is  she  cold  ? 
here  are  furs — is  she  hungry  ?  here  is  venison — is  she 
tired  ?  the  arms  of  the  pale  woman  open,  that  an  Indian 
girl  may  sleep.  When  there  is  silence  in  the  lodges,  when 
Conanchet  and  his  young  men  lie  down,  then  does  this 
pale  woman  speak.  Sachem,  she  does  not  talk  of  the 
battles  of  her  people,  nor  of  the  scalps  that  her  warriors 
nave  taken,  nor  of  the  manner  in  which  the  Pequods  and 
and  Mohicans  fear  her  tribe.  She  does  not  tell  how  a 
young  Narragansett  should  obey  her  husband,  nor  how  the 
woman  must  keep  food  in  the  lodges  for  the  hunters  that 
are  wearied  ;  her  tongue  useth  strange  words.  It  names 
a  mighty  and  just  Spirit,  it  telleth  of  peace  and  not  of 


THE  WEPT  OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  289 

war ;  it  soundeth  as  one  talking  from  the  clouds  ;  it  is  like 
the  falling  of  the  water  among  roc&s.  Narra-mattah  loves 
to  listen,  "for  the  words  seem  to  her  like  the  Wish-Ton- 
Wish,  when  he  whistles  in  the  woods." 

Conanchet  had  fastened  a  look  of  deep  and  affectionate 
interest  on  the  wild  and  sweet  countenance  of  the  being 
who  stood  before  him.  She  had  spoken  in  that  attitude  of 
earnest  and  natural  eloquence  that  no  art  can  equal  ;  and 
when  she  ceased,  he  laid  a  hand,  in  kind  but  melancholy 
fondness,  on  the  half-inclined  and  motionless  head,  as  he 
answered : 

"  This  is  the  bird  of  night,  singing  to  its  young  !  The 
Great  Spirit  of  thy  fathers  is  angry,  that  thou  livest  in  the 
lodge  of  a  Narragansett.  His  sight  is  too  cunning  to  be 
cheated.  He  knows  that  the  moccason,  and  the  wampum, 
and  the  robe  of  furs  are  liars  ;  he  sees  the  color  of  the  skin 
beneath." 

"  Conanchet,  no,"  returned  the  female  hurriedly,  and 
with  a  decision  her  timidity  did  not  give  reason  to  expect. 
"He  seeth  further  than  the  skin,  and  knoweth  the  color  of 
the  mind.  He  hath  forgotten  that  one  of  his  girls  is  miss- 
ing-" 

"  It  is  not  so.  The  eagle  of  my  people  was  taken  into 
the  lodges  of  the  pale-faces.  He  was  young,  and  they 
taught  him  to  sing  with  another  tongue.  The  colors  of  his 
feathers  were  changed,  and  they  thought  to  cheat  the 
Manitou.  But  when  the  door  was  open,  he  spread  his  wings 
and  flew  back  to  his  nest.  It  is  not  so.  What  hath  been 
done  is  good,  and  what  will  be  done  is  better.  Come, 
there  is  a  straight  path  before  us." 

Thus  saying,  Conanchet  motioned  to  his  wife  to  follow 
toward  the  group  of  captives.  The  foregoing  dialogue 
had  occurred  in  a  place  where  the  two  parties  were  par- 
tially concealed  from  each  other  by  the  ruin  ;  but  as  the 
distance  was  so  trifling,  the  sachem  and  his  companion 
were  soon  confronted  by  those  he  sought.  Leaving  his 
wife  a  little  without  the  circle,  Conanchet  advanced,  and 
taking  the  unresisting  and  half-unconscious  Ruth  by  the 
arm,  he  led  her  forward.  He  placed  the  two  females  in 
attitudes  where  each  might  look  the  other  full  in  the  face. 
Strong  emotion  struggled  in  a  countenance,  which,  in 
spite  of  its  fierce  mask  of  war-paint,  could  not  entirely 
conceal  its  workings. 

"See,"  he  said  in  English,  looking  earnestly  from  one 
to  the  other.  "  The  Good  Spirit  is  not  ashamed  of  his 
19 


290  THE   WEPT  OF  WISH-TUN-W1SH. 

work.  What  he  hath  done,  he  hath  done  ;  Narragansett 
nor  Yengeese  can  alter  it.  This  is  the  white  bird  that 
came  from  the  sea,"  he  added,  touching  the  shoulder  ot 
Ruth  lightly  with  a  finger,  "  and  this  the  young,  that  she 
warmed  under  her  wing." 

Then,  folding  his  arms  on  his  naked  breast,  he  appeared 
to  summon  his  energy,  lest,  in  the  scene  that  he  knew 
must  follow,  his  manhood  might  be  betrayed  into  some 
act  unworthy  of  his  name. 

The  captives  were  necessarily  ignorant  of  the  meaning 
of  the  scene  which  they  had  just  witnessed.  So  many 
strange  and  savage-looking  forms  were  constantly  passing 
and  repassing  before  their  eyes,  that  the  arrival  of  one 
more  or  less  was  not  likely  to  be  noted.  Until  she  heard 
Conanchet  speak  in  her  native  tongue,  Ruth  had  lent  no 
attention  to  the  interview  between  him  and  his  wife.  But 
the  figurative  language  and  no  less  remarkable  action  of 
the  Narragansett  had  the  effect  to  arouse  her  suddenly, 
and  in  the  most  exciting  manner,  from  her  melancholy. 

No  child  of  tender  age  ever  unexpectedly  came  before 
the  eyes  of  Ruth  Heathcote,  without  painfully  recalling 
the  image  of  the  cherub  she  had  lost.  The  playful  voice 
of  infancy  never  surprised  her  ear,  without  the  sound  .con- 
veying ii  pang  to  the  heart  ;  nor  could  allusion,  ever  so  re- 
mote, be  made  to  persons  or  events  that  bore  resemblance 
to  the  sad  incidents  of  her  own  life,  without  quickening 
the  never-dying  pulses  of  maternal  love.  No  wonder,  then, 
that  when  she  found  herself  in  the  situation  and  under  the 
circumstances  described,  nature  grew  strong  within  her, 
and  that  her  mind  caught  glimpses,  however  dim  and  in- 
distinct they  might  be,  of  a  truth  that  the  reader  has 
already  anticipated.  Still,  a  certain  and  intelligible  clew 
was  wanting.  Fancy  had  ever  painted  her  child  in  the  in- 
nocence and  infancy  in  which  it  had  been  torn  from  her 
arms  ;  and  here,  while  there  was  so  much  to  correspond 
with  reasonable  expectation,  there  was  little  to  answer  tc 
the  long  and  fondly  cherished  picture.  The  delusion,  if 
so  holy  and  natural  a  feeling  may  thus  be  termed,  had 
been  too  deeply  seated  to  be  dispossessed  at  a  glance.  Gaz- 
ing long,  earnestly,  and  with  features  that  varied  with 
every  changing  feeling,  she  held  the  stranger  at  the  length 
of  her  two  arms,  alike  unwilling  to  release  her  hold,  or  to 
admit  her  closer  to  a  heart  which  might  rightfully  be  the 
property  of  another. 

"Who  art  thou  ? "  demanded  the  mother,  in  a  voice  that 


THE   WEPT   OF  WTSH-TON-WISH.  a9i 

was  tremulous  with  the  emotions  of  that  sacred  charac- 
ter. "Speak,  mysterious  and  lovely  being  —  who  art 
thou  ?  " 

Narra-mattah  had  turned  a  terrified  and  imploring  look 
at  the  immovable  and  calm  form  of  the  chief,  as  if  she 
sought  protection  from  him  at  whose  hands  she  had  been 
accustomed  to  receive  it.  But  a  different  sensation  took 
possession  of  her  mind,  wrhen  she  heard  sounds  which  had 
too  often  soothed  the  ear  of  infancy  ever  to  be  forgotten. 
Struggling  ceased,  and  her  pliant  form  assumed  the  atti- 
tude of  intense  and  entranced  attention.  Her  head  was 
bent  aside,  as  if  the  ear  were  eager  to  drink  in  a  repetition 
of  the  tones,  while  her  bewildered  and  delighted  eye  still 
sought  the  countenance  of  her  husband. 

"  Vision  of  the  woods  !  wilt  thou  not  answer  ? "  continued 
Ruth.  "  If  there  is  reverence  for  the  Holy  One  of  Israel 
in  thine  heart,  answer  that  I  may  know  thee!" 

"Hist!  Conanchet!"  murmured  the  wife,  over  whose 
features  the  glow  of  pleased  and  wild  surprise  continued 
to  deepen.  "Come  near,  sachem,  the  spirit  that  talketh 
to  Narra-mattah  in  her  dreams  is  nigh." 

"  Woman  of  the  Yengeese  ! "  said  the  husband,  advanc- 
ing with  dignity  to  the  spot,  "  let  the  clouds  blow  from  thy 
sight. — Wife  of  a  Narragansett !  see  clearly.  The  Manitou 
of  your  race  speaks  strong.  He  telleth  a  mother  to  know 
her  child ! " 

Ruth  could  hesitate  no  longer  ;  neither  sound  nor  ex- 
clamation escaped  her,  but  as  she  strained  the  yielding 
frame  of  her  recovered  daughter  to  her  heart  it  appeared 
as  if  she  strove  to  incorporate  the  two  bodies  into  one.  A 
cry  of  pleasure  and  astonishment  drew  all  around  her. 
Then  came  the  evidence  of  the  power  of  nature  when 
strongly  awakened.  Age  and  youth  alike  acknowledged 
its  potency,  and  recent  alarms  were  overlooked  in  the  pure 
joy  of  such  a  moment.  The  spirit  of  even  the  lofty-mind- 
ed Conanchet  was  shaken.  Raising  the  hand,  at  whose 
wrist  still  hung  the  bloody  tomahawk,  he  veiled  his  face, 
and  turning  aside,  that  none  might  see  the  weakness  of  so 
great  a  warrior,  he  wept. 


292  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 


CHAPTER   XXVI. 

"  One  sees  more  devils  than  vast  hell  can  hold ; 

That  is  the  madman  : — " Midsummer  Night's  Dream. 

ON  quitting  the  hill  Philip  had  summoned  his  Wampa- 
noags,  and  supported  by  the  obedient  and  fierce  Annawon, 
a  savage  that  might,  under  better  auspices,  have  proved  a 
worthy  lieutenant  to  Cassar,  he  left  the  fields  of  Wish-Ton- 
Wish.  Accustomed  to  see  these  sudden  outbreakings  of 
temper  in  their  leaders,  the  followers  of  Conanchet,  who 
would  have  preserved  their  air  of  composure  under  far 
more  trying  circumstances,  saw  him  depart  equally  ivith- 
out  question  and  without  alarm.  But  when  their  own 
sachem  appeared  on  the  ground,  which  was  still  red  with 
the  blood  of  the  combatants,  and  made  known  his  inten- 
tion to  abandon  a  conquest  that  seemed  more  than  half 
achieved,  he  was  not  heard  without  murmuring.  The 
authority  of  an  Indian  chief  is  far  from  despotic,  and 
though  there  is  reason  to  think  it  is  often  aided,  if  not 
generated,  by  the  accidental  causes  of  birth  and  descent, 
it  receives  its  main  support  in  the  personal  qualities  of 
him  who  rules.  Happily  for  the  Narragansett  leader,  even 
his  renowned  father,  the  hapless  Miantonimoh,  had  not 
purchased  a  higher  name  for  wisdom  or  for  daring  than 
that  which  had  been  fairly  won  by  his  still  youthful  son. 
The  savage  humors  and  the  rankling  desire  for  vengeance 
in  the  boldest  of  his  subalterns  were  made  to  quail  before 
the  menacing  glances  of  an  eye  that  seldom  threatened 
without  performance  ;  nor  was  there  one  of  them  all,  when 
challenged  to  come  forth  to  brave  the  anger  or  to  oppose 
the  eloquence  of  his  chief,  who  did  not  shrink  from  a  con- 
test which  habitual  respect  had  taught  them  to  believe 
would  be  far  too  unequal  for  success.  Within  less  than 
an  hour  after  Ruth  had  clasped  her  child  to  her  bosom 
the  invaders  had  altogether  disappeared.  The  dead  of 
their  party  were  withdrawn  and  concealed  with  all  the 
usual  care,  in  order  that  no  scalp  of  a  warrior  might  be 
left  in  the  hands  of  his  enemies. 

It  was  not  unusual  for  the  Indians  to  retire  satisfied  with 
the  results  of  their  first  blow.  So  much  of  their  military 
success  was  dependent  on  surprise,  that  it  oftener  hap- 
pened the  retreat  commenced  with  its  failure,  than  thaf 
victory  was  obtained  by  perseverance. 


THE  WEPT  OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  293 

So  long  as  the  battle  raged,  their  courage  was  equal  to 
all  its  dangers  ;  but  among  people  who  made  so  great  a 
merit  of  artifice,  it  is  not  at  all  surprising  that  they  seldom 
put  more  to  the  hazard  than  was  justified  by  the  most  se- 
vere discretion.  When  it  was  known,  therefore,  that  the 
foe  had  disappeared  in  the  forest,  the  inhabitants  of  the 
village  were  more  ready  to  believe  the  movement  was  the 
result  of  their  own  manful  resistance,  than  to  seek  motives 
that  might  not  prove  so  soothing  to  their  self-esteem.  The 
retreat  was  thought  to  be  quite  in  rule,  and  though  pru- 
dence forbade  pursuit,  able  and  well-limbed  scouts  were 
sent  on  their  trail,  as  well  to  prevent  a  renewal  of  the  sur- 
prise, as  to  enable  the  forces  of  the  Colony  to  know  the  tribe 
of  their  enemies,  and  the  direction  which  they  had  taken. 

Then  came  a  scene  of  solemn  ceremonies  and  of  deep 
affliction.  Though  the  parties  led  by  Dudley  and  the 
lieutenant  had  been  so  fortunate  as  to  escape  with  a  few 
immaterial  wounds,  the  soldiers  headed  by  Content,  with 
the  exception  of  those  already  named,  had  fallen  to  a  man. 
Death  had  struck,  at  a  blow,  twenty  of  the  most  efficient 
individuals,  out  of  that  isolated  and  simple  community. 
Under  circumstances  in  which  victory  was  so  barren  and 
so  dearly  bought,  sorrow  was  a  feeling  far  stronger  than 
rejoicing.  Exultation  took  the  aspect  of  humility,  and 
while  men  were  conscious  of  their  well-deserving,  they 
were  the  more  sensible  of  their  dependence  on  a  power 
they  could  neither  influence  nor  comprehend.  The  char- 
acteristic opinions  of  the  religionists  became  still  more  ex- 
alted, and  the  close  of  the  day  was  quite  as  remarkable 
for  an  exhibition  of  the  peculiarly  exaggerated  impres- 
sions of  the  colonists,  as  its  opening  had  been  frightful  in 
violence  and  blood. 

When  one  of  the  more  active  of  the  runners  returned 
with  the  news  that  the  Indians  had  retired  through  the 
forest  with  a  broad  trail,  a  sure  sign  that  they  meditated 
no  further  concealment  near  the  valley,  and  that  they  had 
already  been  traced  many  miles  on  their  retreat,  the  vil- 
lagers returned  to  their  usual  habitations.  The  dead  were 
then  distributed  among  those  who  claimed  the  nearest 
right  to  the  performance  of  the  last  duties  of  affection  ; 
and  it  might  have  been  truly  said,  that  mourning  had  taken 
up  its  abode  in  nearly  every  dwelling.  The  ties  of  blood 
were  so  general  in  a  society  thus  limited,  and,  where  they 
failed,  the  charities  of  life  were  so  intimate  and  so  natural, 
that  not  an  individual  of  them  all  escaped  without  feeling 


294  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

that  the  events  of  the  day  had  robbed  him,  forever,  of 
some  one  on  whom  he  was  partially  dependent  for  comfort 
or  happiness. 

As  the  day  drew  toward  its  close,  the  little  bell  again 
summoned  the  congregation  to  the  church.  On  this 
solemn  occasion,  but  few  of  those  who  still  lived  to  hear 
its  sounds  were  absent.  The  moment  when  Meek  arose  for 
prayer  was  one  of  general  and  intense  feeling.  The  places 
so  lately  occupied  by  those  who  had  fallen  were  now  empty, 
and  they  resembled  so  many  eloquent  blanks  in  the  de- 
scription of  what  had  passed,  expressing  far  more  than  any 
language  could  impart.  The  appeal  of  the  divine  was  in 
his  usual  strain  of  sublimated  piety,  mysterious  insights 
into  the  hidden  purposes  of  Providence  being  strangely 
blended  with  the  more  intelligible  wants  and  passions  of 
man.  While  he  gave  Heaven  the  glory  of  the  victory,  he 
spoke  with  a  lofty  and  pretending  humility  of  the  instru- 
ments of  its  power  ;  and  although  seemingly  willing  to  ac- 
knowledge that  his  people  abundantly  deserved  the  heavy 
blow  which  had  alighted  on  them,  there  was  an  evident 
impatience  of  the  agents  by  which  it  had  been  inflicted. 
The  principles  of  the  sectarian  were  so  singularly  qualified 
by  the  feelings  of  the  borderer,  that  one  subtle  in  argu- 
ment would  have  found  little  difficulty  in  detecting  flaws 
in  the  reasoning  of  this  zealot  ;  but  as  so  much  was  ob- 
scured by  metaphysical  mists,  and  so  much  was  left  for  the 
generalities  of  doctrine,  his  hearers,  without  an  exception, 
made  such  an  application  of  what  he  uttered  as  apparently 
rendered  every  mind  satisfied. 

The  sermon  was  as  extemporaneous  as  the  prayer,  if 
anything  can  come  extempore  from  a  mind  so  drilled  and 
fortified  in  opinion.  It  contained  much  the  same  matter, 
delivered  a  little  less  in  the  form  of  an  apostrophe.  The 
stricken  congregation,  while  they  were  encouraged  with 
the  belief  that  they  were  vessels  set  apart  for  some  great 
and  glorious  end  of  Providence,  were  plainly  told  that  they 
merited  far  heavier  affliction  than  this  which  had  now  be- 
fallen ;  and  they  were  reminded  that  it  was  their  duty  to 
desire  even  condemnation,  that  he  who  framed  the  heavens 
and  the  earth  might  be  glorified  !  Then  they  heard  com- 
fortable conclusions,  which  might  reasonably  teach  them 
to  expect,  that  though  in  the  abstract  such  were  the  obli- 
gations of  the  real  Christian,  there  was  good  reason  to 
think  that  all  who  listened  to  doctrines  so  pure  would  be 
remembered  with  an  especial  favor. 


THE   WEPT   OF  IVISH-TON-WISH.  295 

So  useful  a  servant  of  the  temple  as  Meek  Wolfe  did  not 
forget  the  practical  application  of  his  subject.  It  is  true, 
that  no  visible  emblem  of  the  cross  was  shown  to  excite 
his  hearers,  nor  were  they  stimulated  to  loosen  blood- 
hounds on  the  trail  of  their  enemies  ;  but  the  former  was 
kept  sufficiently  before  the  mind's  eye  by  constant  allusions 
to  its  merits,  and  the  Indians  were  pointed  at  as  the  instru- 
ments by  which  the  great  father  of  evil  hoped  to  prevent 
"  the  wilderness  from  blossoming  like  the  rose,"  and  "  yield- 
ing the  sweet  savors  of  godliness."  Philip  and  Conanchet 
were  openly  denounced  by  name  ;  some  dark  insinuations 
being  made,  that  the  person  of  the  former  was  no  more 
than  the  favorite  tenement  of  Moloch  ;  while  the  hearer 
was  left  to  devise  a  suitable  spirit  for  the  government  of 
the  physical  powers  of  the  other,  from  among  any  of  the 
more  evil  agencies  that  were  named  in  the  Bible.  Any 
doubts  of  the  lawfulness  of  the  contest,  that  might  assail 
tender  consciences,  were  brushed  away  by  a  bold  and  de- 
cided hand.  There  was  no  attempt  at  justification,  how- 
ever ;  for  all  difficulties  of  this  nature  were  resolved  by  the 
imperative  obligations  of  duty.  A  few  ingenious  allusions 
to  the  manner  in  which  the  Israelites  dispossessed  the  oc- 
cupants of  Judea,  were  of  great  service  in  this  particular 
part  of  the  subject,  since  it  was  not  difficult  to  convince 
men,  who  so  strongly  felt  the  impulses  of  religious  excite- 
ment, that  they  were  stimulated  rightfully.  Fortified  by 
this  advantage,  Mr.  Wolfe  manifested  no  desire  to  avoid 
the  main  question.  He  affirmed  that  if  the  empire  of  the 
true  faith  could  be  established  by  no  other  means,  a  cir- 
cumstance which  he  assumed  it  was  sufficiently  apparent 
to  all  understandings  could  not  be  done,  he  pronounced  it 
the  duty  of  young  and  old,  the  weak  and  the  strong,  to 
unite  in  assisting  to  visit  the  former  possessors  of  the  coun- 
try with  what  he  termed  the  wrath  of  an  offended  Deity. 
He  spoke  of  the  fearful  slaughter  of  the  preceding  winter, 
in  which  neither  years  nor  sex  had  been  spared,  as  a 
triumph  of  the  righteous  cause,  and  as  an  encouragement 
to  persevere.  Then,  by  a  transition  that  was  not  extraor- 
dinary in  an  age  so  remarkable  for  religious  subtleties, 
Meek  returned  to  the  more  mild  and  obvious  truths  which 
pervade  the  doctrines  of  Him  whose  Church  he  professed  to 
uphold.  His  hearers  were  admonished  to  observe  lives  of 
humility  and  charity,  and  were  piously  dismissed,  with  his 
benediction,  to  their  several  homes. 

The  congregation  quitted  the  building  with  the  feelmgvS 


296  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

of  men  who  thought  themselves  favored  by  peculiar  and 
extraordinary  intelligences  with  the  author  of  all  truth, 
while  the  army  of  Mahomet  itself  was  scarcely  less  in- 
fluenced by  fanaticism  than  these  blinded  zealots.  There 
was  something  so  grateful  to  human  frailty  in  reconciling 
their  resentments  and  their  temporal  interests  to  their 
religious  duties,  that  it  should  excite  little  wonder  when 
we  add  that  most  of  them  were  fully  prepared  to  become 
ministers  of  vengeance  in  the  hands  of  any  bold  leaden 
While  the  inhabitants  of  the  settlement  were  thus  strug- 
gling between  passions  so  contradictory,  the  shades  of 
evening  gradually  fell  upon  their  village,  and  then  came 
darkness,  with  the  rapid  strides  with  which  it  follows  the 
setting  of  the  sun  in  a  low  latitude. 

Some  time  before  the  shadows  of  the  trees  were  getting 
the  grotesque  and  exaggerated  forms  which  precede  the 
last  rays  of  the  luminary,  and  while  the  people  were  still 
listening  to  their  pastor,  a  solitary  individual  was  placed 
on  a  giddy  eyrie,  whence  he  might  note  'the  movements 
of  those  who  dwelt  in  the  hamlet,  without  being  the  sub- 
ject of  observation  himself.  A  short  spur  of  the  mountain 
projected  into  the  valley,  on  the  side  nearest  to  the  dwell- 
ing of  the  Heathcotes.  A  little  tumbling  brook,  which 
the  melting  of  the  snows  and  the  occasional  heavy  rains 
of  the  climate  periodically  increased  into  a  torrent,  had 
worn  a  deep  ravine  in  its  rocky  bosom.  Time  and  the 
constant  action  of  water,  aided  by  the  driving  storms  of 
winter  and  autumn,  had  converted  many  of  the  different 
faces  of  this  ravine  into  wild-looking  pictures  of  the  resi- 
dences of  men.  There  was,  however,  one  spot  in  particular, 
around  which  a  closer  inspection  than  that  which  the 
distance  of  the  houses  in  the  settlement  offered,  might 
have  detected  far  more  plausible  signs  of  the  agency 
of  human  hands  than  any  that  were  afforded  by  the 
fancied  resemblances  of  fantastic  angles  and  accidental 
formations. 

Precisely  at  that  point  where  a  sweep  of  the  mountain 
permitted  the  best  view  of  the  valley,  did  the  rocks  assume 
the  wildest,  the  most  confused,  and  consequently  the  most 
favorable  appearance  for  the  construction  of  any  residence 
which  it  was  desirable  should  escape  the  curious  eyes  of 
the  settlers,  at  the  same  time  that  it  possessed  the  advan- 
tage of  overlooking  their  proceedings.  A  hermit  would 
have  chosen  the  place  as  a  spot  suited  to  distant  and  calm 
observation  of  the  world,  while  it  was  every  way  adapted 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  297 

to  solitary  reflection  and  ascetic  devotion.  All  who  have 
journeyed  through  the  narrow  and  water-worn  vineyards 
and  meadows  which  are  washed  by  the  Rhone,  ere  that 
river  pours  its  tribute  into  the  Lake  of  Leman,  have  seen 
some  such  site,  occupied  by  one  who  has  devoted  his  life 
to  seclusion  and  the  altar,  overhanging  the  village  of  St. 
Maurice,  in  the  Canton  of  le  Valais.  But  there  is  an  air 
of  obtrusiveness  in  the  Swiss  hermitage  that  did  not  be- 
long to  the  place  of  which  we  write,  since  the  one  is 
perched  upon  its  high  and  narrow  ledge,  as  if  to  show  the 
world  in  what  dangerous  and  circumscribed  limits  God 
may  be  worshipped  ;  while  the  other  sought  exemption 
from  absolute  solitude,  while  it  courted  secresy  with  the 
most  jealous  caution.  A  small  hut  had  been  erected 
against  a  side  of  the  rock,  in  a  manner  that  presented  an 
oblique  angle.  Care  had  been  taken  to  surround  it  with 
such  natural  objects  as  left  little  reason  to  apprehend  that 
its  real  character  could  be  known  by  any  who  did  not 
absolutely  mount  to  the  difficult  shelf  on  which  it  stood. 
Light  entered  into  this  primitive  and  humble  abode  by  a 
window  that  looked  into  the  ravine,  and  a  low  door  opened 
on  the  side  next  the  valley.  The  construction  was  partly 
of  stone  and  partly  of  logs,  with  a  roof  of  bark  and  a  chim- 
ney of  mud  and  sticks. 

One  who,  by  his  severe  and  gloomy  brow,  was  a  fit  pos- 
sessor of  so  secluded  a  tenement,  was,  at  the  hour  named, 
seated  on  a  stone  at  the  most  salient  angle  of  the  moun- 
tain, and  at  the  place  where  the  eye  commanded  the  widest 
and  least  obstructed  view  of  the  abodes  of  man  in  the 
distance.  Stones  had  been  rolled  together  in  a  manner  to 
form  a  little  breastwork  in  his  front,  so  that  had  there 
been  any  wandering  gaze  sweeping  over  the  face  of  the 
mountain,  it  was  far  from  probable  that  it  would  have 
detected  the  presence  of  a  man  whose  whole  form,  with 
the  exception  of  the  superior  parts,  was  so  effectually 
concealed. 

It  would  have  been  difficult  to  say  whether  this  secluded 
being  had  thus  placed  himself  in  order  to  indulge  in  some 
habitual  and  fancied  communication  with  the  little  world 
of  the  valley,  or  whether  he  sat  at  his  post  in  watchfulness. 
There  was  an  appearance  of  each  of  these  occupations  in 
his  air  ;  for  a  time  his  eye  was  melancholy  and  softened, 
as  if  his  spirit  found  pleasure  in  the  charities  natural  to 
the  species  ;  and  at  others,  the  brows  contracted  with 
sternness,  while  the  lips  became  more  than  usually  com 


298  THE  WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-- WISH. 

pressed,  like  those  of  a  man  who  threw  himself  on  his  own 
innate  resolution  for  support. 

The  solitude  of  the  place,  the  air  of  universal  quiet 
which  reigned  above,  the  boundless  leafy  carpet  over 
which  the  eye  looked  from  that  elevated  point,  and  the 
breathing  stillness  of  the  bosom  of  the  woods,  united  to 
give  grandeur  to  the  scene.  The  figure  of  the  tenant  of 
the  ravine  was  as  immovable  as  any  other  object  of  the 
view.  It  seemed,  in  all  but  color  and  expression,  of  stone. 
An  elbow  was  leaning  on  the  little  screen  in  front,  and 
the  head  was  supported  by  a  hand.  At  the  distance  of 
an  arrow's  flight,  the  eye  might  readily  have  supposed  it 
no  more  than  another  of  the  accidental  imitations  which 
had  been  worn  in  the  rock  by  the  changes  of  centuries. 
An  hour  passed,  and  scarce  a  limb  had  been  changed  or  a 
muscle  relieved.  Either  contemplation,  or  the  patient 
awaiting  of  some  looked-for  event,  appeared  to  suspend 
the  ordinary  functions  of  life.  At  length  an  interruption 
occurred  to  this  extraordinary  inaction.  A  rustling,  not 
louder  than  that  which  would  have  been  made  by  the 
leap  of  a  squirrel,  was  first  heard  in  the  bushes  above. 
It  was  succeeded  by  a  crackling  of  branches,  and  then  a 
fragment  of  rock  came  bounding  down  the  precipice,  un- 
til it  shot  over  the  head  of  the  still  motionless  hermit,  and 
fell,  with  a  noise  that  drew  a  succession  of  echoes  from 
the  caverns  of  the  place,  into  the  ravine  beneath. 

Notwithstanding  the  suddenness  of  this  interruption  and 
the  extraordinary  fracas  with  which  it  was  accompanied, 
he,  who  might  be  supposed  to  be  most  affected  by  it,  mani- 
fested none  of  the  usual  symptoms  of  fear  or  surprise.  He 
listened  intently  until  the  last  sound  had  died  away,  but  it 
was  with  expectation  rather  than  with  alarm.  Arising 
slowly,  he  looked  warily  about  him,  and  then  walking  with 
a  quick  step  along  the  ledge  which  led  to  his  hut,  he  dis- 
appeared through  its  door.  In  another  minute,  however, 
he  was  again  seen  at  his  former  post,  a  short  carbine,  such 
as  was  then  used  by  mounted  warriors,  lying  across  his 
knee.  If  doubt  or  perplexity  beset  the  mind  of  this  indi- 
vidual at  so  palpable  a  sign  that  the  solitude  he  courted 
was  in  danger  of  being  interrupted,  it  was  not  of  a  nature 
sufficiently  strong  to  disturb  the  equanimity  of  his  aspect. 
A  second  time  the  branches  rustled,  and  the  sounds  pro- 
ceeded from  a  lower  part  of  the  precipice,  as  if  the  foot 
that  caused  the  disturbance  was  in  the  act  of  descending. 
Though  no  one  was  visible,  the  nature  of  the  noise  coufc1. 


THE   WEPT  OF  WISH-TON-WlSff.  299 

no  longer  be  mistaken.  It  was  evidently  the  tread  of  a 
human  foot ;  for  no  beast  of  a  weight  sufficient  to  produce 
so  great  an  impression  would  have  chosen  to  rove  across 
a  spot  where  the  support  of  hands  was  nearly  as  necessary 
as  that  of  the  other  limbs. 

"  Come  forward  !  "  said  he  who  in  all  but  the  accessories 
of  dress  and  hostile  preparation  might  so  well  be  termed  a 
hermit — "  I  am  already  here." 

The  words  were  not  given  to  the  air,  for  one  suddenly 
appeared  on  the  ledge  at  the  side  next  the  settlement,  and 
within  twenty  feet  of  the  speaker.  When  glance  met 
glance,  the  surprise  which  evidently  took  possession  of  the 
intruder  and  of  him  who  appeared  to  claim  a  better  right 
to  be  where  they  met,  seemed  mutual.  The  carbine  of  the 
latter,  and  a  musket  carried  by  the  former,  fell  into  the 
dangerous  line  of  aim  at  the  same  instant,  and  in  a  mo- 
ment they  were  thrown  upwards  again,  as  if  a  common 
impulse  controlled  them.  The  resident  signed  to  the 
other  to  draw  nigher,  and  then  every  appearance  of  hos- 
tility disappeared  in  that  sort  of  familiarity  which  con- 
fidence begets. 

"How  is  it,"  said  the  former  to  his  guest,  when  both 
were  calmly  seated  behind  the  little  screen  of  stones,"  that 
thou  hast  fallen  upon  the  secret  place  ?  The  foot  of  stranger 
hath  not  often  trod  these  rocks,  and  no  man  before  thee 
hath  ever  descended  the  precipice." 

"A  moccason  is  sure,"  returned  the  other  with  Indian 
brevity.  "  My  father  hath  a  good  eye.  He  can  see  very  far 
from  the  door  of  his  lodge." 

"  Thou  knowest  that  the  men  of  my  color  speak  often  to 
their  Great  Spirit,  and  they  do  not  love  to  ask  his  favor  in 
the  highways.  This  place  is  sacred  to  his  holy  name." 

The  intruder  was  the  young  Sachem  of  the  Narragansetts, 
and  he  who,  notwithstanding  this  plausible  apology,  so 
palpably  sought  secrecy  rather  than  solitude,  was  the  man 
that  has  so  often  been  introduced  into  these  pages  under 
the  shade  of  mystery.  The  instant  recognition  and  the 
mutual  confidence  require  no  further  explanation,  since 
enough  has  already  been  developed  in  the  course  of  the 
narrative  to  show  that  they  were  no  strangers  to  each 
other.  Still  the  meeting  had  not  taken  place  without  un- 
easiness on  the  one  part,  and  great  though  admirably  veiled 
surprise  on  the  other.  As  became  his  high  station  and  lofty 
character,  the  bearing  of  Conanchet  betrayed  none  of  the 
littleness  of  a  vulgar  curiosity.  He  met  his  ancient  acquaint- 


3oo  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TO  K-WISH. 

ance  with  the  calm  dignity  of  his  rank,  and  it  would  have 
been  difficult  for  the  most  inquiring  eye  to  have  detected  a 
wandering  glance,  a  single  prying  look,  or  any  other  sign 
that  he  deemed  the  place  at  all  extraordinary  for  such  an 
interview.  He  listened  to  the  little  explanation  of  the  other 
with  grave  courtesy,  and  suffered  a  short  time  to  elapse  be- 
fore he  made  any  reply. 

"  The  Manitou  of  the  pale  men,"  he  then  said,  "  should 
be  pleased  with  my  father.  His  words  are  often  in  the 
ears  of  the  Great  Spirit !  The  trees  and  the  rocks  know 
them." 

"  Like  all  of  a  sinful  and  fallen  race,"  returned  the 
stranger  with  the  severe  air  of  the  age,  "  I  have  much  need 
of  my  askings.  But  why  dost  thou  think  that  my  voice  is 
so  often  heard  in  this  secret  place  ? " 

The  finger  of  Conanchet  pointed  to  the  worn  rock  at  his 
feet,  and  his  eye  glanced  furtively  at  the  beaten  path  which 
led  between  the  spot  and  the  door  of  the  Ipdge. 

"  A  Yengeese  hath  a  hard  heel,  but  it  is  softer  than  stone. 
The  hoof  of  the  deer  would  pass  many  times  to  leave  such 
a  trail." 

"  Thou  art  quick  of  eye,  Narragansett,  and  yet  thy  judg- 
ment may  be  deceived.  My  tongue  is  not  the  only  one 
that  speaketh  to  the  God  of  my  people." 

The  sachem  bent  his  head  slightly,  in  acquiescence,  as  if 
unwilling  to  press  the  subject.  But  his  companion  was 
not  so  easily  satisfied,  for  he  felt  the  consciousness  of  a 
fruitless  attempt  at  deception  goading  him  to  some  plausi- 
ble means  of  quieting  the  suspicions  of  the  Indian. 

"  That  I  am  now  alone,  may  be  matter  of  pleasure  or  of 
accident,"  he  added  ;  "thou  knowest  that  this  hath  been  a 
busy  and  bloody  day  among  the  pale  men,  and  there  are 
dead  and  dying  in  their  lodges.  One  who  hath  no  wig- 
warn  of  his  own  may  have  found  time  to  worship  by  him- 
self." 

"  The  mind  is  very  cunning,"  returned  Conanchet  ;  "  it 
can  hear  when  the  ear  is  deaf — it  can  see  when  the  eye  is 
shut.  My  father  hath  spoken  to  the  Good  Spirit  with  the 
rest  of  his  tribe." 

As  the  chief  concluded,  he  pointed  significantly  toward 
the  distant  church,  out  of  which  the  excited  congregation 
we  have  described  was  at  that  moment  pouring  into  the 
green  and  little-trodden  street  of  the  hamlet.  The  other 
appeared  to  understand  his  meaning,  and,  at  the  same  in- 
stant  to  feel  the  folly,  as  well  as  the  uselessness,  of  attempt- 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TOX-WISH.  301 

ing  any  longer  to  mislead  one  that  already  knew  so  much 
of  his  former  mode  of  life. 

"Indian,  thou  sayest  true,"  he  rejoined  gloomily  :  "the 
mind  seeth  far,  and  it  seeth  often  in  the  bitterness  of  sor- 
row. My  spirit  was  communing  with  the  spirits  of  those 
thou  seest,  when  thy  step  was  first  heard  ;  besides  thine 
own,  the  feet  of  man  never  mounted  to  this  place,  except  it 
be  of  those  who  minister  to  my  bodily  wants.  Thou  sayest 
true  ;  the  mental  sight  is  keen  ;  and  far  beyond  those  dis- 
tant hills,  on  which  the  last  rays  of  the  setting  sun  are  now 
shining  so  gloriously,  doth  mine  often  bear  me  in  spirit. 
Thou  wast  once  my  fellow-lodger,  youth,  and  much  pleas- 
ure had  I  in  striving  to  open  thy  young  mind  to  the  truths 
of  our  race,  and  to  teach  thee  to  speak  with  the  tongue  of 
a  Christian  ;  but  years  have  passed  away — hark  !  There 
cometh  one  up  the  path.  Hast  thou  dread  of  a  Yengeese  ?" 

The  calm  mien  with  which  Conanchet  had  been  listen- 
ing changed  to  a  cold  smile.  His  hand  had  felt  for  the 
lock  of  his  musket,  some  time  before  his  companion  had 
betrayed  any  consciousness  of  the  approaching  footstep  ; 
but  until  questioned,  no  change  of  countenance  was  visi- 
ble. 

"  Is  my  father  afraid  for  his  friend  ?  "  he  asked,  pointing 
in  the  direction  of  him  who  approached.  "  Is  it  an  armed 
warrior  ? " 

"  No  ;  he  cometh  with  the  means  of  sustaining  a  burden 
that  must  be  borne,  until  it  pleaseth  Him  who  knoweth 
what  is  good  for  all  his  creatures  to  ease  me  of  it.  It  may 
be  the  parent  of  her  thou  hast  this  day  restored  to  her 
friends,  or  it  may  be  the  brother;  for,  at  times,  I  owe  this 
kindness  to  different  members  of  that  worthy  family." 

A  look  of  intelligence  shot  across  the  swarthy  features 
of  the  chief.  His  decision  appeared  taken.  Arising,  he 
left  his  weapon  at  the  feet  of  his  companion,  and  moved 
swiftly  along  the  ledge,  as  if  to  meet  the  intruder.  In  an- 
other instant  he  returned,  bearing  a  little  bundle  closely 
enveloped  in  belts  of  richly-beaded  wampum.  Placing  the 
latter  gently  by  the  side  of  the  old  man,  for  time  had 
changed  the  color  of  the  solitary's  hair  to  gray,  he  said,  in 
alow,  quick  voice,  pointing  with  significance  at  what  he 
had  done — 

"The  messenger  will  not  go  back  with  an  eTnpty  hand. 
My  father  is  wise  ;  he  will  say  what  is  good." 

There  was  little  time  for  further  explanation.  The  door 
of  the  hut  had  scarcely  closed  on  Conanchet,  before  Mark 


302  THE  WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-- WISH. 

Heathcote  appeared  at  the  point  where  the  path  bent 
around  the  angle  of  the  precipice. 

"Thou  knowest  what  hath  passed,  and  wilt  suffer  me  to 
depart  with  brief  discourse,"  said  the  young  man,  placing 
food  at  the  feet  of  him  he  came  to  seek  ;  "  ha !  what  hast 
here  ? — didst  gain  this  in  the  fray  of  the  morning  ? " 

"  It  is  booty  that  I  freely  bestow ;  take  it  to  the  house  of 
thy  father.  It  is  left  with  that  object.  Now  tell  me  of  the 
manner  in  which  death  hath  dealt  with  our  people,  for 
thoii  knowest  that  necessity  drove  me  from  among  them, 
so  soon  as  liberty  was  granted." 

Mark  showed  no  disposition  to  gratify  the  other's  wish. 
He  gazed  on  the  bundle  of  Conanchet,  as  if  his  eye  had 
never  before  looked  on  a  similar  object,  and  keenly  con- 
tending passions  were  playing  about  a  brow  that  was  sel- 
dom as  tranquil  as  suited  the  self-denying  habits  of  the 
times  and  country. 

"  It  shall  be  done,  Narragarisett !  "  he  said,  speaking  be- 
tween his  clenched  teeth  ;  "  it  shall  be  done'!  "  Then  turn- 
ing on  his  heel,  he  stalked  along  the  giddy  path  with  a 
rapidity  of  stride  that  kept  the  other  in  fearful  suspense 
for  his  safety,  until  his  active  form  had  disappeared. 

The  recluse  arose  and  sought  the  occupant  of  his  hum- 
ble abode. 

"  Come  forth,"  he  said,  opening  the  narrow  door  for  the 
passage  of  the  chief.  "  The  youth  hath  departed  with 
thy  burden,  and  thou  art  now  alone  with  an  ancient  asso- 
ciate." 

Conanchet  reappeared  at  the  summons,  but  it  was  with 
an  eye  less  glowing  and  a  brow  less  stern  than  when  he 
entered  the  little  cabin.  As  he  moved  slowly  to  the  stone 
he  had  before  occupied,  his  step  was  arrested  for  a  moment, 
and  a  look  of  melancholy  regret  seemed  to  be  cast  at  the 
spot  where  he  had  laid  the  bundle.  Conquering  his  feel- 
ings, however,  in  the  habitual  self-command  of  his  people, 
he  resumed  his  seat,  with  the  air  of  one  that  was  grave  by 
nature,  while  he  appeared  to  exert  no  effort  in  order  to 
preserve  the  admirable  equanimity  of  his  features.  A 
long  and  thoughtful  silence  succeeded,  and  then  the  soli- 
tary spoke. 

u  We  have  made  a  friend  of  the  Narragansett  chief,"  he 
said,  "and  this  league  with  Philip  is  broken  !  " 

"  Yengeese,"  returned  the  other,  "  I  am  full  of  the  blood 
of  sachems." 

"  Why  should  the  Indian  and  the  white  do   each   othel 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  303 

this  violence  ?  The  earth  is  large,  and  there  is  place  for  men 
of  all  colors  and  of  all  nations  on  its  surface." 

"  My  father  hath  found  but  little,"  said  the  other,  bestow- 
ing such  a  cautious  glance  at  the  narrow  limits  of  his  host, 
as  at  once  betrayed  the  sarcastic  purport  of  his  words, 
while  it  equally  bespoke  the  courtesy  of  his  mind. 

"  A  light-minded  and  vain  prince  is  seated  on  the  throne 
of  a  once  godly  nation,  chief,  and  darkness  has  again  come 
over  a  land  which  of  late  shone  with  a  clear  and  shining 
light !  The  just  are  made  to  flee  from  the  habitations  of 
their  infancy,  and  the  temples  of  the  elect  are  abandoned 
to  the  abominations  of  idolatry.  Oh,  England  !  England  ! 
when  will  thy  cup  of  bitterness  be  full  ?  When  shall  this 
judgment  pass  from  thee  ?  My  spirit  groaneth  over  thy 
fall  ;  yea,  my  inmost  soul  is  saddened  with  the  spectacle 
of  thy  misery  !  " 

Conanchetwas  too  delicate  to  regard  the  glazed  eye  and 
flushed  forehead  of  the  speaker,  but  he  listened  in  amaze- 
ment and  in  ignorance.  Such  expressions  had  often  met 
his  ear  before,  and  though  his  tender  years  had  probably 
prevented  their  producing  much  effect,  now  that  he  again 
heard  them  in  his  manhood,  they  conveyed  no  intelligible 
meaning  to  his  mind.  Suddenly  laying  a  finger  on  the 
knee  of  his  companion,  he  said — 

"The  arm  of  my  father  was  raised  on  the  side  of  the 
Yengeese  to-day  ;  yet  they  give  him  no  seat  at  their  coun- 
cil-fire ! " 

"  The  sinful  man,  who  ruleth  in  the  island  whence  my 
people  came,  hath  an  arm  that  is  long  as  his  mind  is  vain. 
Though  debarred  from  the  councils  of  this  valley,  chief, 
time  hath  been  when  my  voice  was  heard  in  councils  that 
struck  heavily  at  the  power  of  his  race.  These  eyes  have 
seen  justice  done  on  him  who  gave  existence  to  the  double- 
tongued  instrument  of  Belial,  that  now  governeth  a  rich 
and  glorious  realm  !  " 

"  My  father  hath  taken  the  scalp  of  a  great  chief  !  " 

"  I  helped  to  take  his  head  !  "  returned  the  solitary,  a 
ray  of  bitter  exultation  gleaming  through  the  habitual 
austerity  of  his  brow. 

"  Come  !  The  eagle  flies  above  the  clouds  that  he  may 
move  his  wings  freely.  The  panther  leaps  longest  on  the 
widest  plain  ;  the  biggest  fish  swim  in  the  deep  water.  My 
father  cannot  stretch  himself  between  these  rocks.  He  is 
too  big  to  lie  down  in  a  little  wigwam.  The  woods  are 
wide  ;  let  him  change  the  color  of  his  skin,  and  be  a  gray- 


304  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TO  N-WISH. 

head  at  the  council-fire  of  my  nation.  The  warriors  will 
listen  to  what  he  says,  for  his  hand  hath  done  a  strong 
deed  ! " 

"It  may  not  be — it  may  not  be,  Narragansett.  That 
which  hath  been  generated  in  the  spirit  must  abide,  and  it 
would  be  '  easier  for  the  blackamoor  to  become  white,  or 
for  the  leopard  to  change  his  spots,'  than  for  one  who  hath 
felt  the  power  of  the  Lord  to  cast  aside  his  gifts.  But  I 
meet  thy  proffers  of  amity  in  a  charitable  and  forgiving 
spirit.  My  mind  is  ever  with  my  people  ;  yet  is  there 
place  for  other  friendships.  Break,  then,  this  league  with 
the  evil-minded  and  turbulent  Philip,  and  let  the  hatchet 
be  forever  buried  in  the  path  between  thy  village  and  the 
towns  of  the  Yengeese." 

"  Where  is  my  village  ?  There  is  a  dark  place  near  the 
islands  on  the  shores  of  the  Great  Lake  ;  but  I  see  no 
lodges." 

"  We  will  rebuild  thy  towns,  and  people  them  anew. 
Let  there  be  peace  between  us." 

"  My  mind  is  ever  with  my  people,"  returned  the  Indian, 
repeating  the  other's  words  with  an  emphasis  that  could 
not  be  mistaken. 

A  long  and  melancholy  pause  succeeded  ;  and  when  the 
conversation  was  renewed,  it  had  reference  to  those  events 
which  had  taken  place  in  the  fortunes  of  each  since  the 
time  when  they  were  both  tenants  of  the  block-house  that 
stood  amid  the  ancient  habitations  of  the  Heathcotes. 
Each  appeared  too  well  to  comprehend  the  character  of 
the  other  to  attempt  any  further  efforts  toward  producing 
a  change  of  purpose  ;  and  darkness  had  gathered  about 
the  place  before  they  arose  to  enter  the  hut  of  the  solitary. 


CHAPTER   XXVII. 

"  Sleep,  thou  hast  been  a  grandsire,  and  begot 
A  father  to  me  ;  and  thou  hast  created 
A  mother  and  two  brothers." — Cymbeline* 

THE  short  twilight  was  already  passed  when  old  Mark 
Heathcote  ended  the  evening  prayer.  The  mixed  charac* 
ter  of  the  remarkable  events  of  that  day  had  given  birth  ten 
a  feeling  which  could  find  no  other  relief  than  that  which 
flowed  from  the  usual  zealous,  confiding,  and  exalted  out- 


THE  WEPT   OF  WI SH -TON- WISH.  305 

pouring  of  the  spirit.  On  the  present  occasion  he  had 
even  resorted  to  an  extraordinary,  and  what  one  less  de- 
vout might  be  tempted  to  think,  a  supererogatory  offering 
of  thanksgiving  and  praise.  After  dismissing  the  attend- 
ants of  the  establishment,  supported  by  the  arm  of  his  son, 
he  had  withdrawn  into  an  inner  apartment,  and  there,  sur- 
rounded only  by  those  who  had  the  nearest  claims  on  his 
affections,  the  old  man  again  raised  his  voice  to  laud  the 
Being  who,  in  the  midst  of  so  much  general  grief,  had 
deigned  to  look  upon  his  particular  race  with  the  eyes  of 
remembrance  and  of  favor.  He  spoke  of  his  recovered 
grandchild  by  name,  and  he  dealt  with  the  whole  subject 
of  her  captivity  among  the  heathen,  and  her  restoration  to 
the  foot  of  the  altar,  wTith  the  fervor  of  one  who  saw  the 
wise  decrees  of  Providence  in  the  event,  and  with  the  ten- 
derness of  sentiment  that  age  was  far  from  having  extin- 
guished. It  was  at  the  close  of  this  private  and  peculiar 
worship,  that  we  return  into  the  presence  of  the  family. 

The  spirit  of  reform  had  driven  those  who  so  violently 
felt  its  influence  into  many  usages  that,  to  say  the  least, 
were  quite  as  ungracious  to  the  imagination,  as  the  customs 
they  termed  idolatrous  were  obnoxious  to  the  attacks  of 
their  own  unaccommodating  theories.  The  first  Protes 
tants  had  expelled  so  much  from  the  service  of  the  altar, 
that  little  was  left  for  the  Puritan  to  destroy,  without  in- 
curring the  risk  of  leaving  it  naked  of  its  loveliness.  By  a 
strange  substitution  of  subtlety  for  humility,  it  was  thought 
Pharisaical  to  bend  the  knee  in  public,  lest  the  great  essen- 
tial of  spiritual  worship  might  be  supplanted  by  the  more 
attainable  merit  of  formula  ;  and  while  rigid  aspects  and 
prescribed  deportments  of  a  new  character  were  observed 
with  all  the  zeal  of  converts,  ancient  and  even  natural 
practices  were  condemned — chiefly,  we  believe,  from  that 
necessity  of  innovation  which  appears  to  be  an  unavoidable 
attendant  of  all  plans  of  improvement,  whether  they  are 
successful  or  the  reverse.  But  though  the  Puritans  refused 
to  bow  their  stubborn  limbs  when  the  eye  of  man  was  on 
them,  even  while  asking  boons  suited  to  their  own  subli- 
mated opinions,  it  was  permitted  to  assume  in  private  an 
attitude  which  was  thought  to  admit  of  so  gross  an  abuse, 
inasmuch  as  it  infers  a  claim  to  a  religious  vitality,  while 
in  truth  the  soul  might  only  be  slumbering  in  the  security 
of  mere  moral  pretension. 

On  the  present  occasion,  they  who  worshipped  in  secret 
had_bent  their  bodies  to  the  humblest  posture  of  devotion. 

20 


306  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

When  Ruth  Heathcote  arose  from  her  knees,  it  was  with  a 
hand  clasped  in  that  of  the  child  whom  her  recent  devotion 
was  well  suited  to  make  her  think  had  been  rescued  from 
a  condition  far  more  gloomy  than  that  of  the  grave.  She 
had  used  a  gentle  violence  to  force  the  wondering  being 
at  her  side  to  join,  so  far  as  externals  could  go,  in  the 
prayer  ;  and  now  it  was  ended,  she  sought  the  countenance 
of  her  daughter,  in  order  to  read  the  impression  the  scene 
had  produced,  with  all  the  solicitude  of  a  Christian,  height- 
ened by  the  tenderest  maternal  love. 

Narra-mattah,  as  we  shall  continue  to  call  her,  in  air,  ex- 
pression, and  attitude,  resembled  one  wTho  had  a  fancied 
existence  in  the  delusion  of  some  exciting  dream.  Her  ear 
remembered  sounds  which  had  so  often  been  repeated  in 
her  infancy,  and  her  memory  recalled  indistinct  recollec- 
tions of  most  of  the  objects  and  usages  that  were  so  sud- 
denly replaced  before  her  eyes  ;  but  the  former  now  con- 
veyed their  meaning  to  a  mind  that  had  gained  its  strength 
under  a  very  different  system  of  theology,  and  the  latter 
came  too  late  to  supplant  usages  that  were  rooted  in  her 
affections  by  the  aid  of  all  those  wild  and  seductive  habits, 
that  are  known  to  become  nearly  unconquerable  in  those 
who  have  long  been  subject  to  their  influence.  She  stood, 
therefore,  in  the  centre  of  the  grave,  self-restrained  group 
of  her  nearest  kin,  like  an  alien  to  their  blood,  resembling 
some  timid  and  but  half-tamed  tenant  of  the  air,  that 
human  art  had  endeavored  to  domesticate,  by  placing  it  in 
the  society  of  the  more  tranquil  and  confiding  inhabitants 
of  the  aviary. 

Notwithstanding  the  strength  of  her  affections,  and  her 
devotion  to  all  the  natural  duties  of  her  station,  Ruth  Heath- 
cote  was  not  now  to  learn  the  manner  in  which  she  was  to 
subdue  any  violence  in  their  exhibition.  The  first  indul- 
gence of  joy  and  gratitude  was  over,  and  in  its  place  ap- 
peared the  never-tiring,  vigilant,  engrossing,  but  regulated 
watchfulness,  which  the  events  would  naturally  create. 
The  doubts,  misgivings,  and  even  fearful  apprehensions 
that  beset  her,  were  smothered  in  an  appearance  of  satis- 
faction ;  and  something  like  gleamings  of  happiness  were 
again  seen  playing  about  a  brow  that  had  so  long  been 
clouded  with  an  unobtrusive  but  corroding  care. 

"  And  thou  recallest  thine  infancy,  my  Ruth  ? "  asked 
the  mother,  when  the  respectful  period  of  silence  which 
ever  succeeded  prayer  in  that  family  was  passed  ;  "thy 
thoughts  have  not  been  altogether  strangers  to  us,  but 


THE   WEPT    OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  307 

nature  hath  had  its  place  in  thy  heart.  i  ell  us,  child,  of 
thy  wanderings  in  the  forest,  and  of  the  suffering  that  one 
so  tender  must  have  undergone  among  a  barbarous  people. 
There  is  pleasure  in  listening  to  all  thou  hast  seen  and 
felt,  now  that  we  know  there  is  an  end  to  unhappiness." 

She  spoke  to  an  ear  that  was  deaf  to  language  like  this. 
Narra-mattah  evidently  understood  her  words,  while  their 
meaning  was  wrapped  in  an  obscurity  that  she  was  neither 
desirous  nor  capable  of  comprehending.  Keeping  a  gaze, 
in  which  pleasure  and  wonder  were  powerfully  blended, 
on  that  soft  look  of  affection  which  beamed  from  her 
mother's  eye,  she  felt  hurriedly  among  the  folds  of  her 
dress,  and  drawing  a  belt  that  was  gayly  ornamented  after 
the  most  ingenious  fashion  of  her  adopted  people,  she  ap- 
proached her  half-pleased,  half-distressed  parent,  and  with 
hands  that  trembled  equally  with  timidity  and  pleasure, 
she  arranged  it  around  her  person  in  a  manner  to  show  its 
richness  to  the  best  advantage.  Pleased  with  her  perform- 
ance, the  artless  being  eagerly  sought  approbation  in  eyes 
that  bespoke  little  else  than  regret.  Alarmed  at  an  ex- 
pression she  could  not  translate,  the  gaze  of  Narra-mattah 
wandered,  as  if  it  sought  support  against  some  sensation 
to  which  she  was  a  stranger.  Whittal  Ring  had  stolen  into 
the  room,  and  missing  the  customary  features  of  her  own 
cherished  home,  the  looks  of  the  startled  creature  rested 
on  the  countenance  of  the  witless  wanderer.  She  pointed 
eagerly  at  the  work  of  her  hands,  appealing  by  an  eloquent 
and  artless  gesture  to  the  taste  of  one  who  should  know 
whether  she  had  done  well. 

"  Bravely  !  "  returned  Whittal,  approaching  nearer  to  the 
subject  of  his  admiration — "  'tis  a  brave  belt,  and  none  but 
the  wife  of  a  sachem  could  make  so  rare  a  gift ! " 

The  girl  folded  her  arms  meekly  on  her  bosom,  and 
again  appeared  satisfied  with  herself  and  with  the  world. 

"  Here  is  the  hand  of  him  visible  who  dealeth  in  all  wick- 
edness," said  the  Puritan.  "  To  corrupt  the  heart  with  vani« 
ties,  and  to  mislead  the  affections  by  luring  them  to  the 
things  of  life,  is  the  guile  in  which  he  delighteth.  A  fallen 
nature  lendeth  but  too  ready  aid.  We  must  deal  with  the 
child  in  fervor  and  watchfulness,  or  better  that  her  bones 
were  lying  by  the  side  of  those  little  ones  of  thy  flock,  who 
are  already  inheritors  of  the  promise." 

Respect  kept  Ruth  silent  ;  but  while  she  sorrowed  over 
the  ignorance  of  her  child,  natural  affection  was  strong  at 
her  heart.  With  the  tact  of  a  woman  and  the  tenderness 


3o8  THE   WEPT  OF  WISH-TON- WISH. 

of  a  mother,  she  both  saw  and  felt  that  severity  was  not 
the  means  to  effect  the  improvement  they  desired.  Taking 
a  seat  herself,  she  drew  her  child  to  her  person,  and  first 
imploring  silence  by  a  glance  at  those  around  her,  she  pro- 
ceeded, in  a  manner  that  was  dictated  by  the  mysterious 
influence  of  nature,  to  fathom  the  depth  of  her  daughter's 
mind. 

"Come  nearer,  Narra-mattah,"  she  said,  using  the  name 
to  which  the  other  would  alone  answer.  "  Thou  art  still  in 
thy  youth,  my  child  ;  but  it  hath  pleased  Him  whose  will  is 
law,  to  have  made  thee  the  witness  of  many  changes  in 
this  varying  life.  Tell  me  if  thou  recallest  the  days  of 
infancy,  and  if  thy  thoughts  ever  returned  to  thy  father's 
house,  during  those  weary  years  thou  wast  kept  from  our 
view  ?" 

Ruth  used  gentle  force  to  draw  her  daughter  nearer 
while  speaking,  and  the  latter  sank  into  that  posture  from 
which  she  had  just  arisen,  kneeling,  as  she.  had  often  done 
in  infancy,  at  her  mother's  side.  The  attitude  was  too  full 
of  tender  recollections  not  to  be  grateful,  and  the  half- 
alarmed  being  of  the  forest  was  suffered  to  retain  it  during 
most  of  the  dialogue  that  followed.  But  while  she  was 
thus  obedient  in  person,  by  the  vacancy  or  rather  wonder 
of  an  eye  that  was  so  eloquent  to  express  all  the  emotions 
and  knowledge  of  which  she  was  the  mistress,  Narra-mat- 
tah plainly  manifested  that  little  more  than  the  endear- 
ment of  her  mother's  words  and  manner  was  intelligible. 
Ruth  saw  the  meaning  of  her  hesitation,  and  smothering 
the  pang  it  caused,  she  endeavored  to  adapt  her  language 
to  the  habits  of  one  so  artless. 

"Even  the  gray  heads  of  thy  people  were  once  young," 
she  resumed;  "and  they  remember  the  lodges  of  their 
fathers.  Does  my  daughter  ever  think  of  the  time  when 
she  played  among  the  children  of  the  pale-faces  ? " 

The  attentive  being  at  the  knee  of  Ruth  listened  greedi- 
ly. Her  knowledge  of  the  language  of  her  childhood  had 
been  sufficiently  implanted  before  her  captivity,  and  it  had 
been  too  often  exercised  by  intercourse  with  the  whites, 
and  more  particularly  with  Whittal  Ring,  to  leave  her  in 
any  doubt  of  the  meaning  of  what  she  now  heard.  Steal- 
ing a  timid  look  over  a  shoulder,  she  sought  the  coun- 
tenance of  Martha,  and  studying  her  lineaments  for  near  a 
minute  with  intense  regard,  she  laughed  aloud  in  the  con- 
tagious merriment  of  an  Indian  girl. 

'•Thou  hast  not  forgotten  us!     That  glance  at  her  who 


THE   IVEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  309 

was  the  companion  of  thy  infancy  assures  me,  and  we  shall 
soon  again  possess  our  Ruth  in  affection  as  we  now  pos- 
sess her  in  the  body.  1  will  not  speak  to  thee  of  that  fear- 
ful night  when  the  violence  of  the  savage  robbed  us  of  thy 
presence,  nor  of  the  bitter  sorrow  which  beset  us  at  thy 
loss  ;  but  there  is  One  who  must  still  be  known  to  thee,  my 
child  ;  he  who  sitteth  above  the  clouds,  who  holdeth  the 
earth  in  the  hollow  of  his  hand,  and  who  looketh  in  mercy 
on  all  that  journey  on  the  path  to  which  his  own  finger 
pointeth.  Hath  he  yet  a  place  in  thy  thoughts  ?  Thou 
rernemberest  His  Holy  Name,  and  still  thinkest  of  his 
power  ? " 

The  listener  bent  her  head  aside,  as  if  to  catch  the  full 
meaning  of  what  she  heard,  the  shadows  of  deep  reverence 
passing  over  a  face  that  had  so  lately  been  smiling.  After 
a  pause  she  audibly  murmured  the  word — 

"  Manitou." 

"  Manitou,  or  Jehovah  ;  God,  or  King  of  Kings,  and 
Lord  of  Lords  !  it  mattereth  little  which  term  is  used  to 
express  his  power.  Thou  k newest  him  then,  and  hast 
never  ceased  to  call  upon  his  name  ?" 

"  Narra-mattah  is  a  woman.  She  is  afraid  to  speak  to 
the  Manitou  aloud.  He  knows  the  voices  of  the  chiefs, 
and  opens  his  ears  when  they  ask  help." 

The  Puritan  groaned,  but  Ruth  succeeded  in  quelling 
her  own  anguish,  lest  she  should  disturb  the  reviving  con- 
fidence of  her  daughter. 

"  This  may  be  the  Manitou  of  an  Indian,"  she  said,  "  but 
it  is  not  the  Christian's  God.  Thou  art  of  a  race  which 
worships  differently,  and  it  is  proper  that  thou  shouldst 
call  on  the  name  of  the  Deity  of  thy  fathers.  Even  the 
Narragansett  teacheth  this  truth  !  Thy  skin  is  white,  and 
thy  ears  should  hearken  to  the  traditions  of  the  men  of  thy 
blood." 

The  head  of  the  daughter  drooped  at  this  allusion  to  her 
color,  as  if  she  would  fain  conceal  the  mortifying  truth 
from  every  eye  ;  but  she  had  not  time  for  answer  ere 
Whittal  Ring  drew  near,  and  pointing  to  the  burning  color 
of  her  cheeks,  that  were  deepened  as  much  with  shame  as 
with  the  heats  of  an  American  sun,  he  said — 

"  The  wife  of  the  sachem  hath  begun  to  change.  She 
will  soon  be  like  Nipset — all  red.  See,"  he  added,  laying 
a  finger  on  a  part  of  his  own  arm,  where  the  sun  and  the 
winds  had  not  yet  destroyed  the  original  color  ;  "the  Evil 
Spirit  poured  water  into  his  blood  too,  but  it  will  come  out 


3io  THE  WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

again.  As  soon  as  he  is  so  dark  that  the  Evil  Spirit  will 
not  know  him,  he  will  go  on  the  war-path,  and  then  the 
lying  pale-faces  may  dig  up  the  bones  of  their  fathers  and 
move  toward  the  sunrise,  or  his  lodge  will  be  lined  with 
hair  of  the  color  of  a  deer  ! " 

"  And  thou,  my  daughter !  canst  thou  hear  this  threat 
against  the  people  of  thy  nation — of  thy  blood— of  thy 
God,  without  a  shudder  ?  " 

The  eye  of  Narra-mattah  seemed  in  doubt  ;  still  it  re- 
garded Whittal  with  its  accustomed  look  of  kindness. 
The  innocent,  full  of  his  imaginary  glory,  raised  his  hand 
in  exultation,  and  by  gestures  that  could  not  easily  be  mis- 
understood, he  indicated  the  manner  in  which  he  intended 
to  rob  his  victims  of  the  usual  trophy.  While  the  youth 
was  enacting  the  disgusting  but  expressive  pantomime, 
Ruth  watched  the  countenance  of  her  child  in  nearly  breath- 
less agony.  She  would  have  been  relieved  by  a  single 
glance  of  disapprobation,  by  a  solitary  movement  of  a  re- 
bellious muscle,  or  by  the  smallest  sign  that  the  tender 
nature  of  one  so  lovely,  and  otherwise  so  gentle,  revolted 
at  so  unequivocal  evidence  of  the  barbarous  practices  of 
her  adopted  people.  But  no  empress  of  Rome  could  have 
witnessed  the  dying  agonies  of  the  hapless  gladiator,  no 
consort  of  a  more  modern  prince  could  read  the  bloody 
list  of  the  victims  of  her  husband's  triumph,  nor  any  be- 
trothed fair  listen  to  the  murderous  deeds  of  him  her  im- 
agination had  painted  as  a  hero,  with  less  indifference  to 
human  suffering  than  that  with  which  the  wife  of  the 
Sachem  of  the  Narragansetts  looked  on  the  mimic  repre- 
sentation of  those  exploits  which  had  purchased  for  her 
husband  a  renown  so  highly  prized.  It  was  but  too  appar- 
ent that  the  representation,  rude  and  savage  as  it  was,  con- 
veyed to  her  mind  nothing  but  pictures  in  which  the  chosen 
companion  of  a  warrior  should  rejoice.  The  varying 
features  and  answering  eye  too  plainly  proclaimed  the 
sympathy  of  one  taught  to  exult  in  the  success  of  the  com- 
batant ;  and  when  Whittal,  excited  by  his  own  exertions, 
broke  out  into  an  exhibition  of  a  violence  more  ruthless 
even  than  common,  he  was  openly  rewarded  by  another 
laugh.  The  soft,  exquisitely  feminine  tones  of  this  invol- 
untary burst  of  pleasure  sounded  in  the  ears  of  Ruth  like 
a  knell  over  the  moral  beauty  of  her  child.  Still  subduing 
her  feelings,  she  passed  a  hand  thoughtfully  over  her  own 
pallid  brow,  and  appeared  to  muse  long  on  the  desolation 
of  a  mind  that  had  once  promised  to  be  so  pure. 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  311 

The  colonists  had  not  yet  severed  all  those  natural  ties 
which  bound  them  to  the  eastern  hemisphere.  Their  le- 
gends, their  pride,  and  in  many  instances  their  memories, 
aided  in  keeping  alive  a  feeling  of  amity,  and  it  might  be 
added  of  faith,  in  favor  of  the  land  of  their  ancestors.  With 
some  of  their  descendants,  even  to  the  present  hour,  the 
beau-ideal  of  excellence,  in  all  that  pertains  to  human  quali- 
ties and  human  happiness,  is  connected  with  the  images 
of  the  country  from  which  they  sprang.  Distance  is  known 
to  cast  a  softening  mist,  equally  over  the  moral  and  physi- 
cal vision.  The  blue  outline  of  mountain  which  melts  into 
its  glowing  background  of  sky,  is  not  more  pleasing  than 
the  pictures  which  fancy  spmetimes  draws  of  less  material 
things  ;  but,  as  he  comes  near,  the  disappointed  traveller 
too  often  finds  nakedness  and  deformity,  where  he  so  fondly 
imagined  beauty  only  was  to  be  seen.  No  wonder  then 
that  the  dwellers  of  the  simple  provinces  of  New  England 
blended  recollections  of  the  country  they  still  called  -home, 
with  most  of  their  poetical  pictures  of  life.  They  retained 
the  language,  the  books,  and  most  of  the  habits,  of  the 
English.  But  different  circumstances,  divided  interests, 
and  peculiar  opinions,  were  gradually  beginning  to  open 
those  breaches  which  time  has  since  widened,  and  which 
promise  soon  to  leave  little  in  common  between  the  two 
peoples,  except  the  same  forms  of  speech  and  a  common 
origin  ;  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  some  charity  may  be  blended 
with  these  ties. 

The  singularly  restrained  habits  of  the  religionists, 
throughout  the  whole  of  the  British  provinces,  were  in 
marked  opposition  to  the  mere  embellishments  of  life.  The 
arts  were  permitted  only  as  they  served  its  most  useful  and 
obvious  purposes.  With  them,  music  was  confined  to  the 
worship  of  God,  and,  for  a  long  time  after  the  original  set- 
tlement, the  song  was  never  known  to  lead  the  mind  astray 
from  what  was  conceived  to  be  the  one  great  object  of  ex- 
istence. No  verse  was  sung  but  such  as  blended  holy  ideas 
with  the  pleasures  of  harmony  ;  nor  were  the  sounds  of 
revelry  ever  heard  \vithin  their  borders.  Still,  words  adapt- 
ed to  their  peculiar  condition  had  come  into  use,  and 
though  poetry  was  neither  a  common  nor  a  brilliant  prop- 
erty of  the  mind,  among  a  people  thus  disciplined  to  as- 
cetic practices,  it  early  exhibited  its  power  in  quaint  versi- 
fication, that  was  alwrays  intended,  though  with  a  success 
it  is  almost  pardonable  to  doubt,  to  redound  to  the  glory 
of  the  Deity.  It  was  but  a  natural  enlargement  of  this 


312  THE  WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

pious  practice,  to  adapt  some  of  these  spiritual  songs  to 
purposes  of  the  nursery. 

When  Ruth  Heathcote  passed  her  hand  thoughtfully 
across  her  brow,  it  was  with  a  painful  conviction  that  her 
dominion  over  the  mind  of  her  child  was  sadly  weakened, 
if  not  lost  forever.  But  the  efforts  of  maternal  love  are 
not  easily  repulsed.  An  idea  flashed  upon  her  brain,  and 
she  proceeded  to  try  the  efficacy  of  the  experiment  it  sug- 
gested. Nature  had  endowed  her  with  a  melodious  voice, 
and  an  ear  that  taught  her  to  regulate  sounds  in  a  manner 
that  seldom  failed  to  touch  the  heart.  She  possessed  the 
genius  of  music,  which  is  melody,  unweakened  by  those 
exaggerated  affectations  with  which  it  is  often  encumbered 
by  what  is  pretendingly  called  science.  Drawing  her 
daughter  nearer  to  her  knee,  she  commenced  one  of  the 
songs  then  much  used  by  the  mothers  of  the  colony,  her 
voice  scarcely  rising  above  the  whispering  of  the  evening 
air,  in  its  first  notes,  but  ^gradually  gaining,  as  she  pro- 
ceeded, the  richness  and  compass  that  a  strain  so  simple 
required. 

At  the  first  low  breathing  notes  of  this  nursery  song, 
Narra-mattah  became  as  motionless  as  if  her  rounded  and 
unfettered  form  had  been  wrought  in  marble.  Pleasure 
lighted  her  eyes,  as  strain  succeeded  strain  ;  and  ere  the 
second  verse  was  ended,  her  look,  her  attitude,  and  every 
muscle  of  her  ingenuous  features,  were  eloquent  in  the 
expression  of  delight.  Ruth  did  not  hazard  the  experiment 
without  trembling  for  its  result.  Emotion  imparted  feeling 
to  the  music,  and  when,  for  the  third  time  in  the  course  of 
her  song,  she  addressed  her  child,  she  saw  the  soft  blue 
eyes  that  gazed  wistfully  on  her  face  swimming  in  tears. 
Encouraged  by  this  unequivocal  evidence  of  success,  nat- 
ure grew  still  more  powerful  in  its  efforts,  and  the  closing 
verse  was  sung  to  an  ear  that  nestled  near  her  heart,  as  it 
had  often  done  during  the  early  years  of  Narra-mattah 
while  listening  to  its  melancholy  melody. 

Content  was  a  quiet  but  an  anxious  witness  of  this  touch- 
ing evidence  of  a  reviving  intelligence  between  his  wife 
and  child.  He  best  understood  the  look  that  beamed  in 
the  eyes  of  the  former,  while  her  arms  were,  with  extreme 
caution,  folded  around  her  who  still  leaned  upon  her 
bosom,  as  if  fearful  one  so  timid  might  be  frightened  from 
her  security  by  any  sudden  or  unaccustomed  interruption. 
A  minute  passed  in  the  deepest  silence.  Even  Whittal 
Ring  was  lulled  into  quiet,  and  long  and  sorrowing  years 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  313 

had  passed  since  Ruth  enjoyed  moments  of  happiness  so 
pure  and  unalloyed.  The  stillness  was  broken  by  a  heavy 
step  in  the  outer  room  ;  a  door  was  thrown  open  by  a  hand 
more  violent  than  common,  and  then  young  Mark  appeared, 
his  face  flushed  with  exertion,  his  brow  seemingly  retain- 
ing the  frown  of  battle,  and  with  a  tread  that  betrayed  a 
spirit  goaded  by  some  fierce  and  unwelcome  passion.  The 
burden  of  Canonchet  was  on  his  arm.  He  laid  it  upon  a 
table  ;  then  pointing,  in  a  manner  that  appeared  to  chal- 
lenge attention,  he  turned,  and  left  the  room  as  abruptly 
as  he  had  entered. 

A  cry  of  joy  burst  from  the  lips  of  Narra-mattah,  the  in- 
stant the  beaded  belts  caught  her  eye.  The  arms  of  Ruth 
relaxed  their  hold  in  surprise,  and  before  amazement  had 
time  to  give  place  to  more  connected  ideas,  the  wild  being 
at  her  knee  had  flown  to  the  table,  returned,  resumed  her 
former  posture,  opened  the  folds  of  the  cloth,  and  was 
holding  before  the  bewildered  gaze  of  her  mother  the  pa- 
tient features  of  an  Indian  babe. 

It  would  exceed  the  powers  of  the  unambitious  pen  we 
wield,  to  convey  to  the  reader  a  just  idea  of  the  mixed 
emotions  that  struggled  for  mastery  in  the  countenance  of 
Ruth.  The  innate  and  never-dying  sentiment  of  maternal 
joy  was  opposed  by  all  those  feelings  of  pride,  that  preju- 
dice could  not  fail  to  implant  even  in  the  bosom  of  one  so 
meek.  There  was  no  need  to  tell  the  history  of  the  parent- 
age of  the  little  suppliant,  who  already  looked  up  into  her 
face  with  that  peculiar  calm  which  renders  his  race  so  re- 
markable. Though  its  glance  was  weakened  by  infancy, 
the  dark  glittering  eye  of  Conanchet  was  there  ;  there  were 
also  to  be  seen  the  receding  forehead  and  the  compressed 
lip  of  the  father  ;  but  all  these  marks  of  his  origin  were 
softened  by  touches  of  that  beauty  which  had  rendered  the 
infancy  of  her  own  child  so  remarkable. 

"  See  !  "  said  Narra-mattah,  raising  the  infant  still  nearer 
to  the  riveted  gaze  of  Ruth  ;  "  'tis  a  sachem  of  the  red 
men !  The  little  eagle  hath  left  his  nest  too  soon." 

Ruth  could  not  resist  the  appeal  of  her  beloved.  Bend- 
ing her  head  low,  so  as  entirely  to  conceal  her  own  flushed 
face,  she  imprinted  a  kiss  on  the  forehead  of  the  Indian 
boy.  But  the  jealous  eye  of  the  young  mother  was  not  to 
be  deceived.  Narra-mattah  detected  the  difference  be- 
tween the  cold  salute  and  those  fervent  embraces  she  had 
herself  received,  and  disappointment  produced  a  chill 
about  her  own  heart.  Replacing  the  folds  of  the  cloth 


314  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TO N-WISIL 

with  quiet  dignity,  she  arose  from  her  knees  and  withdrew 
in  sadness  to  a  distant  corner  of  the  room.  There  she 
took  a  seat,  and  with  a  glance  that  might  almost  be  termed 
reproachful,  she  commenced  a  low  Indian  song  to  her 
infant. 

"  The  wisdom  of  Providence  is  in  this  as  in  all  its  dis- 
pensations," whispered  Content,  over  the  shoulder  of  his 
nearly  insensible  partner.  "  Had  we  received  her  as  she 
wras  lost,  the  favor  might  have  exceeded  our  deservings. 
Our  daughter  is  grieved  that  thou  turnest  a  cold  eye  on 
her  babe." 

The  appeal  was  sufficient  for  one  whose  affections  had 
been  wounded  rather  than  chilled.  It  recalled  Ruth  to 
recollection,  and  it  served  at  once  to  dissipate  the  shades 
of  regret  that  had  been  unconsciously  permitted  to  gather 
around  her  brow.  The  displeasure,  or  it  would  be  more 
true  to  term  it  sorrow,  of  the  young  mother  was  easily  ap- 
peased. A  smile  on  her  infant  brought  the  blood  back  to 
her  heart  in  a  swift  and  tumultuous  current ;  and  Ruth 
herself  soon  forgot  that  she  had  any  reason  for  regret  in 
the  innocent  delight  with  which  her  own  daughter  now 
hastened  to  display  the  physical  excellence  of  the  boy. 
From  this  scene  of  natural  feeling,  Content  was  too 
quickly  summoned  by  the  intelligence  that  some  one  with- 
out awaited  his  presence  on  business  of  the  last  importance 
to  the  welfare  of  the  settlement. 


CHAPTER   XXVIII. 

"It  will  have  blood  ;  they  say,  blood 
Will  have  blood  !  "—Macbeth. 

THE  visitors  were  Dr.  Ergot,  the  Reverend  Meek  Wolfe, 
Ensign  Dudley,  and  Reuben  Ring.  Content  found  these 
four  individuals  seated  in  an  outer  room,  in  a  grave  and 
restrained  manner,  that  would  have  done  no  discredit  to 
the  self-command  of  an  Indian  council.  He  was  saluted 
with  those  staid  and  composed  greetings  which  are  still 
much  used  in  the  intercourse  of  the  people  of  the  Eastern 
States  of  this  Republic,  and  which  have  obtained  for  them 
a  reputation,  where  they  are  little  known,  of  a  want  of  the 
more  active  charities  of  our  nature.  But  that  was  pecul- 
iarly the  age  of  sublimated  doctrines,  of  self-mortification, 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  3if 

and  of  severe  moral  government,  and  most  men  believe  it 
a  merit  to  exhibit,  on  all  occasions,  the  dominion  of  the 
mind  over  the  mere  animal  impulses.  The  usage,  which 
took  its  rise  in  exalted  ideas  of  spiritual  perfection,  has 
since  grown  into  a  habit,  which,  though  weakened  by  the 
influence  of  the  age,  still  exists  to  a  degree  that  often  leads 
to  an  erroneous  estimate  of  character. 

At  the  entrance  of  the  master  of  the  house,  there  was 
some  such  decorous  silence  as  that  which  is  known  to  pre- 
cede the  communications  of  the  aborigines.  At  length 
Ensign  Dudley,  in  whom  matter,  most  probably  in  con- 
sequence of  its  bulk,  bore  more  than  a  usual  proportion 
to  his  less  material  part,  manifested  some  evidences  of  im- 
patience that  the  divine  should  proceed  to  business.  Thus 
admonished,  or  possibly  conceiving  that  a  sufficient  con- 
cession had  been  made  to  the  dignity  of  man's  nature, 
Meek  opened  his  mouth  to  speak. 

"  Captain  Content  Heathcote,"  he  commenced,  with  that 
mystical  involution  of  his  subject  which  practice  had  ren- 
dered nearly  inseparable  from  all  his  communications  ; 
"  Captain  Content  Heathcote,  this  hath  been  a  day  of  aw- 
ful visitations,  and  of  gracious  temporal  gifts.  The  heathen 
hath  been  smitten  severely  by  the  hand  of  the  believer, 
and  the  believer  hath  been  made  to  pay  the  penalty  of  his 
want  of  faith,  by  the  infliction  of  a  savage  agency.  Azazel 
hath  been  loosened  in  our  village,  the  legions  of  wicked- 
ness have  been  suffered  to  go  at  large  in  our  fields,  and 
yet  the  Lord  hath  remembered  his  people,  and  hath  borne 
them  through  a  trial  of  blood  as  perilous  as  was  the  pas- 
sage of  his  chosen  nation  through  the  billows  of  the  Red 
Sea.  There  is  cause  of  mourning,  and  cause  of  joy,  in  this 
manifestation  of  his  will  ;  of  sorrow  that  we  have  merited 
his  anger,  and  of  rejoicing  that  enough  of  redeeming  grace 
hath  been  found  to  save  the  Gomorrah  of  our  hearts.  But 
I  speak  to  one  trained  in  spiritual  discipline,  and  schooled 
in  the  vicissitudes  of  the  world,  and  further  discourse  is 
not  necessary  to  quicken  his  apprehension.  We  will 
therefore  turn  to  more  instant  and  temporal  exercises. 
Have  all  of  thy  household  escaped  unharmed  throughout 
the  strivings  of  this  bloody  day?" 

"We  praise  the  Lord  that  such  hath  been  his  pleasure," 
returned  Content.  "  Other  than  as  sorrow  hath  assailed 
us  through  the  mourning  of  friends,  the  blow  hath  fallen 
lightly  on  me  and  mine." 

*'  Thou  hast  had  thy  season  ;  the  parent  ceaseth  to  chas- 


316  THE  WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

tise,  while  former  punishments  are  remembered.  But 
here  is  Sergeant  Ring,  with  matter  to  communicate,  that 
may  still  leave  business  for  thy  courage  and  thy  wisdom." 

Content  turned  his  quiet  look  upon  the  yeoman,  and 
seemed  to  await  his  speech.  Reuben  Ring,  who  was  a 
man  of  many  solid  and  valuable  qualities,  would  most 
probably  have  been  exercising  the  military  functions  of 
his  brother-in-law  at  that  very  moment,  had  he  been 
equally  gifted  with  a  fluent  discourse.  But  his  feats  lay 
rather  in  doing  than  in  speaking,  and  the  tide  of  popular- 
ity had  in  consequence  set  less  strongly  in  his  favor 
than  might  have  happened  had  the  reverse  been  the  case. 
The  present,  however,  was  a  moment  when  it  was  neces- 
sary to  overcome  his  natural  reluctance  to  speak,  and  it 
was  not  long  before  he  replied  to  the  inquiring  glance  of 
his  commander's  eye. 

"The  captain  knows  the  manner  in  which  we  scourged 
the  savages  at  the  southern  end  of  the  valley,"  the  sturdy 
yeoman  began,  "and  it  is  not  necessary  to  deal  with  the 
particulars  at  length.  There  were  six-and-tvventy  red- 
skins slain  in  the  meadows,  besides  as  many  more  that  left 
the  ground  in  the  arms  of  their  friends.  As  for  the  people, 
we  got  a  few  hurts,  but  each  man  came  back  on  his  own 
limbs." 

"  This  is  much  as  the  matter  hath  been  reported." 

"  Then  there  was  a  party  sent  to  brush  the  woods  on  the 
trail  of  the  Indians,"  resumed  Reuben,  without  appearing 
to  regard  the  interruption.  "The  scouts  broke  off  in 
pairs  in  the  duty,  and  finally  men  got  to  searching  singly, 
of  which  number  I  was  one.  The  two  men  of  whom  there 
is  question " 

"  Of  what  men  dost  speak  ?"  demanded  Content. 

"The  two  men  of  whom  there  is  question,"  returned 
the  other,  continuing  the  direct  course  of  his  own  manner 
of  relating  events,  without  appearing  to  see  the  neces- 
sity of  connecting  the  threads  of  his  communication : 
"  the  men  of  whom  I  have  spoken  to  the  minister  and 
the  ensign " 

"Proceed,"  said  Content,  who  understood  his  man. 

"  After  one  of  these  men  was  brought  to  his  end,  I  saw 
no  reason  for  making  the  day  bloodier  than  it  already  was, 
the  more  especially  as  the  Lord  had  caused  it  to  begin 
with  a  merciful  hand,  which  shed  its  bounties  on  my  own 
dwelling.  Under  such  an  opinion  of  right-doing  the  other 
was  bound  and  led  into  the  clearings." 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  317 

"  Thou  hast  made  a  captive  ? " 

The  lips  of  Reuben  scarce  severed  as  he  muttered  a  low 
assent ;  but  the  Ensign  Dudley  took  upon  himself  the  duty 
ol  entering  into  further  explanations,  which  the  point 
where  his  kinsman  left  the  narrative  enabled  him  to  do 
with  sufficient  intelligence. 

"As  the  sergeant  hath  related,"  he  said,  "one  of  the 
heathen  fell,  and  the  other  is  nowT  without,  awaiting  a  judg 
ment  in  the  matter  of  his  fortune." 

"  I  trust  there  is  no  wish  to  harm  him,"  said  Content, 
glancing  an  eye  uneasily  around  at  his  companions. 
"Strife  hath  done  enough  in  our  settlement  this  day.  The 
sergeant  hath  a  right  to  claim  the  scalp-bounty,  for  the 
man  that  is  slain  ;  but  for  him  that  liveth,  let  there  be 
mercy ! " 

"  Mercy  is  a  quality  of  heavenly  origin,"  replied  Meek 
Wolfe,  "and  it  should  not  be  perverted  to  defeat  the  pur- 
poses of  heavenly  wisdom.  Azazel  must  not  triumph, 
though  the  tribe  of  the  Narragansetts  should  be  swept 
with  the  besom  of  destruction.  Truly,  we  are  an  erring 
and  a  fallible  race,  Captain  Heathcote  ;  and  the  greater, 
therefore,  the  necessity  that  we  submit  without  rebellion 
to  the  inward  monitors  that  are  implanted,  by  grace,  to 
teach  us  the  road  of  our  duty — 

"I  cannot  consent  to  shed  blood,  now  that  the  strife 
hath  ceased,"  hastily  interrupted  Content.  "  Praised  be 
Providence  !  we  are  victors  ;  and  it  is  time  to  lean  to  coun- 
sels of  charity." 

"Such  are  the  deceptions  of  a  short-sighted  wisdom  !" 
returned  the  divine,  his  dim,  sunken  eye  shining  with  the 
promptings  of  an  exaggerated  and  subtle  spirit.  "The 
end  of  all  is  good,  and  we  may  not,  without  mortal  danger, 
presume  to  doubt  the  suggestions  of  heavenly  gifts.  But 
there  is  no  question  here  concerning  the  execution  of  the 
captive,  since  he  proffereth  to  be  of  service  in  far  greater 
things  than  any  that  can  depend  on  his  life  or  his  death. 
The  heathen  rendered  up  his  liberty  with  little  struggle, 
and  hath  propositions  that  may  lead  us  to  a  profitable  con- 
clusion of  this  day's  trials." 

"  If  he  can  aid  in  aught  that  shall  shorten  the  perils  and 
wantonness  of  this  ruthless  war,  he  shall  find  none  better 
disposed  to  listen  than  I." 

"  He  professeth  ability  to  do  that  service." 

"Then,  of  Heaven's  mercy!  let  him  be  brought  forth, 
that  we  counsel  on  his  proposals." 


3i8  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON- WISH. 

Meek  made  a  gesture  to  Sergeant  Ring,  who  quitted  the 
apartment  for  a  moment;  and  shortly  after,  returned  foL 
lowed  by  his  captive.  The  Indian  was  one  of  those  dark 
and  malignant-looking  savages  that  possess  most  of  the 
sinister  properties  of  their  condition,  with  few  or  none  of 
the  redeeming  qualities.  His  eye  was  lowering  and  dis- 
trustful, bespeaking  equally  apprehension  and  revenge  ;  his 
form  of  that  middling  degree  of  perfection  which  leaves  as 
little  to  admire  as  to  condemn,  and  his  attire  such  as  de- 
noted him  one  who  might  be  ranked  among  the  warriors  of 
a  secondary  class.  Still,  in  the  composure  of  his  mien,  the 
tranquillity  of  his  step,  and  the  self-possession  of  all  his 
movements,  he  displayed  that  high  bearing,  his  people 
rarely  fail  to  exhibit,  ere  too  much  intercourse  with  the 
whites  begins  to  destroy  their  distinctive  traits. 

"Here  is  the  Narragansett,"  said  Reuben  Ring,  causing 
his  prisoner  to  appear  in  the  centre  of  the  room  ;  "he  is 
no  chief,  as  may  be  gathered  from  his  uncertain  look." 

"If  he  effect  that  of  which  there  hath  been  question,  his 
rank  mattereth  little.  We  seek  to  stop  the  currents  of 
blood  that  flow  like  running  water,  in  these  devoted  colo- 
nies." 

"  This  will  he  do,"  rejoined  the  divine,  "  or  we  shall  hold 
him  answTerable  for  breach  of  promise." 

"  And  in  what  doth  he  profess  to  aid  in  stopping  the  work 
of  death  ? " 

"  By  yielding  the  fierce  Philip,  and  his  savage  ally,  the 
roving  Conanchet,  to  the  judgment.  Those  chiefs  de- 
stroyed, our  temple  may  be  entered  in  peace,  and  the 
voice  of  thanksgiving  shall  again  rise  in  our  Bethel,  with- 
out the  profane  interruption  of  savage  shrieks." 

Content  started,  and  even  recoiled  a  step,  as  he  listened 
to  the  nature  of  the  proposed  peace-offering. 

"  And  have  we  warranty  for  such  a  proceeding,  should 
this  man  prove  true  ? "  he  asked,  in  a  voice  that  suffi- 
ciently denoted  his  own  doubts  of  the  propriety  of  such  a 
measure. 

"  There  is  the  law,  the  necessities  of  a  suffering  nature, 
and  God's  glory,  for  our  justification,"  dryly  returned  the 
divine. 

"  This  outsteppeth  the  discreet  exercise  of  a  delegated 
authority.  I  like  not  to  assume  so  great  power,  without 
written  mandates  for  its  execution." 

"  The  objection  hath  raised  a  little  difficulty  in  my  own 
mind,"  observed  Ensign  Dudley;  "and  as  it  hath  set 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  319 

thoughts  at  work,  it  is  possible  that  what  I  have  to  offer 
will  meet  the  captain's  good  approbation." 

Content  knew  that  his  ancient  servitor  was,  though  of  ten 
uncouth  in  its  exhibition,  at  the  bottom  a  man  of  humane 
heart.  On  the  other  hand,  while  he  scarce  admitted  the 
truth  to  himself,  he  had  a  secret  dread  of  the  exaggerated 
sentiments  of  his  spiritual  guide  ;  and  he  consequently 
listened  to  the  interruption  of  Eben  with  a  gratification  he 
scarcely  wished  to  conceal. 

"  Speak  openly,"  he  said  ;  "  when  men  counsel  in  a  mat- 
ter of  this  weight,  each  standeth  on  the  surety  of  his  proper 
gifts." 

"Then  may  this  business  be  dispatched  without  the  em- 
barrassment the  captain  seems  to  dread.  We  have  an  In- 
dian, who  offers  to  lead  a  party  through  the  forests  to  the 
haunts  of  the  bloody  chiefs,  therein  bringing  affairs  to  the 
issue  of  manhood  and  discretion." 

"And  wherein  do  you  propose  any  departure  from  the 
suggestions  that  have  already  been  made  ?  " 

Ensign  Dudley  had  not  risen  to  his  present  rank  without 
acquiring  a  suitable  portion  of  the  reserve  which  is  so  often 
found  to  dignify  official  sentiments.  Having  ventured  the 
opinion  already  placed,  however  vaguely,  before  his  hear- 
ers, he  was  patiently  awaiting  its  effects  on  the  mind  of  his 
superior,  when  the  latter,  by  his  earnest  and  unsuspecting 
countenance,  no  less  than  by  the  question  just  given, 
showed  that  he  was  still  in  the  dark  as  to  the  expedient 
the  subaltern  wished  to  suggest. 

"  I  think  there  Will  be  no  necessity  for  making  more 
captives,"  resumed  Eben,  "since  the  one  we  have  appears 
to  create  difficulties  in  our  councils.  If  there  be  any  law  in 
the  colony  which  says  that  men  must  strike  with  a  gentle 
hand  in  open  battle,  it  is  a  law  but  little  spoken  of  in  com- 
mon discourse  ;  and  though  no  pretender  to  the  wisdom  of 
legislators,  I  wTill  make  bold  to  add,  it  is  a  law  that  may  as 
well  be  forgotten  until  this  outbreaking  of  the  savages 
shall  be  quelled." 

"  We  deal  with  an  enemy  that  never  stays  his  hand  at  the 
cry  of  mercy,"  observed  Meek  Wolfe,  "and  though  charity 
be  the  fruit  of  Christian  qualities,  there  is  a  duty  greater 
than  any  which  belongeth  to  earth.  We  are  no  more  than 
weak  and  feeble  instruments  in  the  hands  of  Providence, 
and  as  such  our  minds  should  not  be  hardened  to  our  in- 
ward promptings.  If  evidence  of  better  feeling  could  be 
found  in  the  deeds  of  the  heathen,  we  might  raise  our  hopes 


320  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

to  the  completion  of  things ;  but  the  Po\vers  of  Darkness 
still  rage  in  their  hearts,  and  we  are  taught  to  believe  that 
the  tree  is  known  by  its  fruits." 

Content  signed  to  all  to  await  his  return,  and  left  the 
room.  In  another  minute  he  was  seen  leading  his  daughter 
into  the  centre  of  the  circle.  The  half-alarmed  young 
woman  clasped  her  swaddled  boy  to  her  bosom,  as  she 
gazed  timidly  at  the  grave  faces  of  the  borderers  ;  and  her 
eye  recoiled  in  fear,  when  its  hurried  glance  met  the  sunk- 
en, glazed,  excited,  and  yet  equivocal-looking  organ  of  the 
Reverend  Mr.  Wolfe. 

"  Thou  hast  said  that  the  savage  never  hearkens  to  the 
cry  of  mercy,"  resumed  Content ;  "here  is  living  evidence 
that  thou  hast  spoken  in  error.  The  misfortune  that  early 
befell  my  family  is  not  unknown  to  any  in  this  settlement  ; 
thou  seest  in  this  trembling  creature  the  daughter  of  our 
love — her  we  have  so  long  mourned.  The  wept  of  my 
household  is  again  with  us  ;  our  hearts  have  been  op 
pressed,  they  are  now  gladdened.  God  hath  returned  oui 
child  !  " 

There  was  deep,  rich  pathos  in  the  tones  of  the  father 
that  affected  most  of  his  auditors,  though  each  manifested 
his  sensibilities  in  a  manner  suited  to  his  peculiar  habits 
of  mind.  The  nature  of  the  divine  was  touched,  and  all 
the  energies  of  his  severe  principles  were  wanting  to  sus- 
tain him  above  the  manifestation  of  a  weakness  that  he 
might  have  believed  derogatory  to  his  spiritual  exaltation 
of  character.  He  therefore  sat  mute,  with  hands  folded 
on  his  knee,  betraying  the  struggles  of  an  awakened  sym- 
pathy only  by  a  firmer  compression  of  the  interlocked 
fingers,  and  an  occasional  and  involuntary  movement  of 
the  stronger  muscles  of  the  face.  Dudley  suffered  a  smile 
of  pleasure  to  lighten  his  broad,  open  countenance  ;  and 
the  physician,  who  had  hitherto  been  merely  a  listener, 
uttered  a  few  low  syllables  of  admiration  of  the  physical 
perfection  of  the  being  before  him,  with  which  there  was 
mingled  some  evidence  of  natural  good  feeling. 

Reuben  Ring  was  the  only  individual  who  openly  be- 
trayed the  whole  degree  of  the  interest  he  took  in  the 
restoration  of  the  lost  female.  The  stout  yeoman  arose, 
and  moving  to  the  entranced  Narra-mattah,  he  took  the 
infant  into  his  large  hands,  and  for  a  moment  the  honest 
borderer  gazed  at  the  boy  with  a.  wistful  and  softened  eye. 
Then  raising  the  diminutive  face  of  the  infant  to  his  own 
expanded  and  bold  features,  he  touched  his  cheek  with 


THE   IV KPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  321 

his  lips,  and  returned  the  babe  to  its  mother,  who  witnessed 
the  whole  proceeding  in  some  such  tribulation  as  the  startled 
wren  exhibits  when  the  foot  of  the  urchin  is  seen  to  draw 
too  near  the  nest  of  its  young. 

"  Thou  seest  that  the  hand  of  the  Narragansett  hath 
been  stayed,"  said  Content,  when  a  deep  silence  had  suc- 
ceeded this  little  movement,  and  speaking  in  a  tone  which 
betrayed  hopes  of  victory. 

"  The  ways  of  Providence  are  mysterious  ! "  returned 
Meek;  "wherein  they  bring  comfort  to  the  heart,  it  is 
right  that  we  exhibit  gratitude  ;  and  wherein  they  are 
charged  with  the  present  affliction,  it  is  meet  to  bow  wTith 
humbled  spirits  to  their  orderings.  But  the  visitations  on 
families  are  merely " 

He  paused,  for  at  that  moment  a  door  opened,  and  a 
party  entered  bearing  a  burden,  which  they  deposited  \vith 
decent  and  grave  respect  on  the  floor  in  the  very  centre 
of  the  room.  The  unceremonious  manner  of  the  entrance, 
the  assured  and  the  common  gravky  of  their  air,  pro- 
claimed that  the  villagers  felt  their  errand  to  be  a  sufficient 
apology  for  this  intrusion.  Had  not  the  business  of  the 
past  day  naturally  led  to  such  a  belief,  the  manner  and 
aspects  of  those  who  had  borne  the  burden  would  have 
announced  it  to  be  a  human  body. 

"  I  had  believed  that  none  fell  in  this  day's  strife,  but 
those  who  met  their  end  near  my  own  door,"  said  Content, 
after  a  long,  respectful,  and  sorrowing  pause.  "  Remove  the 
face-cloth  that  we  may  know  on  whom  the  blow  hath  fallen." 

One  of  the  young  men  obeyed.  It  was  not  easy  to 
recognize  through  the  mutilations  of  savage  barbarity  the 
features  of  the  sufferer.  But  a  second  and  steadier  look 
showed  the  gory  and  still  agonized  countenance  of  the 
individual  who  had  that  morning  left  the  Wish-Ton-Wish 
on  the  message  of  the  colonial  authorities.  Even  men  as 
practised  as  those  present  in  the  horrible  inventions  of  In- 
dian cruelty,  turned  sickening  away  from  a  spectacle  that 
was  calculated  to  chill  the  blood  of  all  who  had  not  become 
callous  to  human  affliction.  Content  made  a  sign  to  cover 
the  miserable  remnants  of  mortality,  and  hid  his  face  with 
a  shudder. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  dwell  on  the  scene  that  followed. 
Meek  Wolfe  availed  himself  of  this  unexpected  event  to 
press  his  plan  on  the  attention  of  the  commanding  officer 
of  the  settlement,  who  was  certainly  far  better  disposed  to 
listen  to  his  proposals,  than  before  this  palpable  evidence 

21 


322  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

of  the  ruthless  character  of  their  enemies  was  presented  to 
his  view.  Still  Content  listened  with  reluctance,  nor  was 
it  without  the  intention  of  exercising  an  ulterior  discretion 
in  the  case,  that  he  finally  consented  to  give  orders  for  the 
departure  of  a  body  of  men  with  the  approach  of  the  morn- 
ing light  As  much  of  the  discourse  was  managed  with 
those  half-intelligible  allusions  that  distinguished  men  of 
their  habits,  it  is  probable  that  every  individual  present  had 
his  own  particular  views  on  the  subject  ;  though  it  is  cer- 
tain one  and  all  faithfully  believed  that  he  was  soleh" 
influenced  by  a  justifiable  regard  to  his  temporal  interest, 
which  was  in  some  degree  rendered  still  more  praiseworthy 
by  a  reference  to  the  service  of  his  Divine  Master. 

As  the  party  returned,  Dudley  lingered  a  moment  alone 
with  his  former  master.  The  face  of  the  honest-meaning 
ensign  was  charged  with  more  than  its  usual  significance  ; 
and  he  even  paused  a  little  after  all  were  beyond  hearing, 
ere  he  could  muster  resolution  to  propose  the  subject  that 
was  so  evidently  uppermost  in  his  mind. 

"Captain  Content  Heathcote,"  he  at  length  commenced, 
"  evil  or  good  comes  not  alone  in  this  life.  Thou  hast 
found  her  that  was  sought  with  so  much  pain  and  danger, 
but  thou  hast  found  with  her  more  than  a  Christian  gentle- 
man can  desire.  I  am  a  man  of  humble  station,  but  I  may 
make  bold  to  know  what  should  be  the  feelings  of  a  father 
whose  child  is  restored,  replenished  by  such  an  over- 
bountiful  gift." 

"  Speak  plainer,"  said  Content,  firmly. 

"Then  I  would  say,  that  it  may  not  be  grateful  to  one 
who  taketh  his  place  among  the  best  in  this  colony,  to 
have  an  offspring  with  an  Indian  cross  of  blood,  and  over 
whose  birth  no  rite  of  Christian  marriage  hath  been  said. 
Here  is  Abundance,  a  woman  of  exceeding  usefulness  in  a 
newly  settled  region,  hath  made  Reuben  a  gift  of  three 
noble  boys  this  very  morning.  The  accession  is  little 
known,  and  less  discoursed  of,  in  that  the  good  wife  is 
accustomed  to  such  liberality,  and  that  the  day  hath  brought 
forth  still  greater  events.  Now  a  child  more  or  less  to  such 
a  woman,  can  neither  raise  question  among  the  neighbors, 
nor  make  any  extraordinary  difference  to  the  household. 
My  brother  Ring  would  be  happy  to  add  the  boy  to  his 
stock  ;  and  should  there  be  any  remarks  concerning  the 
color  of  the  younker,  at  a  future  day,  it  should  give  no 
reason  of  surprise  had  the  whole  four  been  born,  on  the 
day  of  such  an  inroad,  red  as  Metacom  himself  !  " 


THE  WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISff.  323 

Content  heard  his  companion  to  the  end  without  inter- 
ruption. His  countenance,  for  a  single  instant,  as  the 
meaning  of  the  ensign  became  unequivocal,  reddened  with 
a  worldly  feeling  to  which  he  had  long  been  a  stranger  ; 
but  the  painful  expression  as  quickly  disappeared,  and  in 
its  place  reigned  the  meek  submission  to  Providence  that 
habitually  characterized  his  mien. 

"That  I  have  been  troubled  with  this  vain  thought  1 
shall  not  deny,"  he  answered;  "but  the  Lord  hath  given 
me  strength  to  resist.  It  is  his  will  that  one  sprung  of 
heachen  lineage  shall  come  beneath  my  roof,  and  let  his 
will  be  done  !  My  child  and  all  that  are  hers  are  welcome." 

Ensign  Dudley  pressed  the  point  no  further,  and  they 
separated. 


CHAPTER    XXIX. 

"Tarry  a  little  ; — there  is  something  else." 

— MercJiant  of  Venice. 

WE  shift  the  scene.  The  reader  will  transport  himself 
from  the  valley  of  the  Wish-Ton-Wish  to  the  bosom  of  a 
deep  and  dark  \vood. 

It  may  be  thought  that  such  scenes  have  been  too  often 
described  to  need  any  repetition.  Still,  as  it  is  possible 
that  these  pages  may  fall  into  the  hands  of  some  who  have 
never  quitted  the  older  members  of  the  Union,  we  shall 
endeavor  to  give  them  a  faint  impression  concerning  the 
appearance  of  the  place  to  which  it  has  become  our  duty 
to  transfer  the  action  of  the  tale. 

Although  it  is  certain  that  inanimate,  like  animate  nat- 
ure, has  its  period,  the  existence  of  the  tree  has  no  fixed 
and  common  limit.  The  oak,  the  elm,  and  the  linden,  the 
quick-growing  sycamore  and  the  tall  pine,  has  each  its 
own  laws  for  the  government  of  its  growth,  its  magnitude, 
and  its  duration.  By  this  provision  of  nature,  the  wilder- 
ness, in  the  midst  of  so  many  successive  changes,  is  always 
maintained  at  the  point  nearest  to  perfection,  since  the 
accessions  are  so  few  and  gradual  as  to  preserve  its  char- 
acter. 

The  American  forest  exhibits  in  the  highest  degree  the 
grandeur  of  repose.  As  nature  never  does  violence  to  its 
own  laws,  the  soil  throws  out  the  plant  which  it  is  best 
qualified  to  support,  and  the  eye  is  not  often  disappointed 


324  THE  WEPT   OF  WISH -TON-WISH. 

by  a  sickly  vegetation.  There  ever  seems  a  generous  emu. 
lation  in  the  trees,  which  is  not  to  be  found  among  others 
of  different  families,  when  left  to  pursue  their  quiet  exist- 
ence in  the  solitude  of  the  fields.  Each  struggles  toward 
the  light,  and  an  equality  in  bulk  and  a  similarity  in  form 
are  thus  produced,  which  scarce  belong  to  their  distinctive 
characters.  The  effect  may  be  easily  imagined.  The 
vaulted  arches  beneath  are  filled  with  thousands  of  high, 
unbroken  columns,  which  sustain  one  vast  and  trembling 
canopy  of  leaves.  A  pleasing  gloom  and  an  imposing 
silence  have  their  interminable  reign  below,  while  an  outer 
and  another  atmosphere  seems  to  rest  on  the  cloud  of 
foliage. 

While  the  light  plays  on  the  varying  surface  of  the  tree- 
tops,  one  sombre  and  little-varied  hue  colors  the  earth. 
Dead  and  moss-covered  logs  ;  mounds  covered  with  decom> 
posed  vegetable  substances,  the  graves  of  long-past  gener- 
ations of  trees  ;  cavities  left  by  the  fall  of  some  uprooted 
trunk  ;  dark  fungi,  that  flourish  around  the  decayed  roots 
of  those  about  to  lose  their  hold,  with  a  few  slender  and 
delicate  plants  of  a  minor  growth,  and  which  best  succeed 
in  the  shade,  form  the  accompaniments  of  the  lower  scene. 
The  whole  is  tempered,  and  in  summer  rendered  grateful, 
by  a  freshness  which  equals  that  of  the  subterranean  vault, 
without  possessing  any  of  its  chilling  dampness.  In  the 
midst  of  this  gloomy  solitude  the  foot  of  man  is  rarely 
heard.  An  occasional  glimpse  of  the  bounding  deer  or 
trotting  moose  is  almost  the  only  interruption  on  the  earth 
itself  ;  while  the  heavy  bear  or  leaping  panther  is,  at  long 
intervals,  met  seated  on  the  branches  of  some  venerable 
tree.  There  are  moments,  too,  when  troops  of  hungry 
wolves  are  found  hunting  on  the  trail  of  the  deer  ;  but 
these  are  seen  rather  as  exceptions  to  the  stillness  of  the 
place,  than  as  accessories  that  should  properly  be  intro- 
duced into  the  picture.  Even  the  birds  are,  in  common, 
mute,  or  when  they  do  break  the  silence,  it  is  in  a  dis- 
cordance that  suits  the  character  of  their  wild  abode. 

Through  such  a  scene  two  men  were  industriously  jour 
neying  on  the  day  which  succeeded  the  inroad  last  de- 
scribed. They  marched  as  wont,  one  after  the  other,  the 
younger  and  more  active  leading  the  way  through  the 
monotony  of  the  woods,  as  accurately  and  as  unhesitating- 
ly as  the  mariner  directs  his  course  by  the  aid  of  the 
needle  over  the  waste  of  waters.  He  in  front  was  light, 
agile,  and  seemingly  unwearied  ;  while  the  one  who  fol- 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TO.\T-WISIL  325 

lowed  was  a  man  of  heavy  mould,  whose  step  denoted  less 
practice  in  the  exercise  of  the  forest,  and  possibly  some 
failing  of  natural  vigor. 

"Thine  eye,  Narragansett,  is  an  unerring  compass  by 
which  to  steer,  and  thy  leg  a  never-wearied  steed,"  said  the 
latter,  casting  the  butt  of  his  musket  on  the  end  of  a 
mouldering  log,  while  he  leaned  on  the  barrel  for  support. 
"  If  thou  movest  on  the  war-path  with  the  same  diligence 
as  thou  usest  in  our  errand  of  peace,  well  may  the  colon- 
ists dread  thy  enmity." 

The  other  turned,  and  without  seeking  aid  from  the  gun 
which  rested  against  his  shoulder,  he  pointed  at  the  several 
objects  he  named,  and  answered — 

"  My  father  is  this  aged  sycamore  ;  it  leans  against  the 
young  oak.  Conanchet  is  a  straight  pine.  There  is  great 
cunning  in  gray  hairs,"  added  the  chief,  stepping  lightly 
forward  until  a  finger  rested  on  the  arm  of  Submission  ; 
"can  they  tell  the  time  when  we  shall  lie  under  the  moss 
like  a  dead  hemlock  ?" 

"That  exceedeth  the  wisdom  of  man.  It  is  enough, 
sachem,  if  when  we  fall,  we  may  say  with  truth,  that  the 
land  we  shadowed  is  no  poorer  for  our  growth.  Thy  bones 
will  lie  in  the  earth  where  thy  fathers  trod,  but  mine  may 
whiten  in  the  vault  of  some  gloomy  forest." 

The  quiet  of  the  Indian's  face  was  disturbed.  The  pupils 
of  his  dark  eyes  contracted,  his  nostrils  dilated,  and  his 
full  chest  heaved,  and  then  all  reposed  like  the  sluggish 
ocean  after  a  vain  effort  to  heave  its  waters  into  some 
swelling  wave,  during  a  general  calm. 

"Fire  hath  scorched  the  prints  of  my  father's  moccasons 
from  the  earth,"  he  said,  with  a  smile  that  was  placid 
though  bitter,  "  and  my  eyes  cannot  find  them.  I  shall 
die  under  that  shelter,"  pointing  through  an  opening  in  the 
foliage  to  the  blue  void  ;  "  the  falling  leaves  will  cover  my 
bones." 

"  Then  hath  the  Lord  given  us  a  new  bond  of  friendship. 
There  is  a  yew-tree  and  a  quiet  church-yard  in  the  country 
afar,  where  generations  of  my  race  sleep  in  their  graves. 
The  place  is  white  with  stones,  that  bear  the  name  of — 

Submission  suddenly  ceased  to  speak,  and  when  his  eye 
was  raised  to  that  of  his  companion,  it  was  just  in  time  to 
detect  the  manner  in  which  the  curious  interest  of  the  latter 
changed  suddenly  to  cold  reserve,  and  to  note  the  high 
courtesy  of  the  air  with  which  the  Indian  turned  the  dis- 
course. 


326  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH. 

"  There  is  water  beyond  the  little  hill,"  he  said.  "  Let 
my  father  drink  and  grow  strong,  that  he  may  live  to  lie 
in  the  clearings." 

The  other  bowed,  and  they  proceeded  to  the  spot  in 
silence.  It  would  seem  by  the  length  of  time  that  was  now 
lost  in  taking  the  required  refreshment,  that  the  travellers 
had  journeyed  long  and  far.  The  Narragansett  ate  more 
sparingly,  however,  than  his  companion  ;  for  his  mind 
appeared  to  sustain  a  weight  that  was  far  more  grievous 
than  the  fatigue  which  had  been  endured  by  the  body. 
Still  his  composure  was  little  disturbed  outwardly — for 
during  the  silent  repast  he  maintained  the  air  of  a  dignified 
warrior,  rather  than  that  of  a  man  whose  air  could  be  much 
affected  by  inward  sorrow.  When  nature  was  appeased, 
they  both  arose,  and  continued  their  route  through  the 
pathless  forest. 

For  an  hour  after  quitting  the  spring,  the  progress  of  our 
two  adventurers  was  swift,  and  uninterrupted  by  any  pass- 
ing observation  or  momentary  pause.  At  the  end  of  that 
time,  however,  the  speed  of  Conanchet  began  to  slacken, 
and  his  eye,  instead  of  maintaining  its  steady  and  forward 
direction,  was  seen  to  wander  with  some  of  the  appearance 
of  indecision. 

"  Thou  hast  lost  those  secret  signs  by  which  we  have  so 
far  threaded  the  woods,"  observed  his  companion  ;  "  one 
tree  is  like  another,  and  I  see  no  difference  in  this  wilder- 
ness of  nature  ;  but  if  thou  art  at  fault,  we  may  truly  de- 
spair of  our  object." 

"Here  is  the  nest  of  the  eagle,"  returned  Conanchet, 
pointing  at  the  object  he  named  perched  on  the  upper  and 
whitened  branches  of  the  dead  pine  ;  "  and  rny  father  may 
see  the  council-tree  in  this  oak — but  there  are  no  Wampa- 
noags ! " 

"  There  are  many  eagles  in  this  forest — nor  is  that  oak 
one  that  may  not  have  its  fellow.  Thine  eye  hath  been 
deceived,  sachem,  and  some  false  sign  hath  led  us  astray." 

Conanchet  looked  at  his  companion  attentively.  After 
a  moment,  he  quietly  asked — 

"  Did  my  father  ever  mistake  his  path,  in  going  from 
his  wigwam  to  the  place  where  he  looked  upon  the  house 
of  his  Great  Spirit  ?" 

"  The  matter  of  that  often  travelled  path  was  different, 
Narragansett.  My  foot  had  worn  the  rock  with  many  pass- 
ings, and  the  distance  was  a  span.  But  we  have  journeyed 
through  leagues  of  forest,  and  our  route  hath  lain  across 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  327 

brook  and  hill,  through  brake  and  morass,  where  human 
vision  hath  not  been  able  to  detect  the  smallest  sign  of  the 
presence  of  man." 

"  My  father  is  old,"  said  the  Indian,  respectfully.  "  His 
eye  is  not  as  quick  as  when  he  took  the  scalp  of  the  Great 
Chief,  or  he  would  know  the  print  of  a  moccason.  See," — 
making  his  companion  observe  the  mark  of  a  human  foot 
that  was  barely  discernible  by  the  manner  in  which  the 
dead  leaves  had  been  displaced — "  his  rock  is  worn,  but  it 
is  harder  than  the  ground.  He  cannot  tell  by  its  signs 
who  passed,  or  when." 

"  Here  is  truly  that  which  ingenuity  may  portray  as  the 
print  of  man's  foot ;  but  it  is  alone,  and  may  be  some  acci- 
dent of  the  wind." 

"  Let  my  father  look  on  every  side  ;  he  will  see  that  a 
tribe  hath  passed." 

"  This  may  be  true,  though  my  vision  is  unequal  to  de- 
tect that  thou  wouldst  show.  But  if  a  tribe  hath  passed,  let 
us  follow." 

Conanchet  shook  his  head,  and  spread  the  fingers  of  his 
two  hands  in  a  manner  to  describe  the  radii  of  a  circle. 

"  Hugh  ! "  he  said,  starting  even  while  he  was  thus  sig- 
nificantly answering  by  gestures,  "  a  moccason  comes  !  " 

Submission,  who  had  30  often  and  so  recently  been  ar- 
rayed against  the  savages,  involuntarily  sought  the  lock  of 
his  carbine.  His  look  and  action  were  menacing,  though 
his  roving  eye  could  see  no  object  to  excite  alarm. 

Not  so  Conanchet.  His  quicker  and  more  practised  vision 
soon  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  warrior  who  was  approaching, 
occasionally  concealed  by  the  trunks  of  trees,  and  whose 
tread  on  the  dried  leaves  had  first  betrayed  his  proximity. 
Folding  his  arms  on  his  naked  bosom,  the  Narragansett 
chief  awaited  the  coming  of  the  other,  in  an  attitude  of 
calmness  and  dignity.  Neither  did  he  speak  nor  suffer  a 
muscle  to  play,  until  a  hand  was  placed  on  one  of  his 
arms,  and  he  who  had  drawn  near,  said,  in  tones  of  amity 
and  respect — 

"  The  young  sachem  hath  come  to  look  for  his  brother  ? " 

"  Wampanoag,  I  have  followed  the  trail,  that  your  ears 
may  listen  to  the  talk  of  a  pale-face." 

The  third  person  in  this  interview  was  Metacom.  He 
shot  a  haughty  and  fierce  glance  at  the  stranger,  and  then 
turned  to  his  companion  inarms,  with  recovered  calmness, 
to  reply. 

"  Has  Conanchet  counted  his  young   men  since  they 


328  THE   WEPT   OF  IVISH-TON-VVISH. 

raised  the  whoop  ? "  he  asked,  in  the  language  of  the  abo- 
rigines. "  I  saw  many  go  into  the  fields,  that  never  came 
back.  Let  the  white  men  die." 

"  Wampanoag,  he  is  led  by  the  wampum  of  a  sachem.  I 
have  not  counted  my  young  men  ;  but  I  know  that  they  are 
strong  enough  to  say  that  what  their  chief  hath  promised 
shall  be  done." 

"  If  the  Yengeese  is  a  friend  to  my  brother,  he  is  wel- 
come. The  wigwam  of  Metacom  is  open  ;  let  him  enter 
it." 

Philip  made  a  sign  for  the  others  to  follow,  and  led  the 
way  to  the  place  he  had  named. 

The  spot  chosen  by  Philip  for  his  temporary  encamp- 
ment was  suited  to  such  a  purpose.  There  wTas  a  thicket 
denser  than  common  on  one  of  its  sides — a  steep  and  high 
rock  protected  and  sheltered  its  rear ;  a  swift  and  wide 
brook  dashed  over  fragments  that  had  fallen,  with  time, 
from  the  precipice  in  its  front,  and  toward  the  setting  sun 
a  whirlwind  had  opened  a  long  and  melancholy  glade 
through  the  forest.  A  few  huts  of  brush  leaned  against  the 
base  of  the  hill,  and  the  scanty  implements  of  their  domestic 
economy  were  scattered  among  the  habitations  of  the  sav- 
ages. The  whole  party  did  not  number  twenty  ;  for,  as  has 
been  said,  the  Wampanoag  had  acted  latterly  more  by  the 
agency  of  his  allies,  than  with  the  materials  of  his  own 
proper  force. 

The  three  were  soon  seated  on  a  rock  whose  foot  was 
washed  by  the  rapid  current  of  the  tumbling  water.  A  few 
gloomy  looking  and  fierce  Indians  watched  the  conference 
in  the  background. 

"  My  brother  hath  followed  my  trail,  that  my  ears  may 
hear  the 'words  of  a  Yengeese,''  Philip  commenced,  after  a 
sufficient  period  had  elapsed  to  escape  the  imputation  of 
curiosity.  "  Let  him  speak." 

<k  I  have  come  singly  into  the  jaws  of  the  lion,  restless 
and  remorseless  leader  of  the  savages,"  returned  the  bold 
exile,  "  that  you  may  hear  the  words  of  peace.  Why  hath 
the  son  seen  the  acts  of  the  English  so  differently  from  the 
father  ?  Massasoit  was  a  friend  of  the  persecuted  and 
patient  pilgrims  who  have  sought  rest  and  refuge  in  this 
Bethel  of  the  faithful ;  but  thou  hast  hardened  thy  heart  to 
their  prayers,  and  seekest  the  blood  of  those  who  Avish  thee 
no  wrong.  Doubtless  thy  nature  is  one  of  pride  and  mis- 
taken vanities,  like  that  of  all  thy  race,  and  it  hath  seemed 
needful  to  the  vain-glory  of  thy  name  and  nation  to  battle 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TO  *C-  WISH.  329 

against  men  of  a  different  origin.  But  know  there  is  one 
who  is  master  of  all  here  on  earth,  as  he  is  king  of  Heaven  ! 
It  is  his  pleasure  that  the  sweet  savor  of  his  worship  should 
arise  from  the  wilderness.  His  will  is  law,  and  they  that 
would  withstand  do  but  kick  against  the  pricks.  Listen 
then  to  peaceful  counsels,  that  the  land  may  be  parcelled 
justly  to  meet  the  wants  of  all,  and  the  country  be  prepared 
for  the  incense  of  the  altar." 

This  exhortation  was  uttered  in  a  deep  and  almost  un- 
earthly voice,  and  with  a  degree  of  excitement  that  was 
probably  increased  by  the  intensity  with  which  the  soli- 
tary had  lately  been  brooding  over  his  peculiar  opinions, 
and  the  terrible  scenes  in  which  he  had  so  recently  been 
an  actor.  Philip  listened  with  the  high  courtesy  of  an 
Indian  prince.  Unintelligible  as  was  the  meaning  of  the 
speaker,  his  countenance  betrayed  no  gleaming  of  impa- 
tience, his  lip  no  smile  of  ridicule.  On  the  contrary,  a 
noble  and  lofty  gravity  reigned  in  every  feature  ;  and 
ignorant  as  he  was  of  what  the  other  wished  to  say,  his 
attentive  eye  and  bending  head  expressed  every  wish  to 
comprehend. 

"  My  pa-e  friend  hath  spoken  very  wisely,"  he  said, 
when  the  other  ceased  to  speak.  "  But  he  doth  not  see 
clearly  in  tl.sse  woods  ;  he  sits  too  much  in  the  shade  ;  his 
eye  is  bette1  in  a  clearing.  Metaeom  is  not  a  fierce  beast. 
His  claws  are  worn  out  ;  his  legs  are  tired  with  travelling  ; 
he  cannot  j i  np  far.  My  pale  friend  wants  to  divide  the 
land.  Why  trouble  the  Great  Spirit  to  do  his  work  twice  ? 
He  gave  the  Wampanoags  their  hunting  grounds,  and 
places  on  the  salt  lake  to  catch  their  fish  and  clams,  and 
he  did  not  forget  his  children,  the  Narragansetts.  Ho 
put  them  in  the  midst  of  the  water,  for  that  he  saw  they 
could  swim.  Did  he  forget  the  Yengeese  ?  or  did  he  put 
them  in  a  swamp,  where  they  would  turn  into  frogs 
and  lizards  ?" 

"  Heathen,  my  voice  shall  never  deny  the  bounties  of 
my  God  !  His  hand  hath  placed  my  fathers  in  a  fertile 
land,  rich  in  the  good  things  of  the  world,  fortunate  in 
position,  sea-girt  and  impregnable.  Happy  is  he  who  can 
find  justification  in  dwelling  within  its  borders  !  " 

An  empty  gourd  lay  on  the  rock,  at  the  side  of  Meta- 
eom. Bending  over  the  stream  he  filled  it  to  the  brim 
with  water,  and  held  the  vessel  before  the  eyes  of  his  com- 
panions. 

"  See,"  he  said,  pointing  to  the  even  surface  of  the  fluid  ; 


330  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TOW- WISH. 

"  so  much  hath  the  Great  Spirit  said  it  shall  hold.  Now," 
he  added,  filling  the  hollow  of  the  other  hand  from  the 
brook,  and  casting  its  contents  into  the  gourd,  "  now  my 
brother  knows  that  some  must  come  away.  It  is  so  with 
his  country.  There  is  no  longer  room  in  it  for  my  pale 
friend." 

"  Did  I  attempt  to  deceive  thine  ears  with  this  tale,  I 
should  lay  falsehood  to  my  soul.  We  are  many,  and  sorry 
am  I  to  say  that  some  among  us  are  like  unto  them  that 
were  called  l  Legion.'  But  to  say  that  there  is  not  still 
place  for  all  to  die  where  they  are  born,  is  to  utter  dam- 
ning untruth." 

"The  land  of  the  Yengeese  is  then  good — very  good," 
returned  Philip  ;  "but  their  young  men  like  one  that  is 
better." 

"Thy  nature,  Wampanoag,  is  not  equal  to  comprehend 
the  motives  which  have  led  us  hither,  and  our  discourse  is 
getting  vain." 

u  My  brother  Conanchet  is  a  sachem.  The  leaves  that 
fall  from  the  trees  of  his  country,  in  the  season  of  frosts, 
blow  into  my  hunting  grounds.  We  are  neighbors  and 
friends,"  slightly  bending  his  head  to  the  Narragansett. 
"  When  a  wicked  Indian  runs  from  the  islands  to  the  wig- 
wams of  my  people,  he  is  whipped  and  sent  back.  We  keep 
the  path  between  us  open  only  for  honest  red  men. 

Philip  spoke  with  a  sneer  that  his  habitual  loftiness  of 
manner  did  not  conceal  from  his  associate  chief,  though  it 
was  so  slight  as  entirely  to  escape  the  observation  of  him 
who  was  the  subject  of  his  sarcasm.  The  former  took  the 
alarm,  and  for  the  first  time  during  the  dialogue  did  he 
break  silence. 

"  My  pale  father  is  a  brave  warrior,"  said  the  young 
sachem  of  the  Narragansetts.  "  His  hand  took  the  scalp 
of  the  Great  Sagamore  of  his  people  !  " 

The  countenance  of  Metacom  changed  instantly.  In  place 
:>f  the  ironical  scorn  that  was  gathering  about  his  lip,  its 
expression  became  serious  and  respectful.  He  gazed 
steadily  at  the  hard  and  weather-beaten  features  of  his 
guest ;  and  it  is  probable  that  words  of  higher  courtesy 
than  any  he  had  yet  used  would  have  fallen  from  him,  had 
not  at  that  moment  a  signal  been  given  by  a,  young  Indian, 
set  to  watch  on  the  summit  of  the  rock,  that  one  approached. 
Both  Metacom  and  Conanchet  appeared  to  hear  this  cry 
with  some  uneasiness.  Neither,  however,  arose,  nor  did 
cither  betray  such  evidence  of  alarm  as  denoted  a  deeper 


THE   WF.PT   OF  WISH-TO^-  WISH.  331 

interest  in  the  interruption  than  the  circumstances  might 
very  naturally  create.  A  warrior  was  shortly  seen  entering 
the  encampment,  from  the  side  of  the  forest  which  was 
known  to  lie  in  the  direction  of  the  Wish-Ton-Wish. 

The  moment  Conanchet  saw  the  person  of  the  newly- 
arrived  man,  his  eye  and  attitude  resumed  their  former 
repose,  though  the  look  of  Metacom  still  continued  gloomy 
and  distrustful.  The  difference  in  the  manner  of  tlu- 
chiefs  was  not  however  sufficiently  strong  to  be  remarked 
by  Submission,  who  was  about  to  resume  the  discourse, 
when  the  new-comer  moved  past  the  cluster  of  warriors  in 
the  encampment,  and  took  his  seat  near  them,  on  a  stone 
so  low,  that  the  water  laved  his  feet.  As  usual,  there  was 
no  greeting  between  the  Indians  for  some  moments,  the 
three  appearing  to  regard  the  arrival  as  a  mere  thing  of 
course.  But  the  uneasiness  of  Metacom  prompted  a  com- 
munication sooner  than  common. 

"  Mohtucket,"  he  saicl,  in  the  language  of  their' tribe, 
"  hath  lost  the  trail  of  his  friends.  We  thought  the  crows 
of  the  pale  men  were  picking  his  bones  !  " 

"There  was  no  scalp  at  his  belt,  and  Mohtucket  was 
ashamed  to  be  seen  among  the  young  men  with  an  empty 
hand." 

"  He  remembered  that  he  had  too  often  come  back  with- 
out striking  a  dead  enemy,"  returned  Metacom,  about 
whose  firm  mouth  lurked  an  expression  of  ill-concealed 
contempt.  u  Has  he  now  touched  a  warrior  ?  " 

The  Indian,  who  was  merely  a  man  of  the  inferior  class, 
held  up  the  trophy  which  hung  at  his  girdle,  to  the  exami- 
nation of  the  chief.  Metacom  looked  at  the  disgusting  ob- 
ject with  the  calmness  and  nearly  with  the  interest  that  a. 
virtuoso  would  lavish  on  an  antique  memorial  of  some  tri- 
umph of  former  ages.  His  finger  was  thrust  through  a 
hole  in  the  skin,  and  then,  while  he  resumed  his  former 
position,  he  observed  dryly — 

*"A  bullet  hath  hit  the  head.     The  arrow  of  Mohtucket 
doth  little  harm  !  " 

"  Metacom  hath  never  looked  on  his  young  man  like  a 
friend  since  the  brother  of  Mohtucket  was  killed." 

The  glance  that  Philip  cast  at  his  underling,  though  it 
was  not  unmingled  with  suspicion,  was  one  of  princely  and 
savage  scorn.  The  white  auditor  had  not  been  able  to  un- 
derstand the  discourse,  but  the  dissatisfaction  and  uneasi-. 
ness  of  the  eyes  of  both  were  too  obvious  not  to  show  that 
the  conference  was  far  from  being  amicable. 


332  THE   ll'EPT   OF 

"The  sachem  hath  discontent  with  his  young  man,"  he 
observed,  "  and  from  this  may  he  understand  the  nature  of 
that  which  leadeth  many  to  quit  the  land  of  their  fathers, 
beneath  the  rising  sun,  to  come  to  this  wilderness  in  the 
west.  If  he  will  now  listen  I  will  touch  further  on  .the 
business  of  my  errand,  and  deal  more  at  large  with  the  sub- 
ject we  have  but  so  lightly  skimmed." 

Philip  manifested  attention.  He  smiled  on  his  guest, 
and  even  bowed  his  assent  to  the  proposal  ;  still  his  keen 
eye  seemed  to  read  the.  soul  of  his  subordinate,  through 
the  veil  of  his  gloomy  visage.  There  was  a  play  of  the  fin- 
gers of  his  right  hand  when  the  arm  fell  from  its  position 
across  his  bosom  to  his  thigh,  as  if  they  itched  to  grasp  the 
knife,  whose  buck-horn  handle  lay  within  a  few  inches  of 
their  reach.  Yet  his  air  to  the  white  man  was  composed 
and  dignified.  The  latter  was  again  about  to  speak,  when 
the  arches  of  the  forest  suddenly  rang  with  the  report  <Tf  a 
musket.  All  in  and  near  the  encampment  sprang  to  their 
feet  at  the  well-known  sound,  and  yet  all  continued  as  mo- 
tionless as  if  so  many  dark  but  breathing  statues  had  been 
planted  there.  The  rustling  of  leaves  was  heard,  and  then 
the  body  of  the  young  Indian  who  had  been  posted  on  the 
rock,  rolled  to  the  edge  of  the  precipice,  whence  it  fell,  like 
a  log,  on  the  yielding  roof  of  one  of  the  lodges  beneath. 
A  shout  issued  from  the  forest  behind,  a  volley  roared 
among  the  trees,  and  glancing  lead  was  whistling  through 
the  air,  and  cutting  twigs  from  the  undergrowth  on  every 
side.  Two  more  of  the  Wampanoags  were  seen  rolling  on 
the  earth  in  the  death  agony. 

The  voice  of  Annawon  was  heard  in  the  encampment, 
and  at  the  next  instant  the  place  was  deserted. 

During  this  startling  and  fearful  moment  the  four  indi- 
viduals near  the  stream  were  inactive.  Conanchet  and  his 
Christian  friend  stood  to  their  arms,  but  it  was  rather  as 
rncn  cling  to  the  means  of  defence  in  moments  of  great 
jeopardy,  than  with  any  intention  of  offensive  hostilities. 
Metacom  seemed  undecided.  Accustomed  to  receive  and 
inflict  surprises,  a  warrior  so  experienced  could  not  be  dis- 
concerted ;  still  he  hesitated  as  to  the  course  he  ought  to 
take.  But  when  Annawon,  who  was  nearer  the  scene, 
sounded  the  signal  of  retreat,  he  sprang  toward  the  re- 
turned straggler,  and  with  a  single  blow  of  his  tomahawk' 
brained  the  traitor.  Glances  of  fierce  revenge,  and  of 
inextinguishable  though  disappointed  hatred,  were  ex- 
changed between  the  victim  and  his  chief,  as  the  former  lay 


TV//-;   U'EPT   OI<    WlSH~TON-Wl£fff  333 

on  the  rock,  gasping  for  breath  ;  and  then  the  latter  turned 
in  his  tracks,  and  raised  the  dripping  weapon  over  the  head 
of  the  white  man. 

"Wampanoag,  no  !"  said  Conanchet,  in  a  voice  of  thun- 
der. "  Our  lives  are  one." 

Philip  hesitated.  Fierce  and  dangerous  passions  were 
struggling  in  his  breast,  but  the  habitual  self-command  of 
the  wily  politician  of  those  woods  prevailed.  Even  in  that 
scene  of  blood  and  alarm  he  smiled  on  his  powerful  and 
fearless  young  ally  ;  then  pointing  to  the  deepest  shades 
of  the  forest  he  bounded  toward  them  with  the  activity  of 
a  deer. 


CHAPTER   XXX. 

"  But  peace  be  with  him  ! 
That  life  is  better  life,  past  fearing  death, 
Thau  that  which  lives  to  fear." — Measure  jor  Pleasure. 

COURAGE  is  both  a  comparative  and  an  improvable  virt- 
ue. If  the  fear  of  death  be  a  weakness  common  to  the 
race,  it  is  one  that  is  capable  of  being  diminished  by  fre- 
quent exposure,  and  even  rendered  extinct  by  reflection, 
It  was,  therefore,  with  sensibilities  entirely  changed  from 
their  natural  course,  that  the  two  individuals  who  were 
left  alone  by  the  retreat  of  Philip,  saw  the  nature  and  the 
approach  of  the  danger  that  now  beset  them.  Their  posi- 
tion near  the  brook  had  so  far  protected  them  from  the 
bullets  of  the  assailants  ;  but  it  was  equally  obvious  to 
both,  that  in  a  minute  or  two  the  colonists  would  enter  an 
encampment  that  was  already  deserted.  Each,  in  conse- 
quence, acted  according  to  those  opinions  which  had  been 
fostered  by  the  habits  of  their  respective  lives. 

As  Conanchet  had  no  act  of  vengeance  like  that  which 
Metacom  had  performed,  immediately  before  his  eyes,  he 
had,  at  the  lirst  alarm,  given  all  his  faculties  to  the  nature 
of  the  attack.  The  first  minute  was  sufficient  to  under- 
stand its  character,  and  the  second  enabled  him  to  decide. 

"  Come,"  he  said  hastily,  but  with  perfect  self-possession, 
pointing  as  he  spoke  to  the  swift-running  stream  at  his 
feet  :  "  we  will  go  with  the  water,  let  the  marks  of  our  trail 
run  before." 

Submission  hesitated.  There  was  something  like  haugh- 
ty military  pride  in  the  stern  determination  of  his  eye, 


334  THE   l-VKPT    OP    WISH-TO  X-W1SIL 

which  seemed  reluctant  to  incur  the  disgrace  of  a  flight  so 
unequivocal,  and,  as  he  might  have  believed,  so  unworthy 
of  his  character. 

"No,  Narragansett,"  he  answered;  "flee  for  thy  life, 
but  leave  me  to  reap  the  harvest  of  my  deeds.  They  can 
but  leave  my  bones  by  the  side  of  those  of  this  traitor  at 
my  feet." 

The  mien  of  Conanchet  was  neither  excited  nor  dis- 
pleased. He  quietly  drew  the  corner  of  his  light  robe  over 
a  shoulder,  and  was  about  to  resume  his  seat  on  the  stone 
from  which  he  had  b'ut  a  minute  before  arisen,  when  his 
companion  again  urged  him  to  fly. 

''The  enemies  of  a  chief  must  not  say  that  he  led  his 
friend  into  a  trap,  and  that  when  his  leg  was  fast  he  ran 
away  himself,  like  a  lucky  fox.  If  my  brother  stays  to  be 
killed,  Conanchet  will  be  found  near  him." 

"  Heathen,  heathen  !  "  returned  the  other,  moved  nearly 
to  tears  by  the  loyalty  of  his  guide  ;  "  many  a  Christian 
man  might  take  lessons  from  thy  faith.  Lead  on — I  will 
follow  at  the  utmost  of  my  speed." 

The  Narragansett  sprang  into  the  brook,  and  took  its 
downward  course — a  direction  opposite  to  that  which 
Philip  had  chosen.  There  was  wisdom  in  this  expedient  ; 
for  though  their  pursuers  might  see  that  the  water  was 
troubled,  there  was  no  certainty  as  to  the  direction  of  the 
fugitives.  Conanchet  had  foreseen  this  little  advantage, 
and  with  the  instinctive  readiness  of  his  people,  he  did  not 
fail  to  make  it  of  service.  Metacom  had  been  influenced 
by  the  course  taken  by  his  warriors,  who  had  retired  under 
shelter  of  the  rocks. 

Ere  the  two  fugitives  had  gone  any  great  distance,  they 
heard  the  shouts  of  their  enemies  in  the  encampment  ;  and 
soon  after,  scattering  shot  announced  that  Philip  had  al- 
ready rallied  his  people  to  resistance.  There  was  an  as 
surance  of  safety  in  the  latter  circumstance,  which  caused 
them  to  relax  their  speed. 

"  My  foot  is  not  as  active  as  in  days  that  are  past,"  said 
Submission  ;  "we  will  therefore  recover  strength  while  we 
may,  lest  we  be  yet  taken  at  emergency.  Narragansett, 
thou  hast  ever  kept  thy  faith  with  me,  and  come  of  what 
race  or  worship  in  what  manner  thou  mayst,  there  is  one 
to  remember  it." 

"  My  father  looked  with  the  eye  of  a  friend  on  the 
Indian  boy  that  was  kept  like  a  young  bear  in  a  cage.  He 
taught  him  to  speak  with  the  tongue  of  a  Yengeese." 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TOtf-WISH.  335 

"  We  passed  weary  months  together  in  our  prison,  chief; 
and  Apollyon'must  liave  been  strong  in  a  heart,  to  resist 
the  opportunity  of  friendship,  in  such  a  situation.  But, 
even  there,  my  confidence  and  care  were  repaid,  for  with- 
out thy  mysterious  hints,  gathered  from  signs  thoti  hadst 
gleaned  thyself  during  the  hunt,  it  would  not  have  been  in 
my  power  to  warn  my  friends  that  thy  people  contemplated 
an  attack,  the  unhappy  night  of  the  burning.  Narragan- 
•i  ^tt,  we  have  done  many  acts  of  kindness,  each  in  his  own 
fashion,  and  I  am  ready  to  confess  this  last  not  to  be  the 
least  of  thy  favors.  Though  of  white  blood  and  of  Chris- 
tian origin,  I  can  almost  say  that  my  heart  is  Indian." 

"  Then  die  an  Indian's  death  !  "  shouted  a  voice  within 
twenty  feet  of  the  spot  where  they  were  wading  down  the 
stream. 

The  menacing  words  were  rather  accompanied  than 
seconded  by  a  shot,  and  Submission  fell.  Conanchet  cast 
his  musket  into  the  water,  and  turned  to  raise  his  compan- 
ion. 

"  It  was  merely  age  dealing  with  the  slippery  stones  of 
the  brook,"  said  the  latter,  as  he  recovered  his  footing. 
"  That  had  weli-nigh  been  a  fatal  discharge  !  but  God,  for 
his  own  purpose,  hath  still  averted  the  blow." 

Conanchet  did  not  speak.  Seizing  his  gun,  which  lay  at 
the  bottom  of  the  stream,  he  drew  his  friend  after  him  to 
the  shore,  and  plunged  into  the  thicket  that  lined  its  banks. 
Here  they  were  momentarily  protected  from  missiles.  But 
the  shouts  that  succeeded  the  discharge  of  the  muskets, 
were  accompanied  by  yells  that  he  knew  to  proceed  from 
Pequods  and  Mohicans,  tribes  that  wTere  in  deadly  hostility 
to  his  own  people.  The  hope  of  concealing  their  trail  from 
such  pursuers  was  not  to  be  indulged,  and  for  his  compan- 
ion to  escape  by  flight  he  knew  to  be  impossible.  There 
vas  no  time  to  lose.  In  such  emergencies,  with  an  Indian, 
thought  takes  the  character  of  instinct.  The  fugitives 
stood  at  the  foot  of  a  sapling,  whose  top  was  completely 
concealed  by  masses  of  leaves,  which  belonged  to  the  un- 
dobrush  that  clustered  around  its  trunk.  Into  this  tree 
he  assisted  Submission  to  ascend,  and  then,  without  ex- 
plaining his  own  views,  he  instantly  left  the  spot,  rende1:- 
ing  his  own  trail  as  broad  and  perceptible  as  possible,  by 
beating  down  the  bushes  as  he  passed. 

The  expedient  of  the  faithful  Narragansett  was  complete- 
ly successful.  Before  he  had  got  a  hundred  yards  from 
the  place,  he  saw  the  foremost  of  the  hostile  Indians 


33S  THE    }\'KPT   OF  WISH-TON- WISH. 

limiting  like  bloodhounds  on  his  footsteps.  His  movement 
was  slow,  until  he  saw  that,  having  his  person  in  view,  all 
of  the  pursuers  had  passed  the  tree.  Then,  the  arrow 
parting  from  the  bow  was  scarce  swifter  than  his  flight. 

The  pursuit  now  partook  of  all  the  exciting  incidents  and 
ingenious  expedients  of  an  Indian  chase.  Conanchet  was 
soon  hunted  from  his  cover,  and  obliged  to  trust  his  person 
in  the  more  open  parts  of  the  forest.  Miles -of  hill  and 
ravine,  of  plain,  of  rocks,  of  morass  and  stream  were 
crossed,  and  still  the  trained  warrior  held  on  his  way  un- 
broken in  spirit  and  scarce  wearied  in  limb.  The  merit  of 
a  savage  in  such  an  employment  rests  more  on  his  bottom 
than  on  his  speed.  The  three  or  four  colonists,  who  had 
been  sent  with  the  party  of  amicable  Indians  to  intercept 
those  who  might  attempt  to  escape  down  the  stream,  were 
early  thrown  out ;  and  the  struggle  was  now  entirely  be- 
tween the  fugitive  and  men  equally  practised  in  limb  and 
ingenious  in  expedient. 

The  Pequods  had  a  great  advantage  in  their  number. 
The  frequent  doublings  of  the  fugitive  kept  the  chase 
within  the  circle  of -a  mile,  and  as  each  of  his  enemies  tired, 
there  were  always  fresh  pursuers  to  take  his  place.  In 
such  a  "contest  the  result  could  not  be  questionable.  After 
more  than  two  hours  of  powerful  exertion,  the  foot  of 
Conanchet  began  to  fail,  and  his  speed  very  sensibly  to 
Hag.  Exhausted  by  efforts  that  had  been  nearly  super- 
natural, the  breathless  warrior  cast  his  person  prostrate 
on  the  earth,  and  lay  for  several  minutes  as  if  he  were 
dead. 

During  this  breathing-time  his  throbbing  pulses  grew 
more  calm,  his  heart  beat  less  violently,  and  the  circula- 
tion was  gradually  returning  to  the  tranquil  flow  of  nature 
in  a  state  of  rest.  It  was  at  this  moment,  when  his  ener- 
gies were  recruited  by  rest,  that  the  chief  heard  the  tread 
of  the  moccasons  on  his  trail.  Rising,  he  looked  back  on 
the  course  over  which  he  had  just  passed  with  so  much 
pain.  But  a  single  wrarrior  was  in  view.  Hope  for  an  in- 
stant regained  the  ascendency;  and  he  raised  his  musket 
to  fell  his  approaching  adversary.  The  aim  was  cool, 
long,  and  it  would  have  been  fatal  had  not  the  useless  tick 
of  the  lock  reminded  him  of  the  condition  of  the  gun.  He 
cast  the  wet  and  unserviceable  piece  away  and  grasped  his 
tomahawk  ;  but  a  band  of  Pequods  rushed  in  to  the  rescue, 
rendering  resistance  madness.  Perceiving  the  hopeless- 
ness ;jf  his  situation,  the  sachem  of  the  Narragansetts 


THE    WEPT   OF  W1SH-TON-WISH.  337 

dropped  his  tomahawk,  loosened  his  belt,  and  advanced 
unarmed,  with  a  noble  resignation,  to  meet  his  foes.  In 
the  next  instant  he  was  their  prisoner. 

"Bring  me  to  your  chief,"  said  the  captive,  haughtily, 
when  the  common  herd  into  whose  hands  he  had  fallen 
would  have  questioned  him  on  the  subject  of  his  com- 
panion's and  of  his  own  fate.  "  My  tongue  is  used  to 
speak  with  sachems." 

He  was  obeyed,  and  before  an  hour  had  passed  the  re- 
nowned Conanchet  stood  confronted  with  his  most  deadly 
enemy. 

The  place  of  meeting  was  the  deserted  encampment  of 
the  band  of  Philip.  Here  most  of  the  pursuers  had  already 
assembled,  including  all  of  the  colonists  who  had  been  en- 
gaged in  the  expedition.  The  latter  consisted  of  Meek 
Wolfe,  Ensign  Dudley,  Sergeant  Ring,  and  a  dozen  pri- 
vate men  of  the  village. 

The  result  of  the  enterprise  was,  by  this  time,  generally 
known.  Though  Metacom,  its  principal  object,  had  es- 
caped ;  yet,  when  it  was.  understood  that  the  sachem  of 
the  Narragansetts  had  fallen  into  their  hands,  there  was 
not  an  individual  of  the  party  who  did  not  think  his  per- 
sonal risk  more  than  amply  compensated.  Though  the 
Mohicans  and  Pequods  restrained  their  exultation,  lest  the 
pride  of  their  captive  should  be  soothed  by  such  an  evi- 
dence of  his  importance,  the  white  men  drew  around  the 
prisoner  with  an  interest  and  a  joy  they  did  not  care  to 
conceal.  Still,  as  he  had  yielded  to  an  Indian,  there  was 
an  affectation  of  leaving  the  chief  to  the  clemency  of  his 
conquerors.  Perhaps  some  deeply  pondered  scheme  of 
policy  had  its  influence  in  this  act  of  seeming  justice. 

When  Conanchet  was  placed  in  the  centre  of  the  curi- 
ous circle,  he  found  himself  immediately  in  presence  of 
the  principal  chief  of  the  tribe  of  the  Mohicans.  It  was 
Uncas,  son  of  that  Uncas  wThose  fortunes  had  also  pre- 
vailed, aided  by  the  whites,  in  the  conflict  with  his  father, 
the  hapless  but  noble  Miantonimoh.  Fate  had  now  de- 
creed that  the  same  evil  star,  which  had  governed  the  des- 
tinies of  the  ancestor,  should  extend  its  influence  to  the 
second  generation. 

The  race  of  Uncas,  though  weakened  of  its  power,  and 
shorn  of  much  of  its  peculiar  grandeur  by  a  vicious  alliance 
with  the  English,,  still  retained  most  of  the  fine  qualities 
of  savage  heroism.  He,  who  now  stood  forth  to  receive 
his  captive,  was  a  warrior  of  middle  age,  of  just  propor- 


338  THE   IVEP7"   OF  WISH-TON-IVISH. 

tions,  of  a  grave,  though  fierce  aspect,  and  of  an  eye  and 
countenance  that  expressed  all  those  contradictory  traits 
of  character  which  render  the  savage  warrior  almost  as  ad- 
mirable as  he  is  appalling.  Until  this  moment  the  rival 
chieftains  had  never  met  except  in  the  confusion  of  battle. 
For  a  few  minutes  neither  spoke.  Each  stood  regarding 
the  fine  outlines,  the  eagle  eye,  the  proud  bearing,  and 
the  severe  gravity  of  the  other  in  secret  admiration,  but 
with  a  calmness  so  immovable  as  entirely  to  conceal  the 
workings  of  his  thoughts.  At  length  they  began  to  as- 
sume miens  suited  to  the  part  each  was  to  enact  in  the 
coming  scene.  The  countenance  of  Uncas  became  ironical 
and  exulting,  while  that  of  his  captive  grew  still  more  cold 
and  unconcerned. 

"My  young  men,"  said  the  former,  "have  taken  a  fox 
skulking  in  the  bushes.  His  legs  were  very  long  ;  but  he 
had  no  heart  to  use  them." 

Conanchet  folded  his  arms  on  his  bosom,  and  the  glance 
of  his  quiet  eye  seemed  to  tell  his  enemy  that  devices  so 
common  were  unworthy  of  them  both.  The  other  either 
understood  its  meaning,  or  loftier  feelings  prevailed,  for  he 
added,  in  a  better  taste— 

"  Is  Conanchet  tired  of  his  life  that  he  comes  among  my 
young  men  ? " 

"  Mohican,"  said  the  Narragansett  chief,  "  he  has  been 
there  before  ;  if  Uncas  will  count  his  warriors  he  will  see 
that  some  are  wanting." 

"  There  are  no  traditions  among  the  Indians  of  the 
islands  ! "  said  the  other,  with  an  ironical  glance  at  the 
chiefs  near  him.  "  They  have  never  heard  of  Miantonimoh  ; 
they  do  not  know  such  a  field  as  the  Sachem's  Plain  !" 

The  countenance  of  the  prisoner  changed.  For  a  single 
instant  it  appeared  to  grow  dark,  as  if  a  deep  shadow  were 
cast  athwart  it  ;  and  then  every  feature  rested,  as  before,  in 
dignified  repose.  His  conqueror  watched  the  play  of  his 
lineaments,  and  when  he  thought  nature  was  getting  the 
ascendency,  exultation  gleamed  about  his  own  fierce  eye  ; 
but  when  the  self-possession  of  the  Narragansett  returned, 
he  affected  to  think  no  more  of  an  effort  that  had  been 
fruitless. 

"If  the  men  of  the  islands  know  little,"  he  continued, 
"  it  is  not  so  with  the  Mohicans.  There  was  once  a  great 
sachem  among  the  Narragansetts  ;  he  was  wiser  than  the 
beaver,  swifter  than  the  moose,  and  more  cunning  than  the 
red  fox.  But  lie  could  not  see  into  to-morrow.  Foolish 


7y//r  ir/-:rr  OF  IVISH-TO. \\IVISIL  339 

counsellors  told  him  to  go  upon  the  war-path  against  the 
Pequods  and  Mohicans.  He  lost  his  scalp  ;  it  hangs  in  the 
smoke  of  my  wigwam.  We  shall  see  if  it  will  know  the 
hair 'of  its  son.  Narragansett,  here  are  wise  men  of  the 
pale-faces  ;  they  will  speak  to  you.  If  they  offer  a  pipe, 
smoke  ;  for  tobacco  is  not  plenty  with  your  tribe." 

Uncas  then  turned  away,  leaving  his  prisoner  to  the  in- 
terrogatories of  his  white  allies. 

"  Here  is  the  look  of  Miantonimoh,  Sergeant  Ring,"  ob- 
served Ensign  Dudley  to  his  wife's  brother,  after  he  had 
contemplated  for  a  reasonable  time  the  features  of  the 
prisoner.  "  I  see  the  eye  and  the  tread  of  the  father  in  this 
young  sachem.  And  more,  Sergeant  Ring ;  the  chief 
favors  the  boy  we  picked  up  in  the  fields  some  dozen  years 
agone,  and  kept  in  the  block  for  the  matter  of  many 
months,  caged  like  a  young  panther.  Hast  forgotten  the 
night,  Reuben,  and  the  lad,  and  the  block  ?  A  fiery  oven 
is  not  hotter  than  that  pile  was  getting  before  we  dove  into 
the  earth.  I  never  fail  to  think  of  it  when  the  good  minis- 
ter is  dealing  powerfully  with  the  punishments  of  the 
wicked,  and  the  furnaces  of  Tophet  !" 

The  silent  yeoman  comprehended  the  disconnected  allu- 
sions of  his  relative,  nor  was  he  slow  in  seeing  the  palpable 
resemblance  between  their  prisoner  and  the  Indian  boy 
whose  person  had  once  been  so  familiar  to  his  eye.  Ad- 
miration and  surprise  were  blended  in  his  honest  face,  with 
an  expression  that  appeared  to  announce  deep  regret.  As 
neither  of  these  individuals,  however,  was  the  principal 
personage  of  their  party,  each  was  fain  to  remain  an  atten- 
tive and  interested*  observer  of  that  which  followed. 

"  Worshipper  of  Baal !  "  commenced  the  sepulchral  voice 
of  the  divine,  "  it  has  pleased  the  King  of  Heaven  and. 
earth  to  protect  his  people  !  The  triumph  of  thy  evil  nat- 
ure hath  been  short,  and  now  cometh  the  judgment  !  " 

These  words  were  uttered  to  ears  that  affected  deafness. 
In  the  presence  of  his  most  deadly  foe,  and  a  captive, 
Conanchet  was  not  a  man  to  suffer  his  resolution  to  waver. 
He  looked  coldly  and  vacantly  on  the  speaker,  nor  could 
the  most  suspicious  or  the  most  practised  eye  have  detected 
in  liis  mien  his  knowledge  of  the  English  language.  De- 
ceived by  the  stoicism  of  the  prisoner,  Meek  muttered  a 
few  words,  in  which  the  Narragansett  was  strangely  dealt 
by,  denunciations  and  petitions  in  his  favor  being  blended 
in  the  quaint  and  exaggerated  fashions  of  the  times  ;  and 
then  he  submitted  to  the  interference  of  those  present,  who 


340 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH>TON-WISlf. 


were  charged  with  the  duty  of  deciding  on  the  fate  of  the 
Indian. 

Although  Eben  Dudley  was  the  principal  and  the  effi- 
cient military  man  in  this  little  expedition  from  the  valley, 
he  was  accompanied  by  those  whose  authority  was  pre-. 
dominant  in  all  matters  that  did  not  strictly  appertain  to 
the  executive  portion  of  the  duty.  Commissioners,  named 
by  the  Government  of  the  Colony,  had  come  out  with  the 
party,  clothed  with  power  to  dispose  of  Philip,  should  that 
dreaded  chief,  as  was  expected,  fall  into  the  hands  of  the 
English.  To  these  persons  the  fate  of  Conanchet  was  now 
referred. 

We  shall  not  detain  the  narrative  to  dwell  on  the  par- 
ticulars of  the  council.  The  question  was  gravely  consid- 
ered, and  it  was  decided  with  a  deep  and  conscientious 
sense  of  the  responsibility  of  those  who  acted  as  judges. 
Several  hours  were  passed  in  deliberation,  Meek  opening 
and  closing  the  proceedings  by  solemn  prayers.  The  judg- 
ment was  then  announced  to  Uncas  by  the  divine  himself. 

"  The  wise  men  of  my  people  have  consulted  together  in 
the  matter  of  this  Narragansett,"  he  said,  "and  their  spirits 
have  wrestled  powerfully  with  the  subject.  In  coming  to 
their  conclusion,  if  it  wear  the  aspect  of  time-serving,  let 
all  remember  the  Providence  of  Heaven  hath  so  interwoven 
the  interests  of  man  with  its  own  good  purposes,  that  to 
the  carnal  eye  they  may  outwardly  seem  to  be  inseparable. 
But  that  which  is  here  done  is  done  in  good  faith  to  our 
ruling  principle,  which  is  good  faith  to  thee  and  to  all 
others  who  support  the  altar  in  this  wilderness.  And 
herein  is  our  decision  :  We  commit  the  Narragansett  to 
thy  justice,  since  it  is  evident  that  while  he  is  at  large, 
neither  thou,  who  art  a  feeble  prop  to  the  Church  in  these 
regions,  nor  we,  who  are  its  humble  and  unworthy  servi- 
tors, are  safe.  Take  him,  then,  and  deal  with  him  accord- 
ing to  thy  wisdom.  We  place  limits  to  thy  power  in  only 
two  things.  It  is  not  meet  that  any  born  of  humanity,  and 
having  human  sensibilities,  should  suffer  more  in  the  flesh 
than  may  be  necessary  to  the  ends  of  duty  ;  we  therefore 
decree  that  thy  captive  shall  not  die  by  torture  ;  and,  for 
the  better  security  of  this  our  charitable  decision,  two  of 
our  number  shall  accompany  thee  and  him  to  the  place  of 
execution  ;  it  being  always  supposed  it  is  thy  intention  to 
inflict  the  pains  of  death.  Another  condition  of  this  con- 
cession to  a  foreordained  necessity  is,  that  a  Christian 
minister  may  be  at  hand,  in  order  that  the  sufferer  may 


THE   IVEPT   OF  WISH-TOX-WISH.  341 

depart  with  the  prayers  of  one  accustomed  to  lift  his  voica 
in  petitions  to  the  footstool  of  the  Almighty." 

The  Mohegan  chief  heard  this  sentence  with  deep  atten- 
tion. When  he  found  he  was  to  be  denied  the  satisfaction 
of  proving,  or  perhaps  of  overcoming,  the  resolution  of  his 
enemy,  a  deep  cloud  passed  across  his  swarthy  visage.  But 
the  strength  of  his  tribe  had  long  been  broken,  and  to  re- 
sist would  have  been  as  unprofitable  as  to  repine  would 
have  been  unseemly.  The  conditions  were  therefore  ac- 
cepted, and  preparations  were  accordingly  made  among 
the  Indians  to  proceed  to  judgment. 

These  people  had  few  contradictory  principles  to  ap- 
pease, and  no  subtleties  to  distract  their  decision.  Direct, 
fearless,  and  simple  in  all  their  practices,  they  did  little 
more  than  gather  the  voices  of  the  chiefs  and  acquaint 
their  captive  with  the  result.  They  knew  that  fortune 
had  thrown  an  implacable  enemy  into  their  hands,  and 
they  believed  that  self-preservation  demanded  his  life.  To 
them  it  mattered  little  whether  he  had  arrows  in  his  hands, 
or  had  yielded  himself  an  unarmed  prisoner.  He  knew 
the  risk  he  ran  in  submitting,  and  he  had  probably  con- 
sulted his  own  character,  rather  than  their  benefit,  in 
throwing  away  his  arms.  They  therefore  pronounced  the 
judgment  of  death  against  their  captive,  merely  respect- 
ing the  decree  of  their  white  allies,  which  had  commanded 
them  to  spare  the  torture. 

So  soon  as  this  determination  was  known,  the  Commis- 
sioners of  the  Colony  hastened  away  from  the  spot  with 
consciences  that  required  some  aid  from  the  stimulus  of 
their  subtle  doctrines,  in  order  to  render  them  quiet.  They 
were,  however,  ingenious  casuists;  and  as  they  hurried 
along  their  return  path,  most  of  the  party  were  satisfied 
,  that  they  had  rather  manifested  a  merciful  interposition, 
than  exercised  any  act  of  positive  cruelty. 

During  the  two  or  three  hours  which  had  passed  in  these 
solemn  and  usual  preparations,  Conanchet  was  seated  on  a 
rock,  a  close  but  apparently  an  unmoved  spectator  of  all 
that  passed.  His  eye  was  mild,  and  at  times  melancholy  ; 
but  its  brightness  and  its  steadiness  remained  unimpaired. 
When  his  sentence  was  announced,  it  exhibited  no  change  ; 
and  he  saw  all  the  pale  men  depart,  with  the  calmness  he 
had  maintained  throughout.  It  was  only  as  Uncas,  at- 
tended by  the  body  of  his  party  and  the  two  white  super- 
intendents who  had  been  left,  approached,  that  his  spirit 
seemed  to  awaken. 


342  THE  irvrr  OF  IVISH-T  ox- WISH. 

"  My  people  have  said  that  there  shall  be  no  more  wolves 
in  the  woods,"  said  Uncas ;  "and  they  have  commanded 
our  young  men  to  slay  the  hungriest  of  them  all." 

"  It  is  well !"  coldly  returned  the  other. 

A  gleaming  of  admiration,  and  perhaps  of  humanity, 
came  over  the  grim  countenance  of  Uncas,  as  he  gazed  at 
the  repose  which  reigned  in  the  firm  features  of  his  victim, 
For  an  instant,  his  purpose  wavered. 

"  The  Mohicans  are  a  great  tribe  !  "  he  added  ;  "and  the 
race  of  Uncas  is  getting  few.  We  will  paint  our  brother 
so  that  the  lying  Narragansetts  shall  not  know  him,  and  he 
will  be  a  warrior  on  the  mainland." 

This  relenting  of  his  enemy  had  a  corresponding  effect 
on  the  generous  temper  of  Conanchet.  The  lofty  pride 
deserted  his  eye,  and  his  look  became  milder  and  more 
human.  For  a  minute,  intense  thought  brooded  around 
his  brow  ;  the  grim  muscles  of  his  mouth  played  a  little, 
though  scarcely  enough  to  be  seen,  and  then  he  spoke. 

"Mohican,"  he  said,  "why  should  your  young  men  be 
in  a  hurry  ?  My  scalp  will  be  the  scalp  of  a  great  chief 
to-morrow.  They  will  not  take  two,  should  they  strike 
their  prisoner  now." 

"  Hath  Conanchet  forgotten  anything,  that  he  is  not 
ready  ? " 

"  Sachem,  he  is  always  ready — but—  "  he  paused,  and 
spoke  in  tones  that  faltered, — "  does  a  Mohican  live 
alone?" 

"  How  many  suns  does  the  Narragansett  ask  ? " 

"  One  ;  when  the  shadow  of  that  pine  points  toward  the 
brook,  Conanchet  will  be  ready.  He  will  then  stand  in  the 
shade,  with  naked  hands." 

"Go,"  said  Uncas,  with  dignity;  "I  have  heard  the 
words  of  a  sagamore." 

Conanchet  turned,  and  passing  swiftly  through  the  silent 
crowd,  his  person  was  soon  lost  in  the  surrounding  forest. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

"Therefore,  lay  bare  your  bosom." 

— Merchant  of  Venice. 

THE  night  that  succeeded  was  wild  and  melancholy.  The 
moon  was  nearly  full,  but  its  place  in  the  heavens  was  only 
seen,  as  the  masses  of  vapor  which  drove  through  the  air 


77/7:    in-.PT   OF  WISIf-TQtf-WlSIf.  343 

occasionally  opened,  suffering  short  gleams  of  fitful  light 
to  fall  on  the  scene  below.  A  southwestern  wind  rather 
moaned  than  sighed  through  the  forest,  and  there  were 
moments  when  its  freshness  increased,  till  every  leaf  seemed 
a  tongue,  and  each  low  plant  appeared  to  be  endowed  with 
the  gift  of  speech.  With  the  exception  of  these  imposing 
and  not  unpleasing  natural  sounds,  there  was  a  solemn 
quiet  in  and  about  the  village  of  the  Wish-Ton-Wish.  An 
hour  before  the  moment  when  we  resume  the  action  of  the 
legend,  the  sun  had  settled  into  the  neighboring  forest, 
and  most  of  its  simple  and  laborious  inhabitants  had  al- 
ready sought  their  rest. 

The  lights,  however,  still  shone  through  many  of  the 
windows  of  the  "  Heathcote  house,"  as,  in  the  language  of 
the  country,  the  dwelling  of  the  Puritan  was  termed.  There 
was  the  usual  stirring  industry  in  and  about  the  offices, 
and  the  ordinary  calm  was  reigning  in  the  superior.parts  of 
the  habitation.  A  solitary  man  was  to  be  seen  on  its  piazza. 
It  was  young  Mark  Heathcote,  who  paced'  the  long  and 
narrow  gallery,  as  if  impatient  of  some  interruption  to  his 
wishes. 

The  uneasiness  of  the  young  man  was  of  short  continu- 
ance ;  for,  ere  he  had  been  many  minutes  at  his  post  a 
door  opened,  and  two  light  and  timid  forms  glided  out  of 
the  house. 

"Thou  hast  not  come  alone,  Martha,"  said  the  youth, 
half-displeased.  "I  told  thee  that  the  matter  I  had  to  say 
was  for  thine  own  ear." 

"  It  is  our  Ruth.  Thou  knowest,  Mark,  that  she  may 
not  be  left  alone,  for  we  fear  her  return  to  the  forest.  She 
is  like  some  ill-tamed  fawn,  that  would  be  apt  to  leap  away 
at  the  first  well-known  sound  from  the  woods.  Even  now, 
I  fear  that  we  are  too  much  asunder." 

"  Fear  nothing  ;  my  sister  fondles  her  infant,  and  she 
thinketh  not  of  flight ;  thou  seest  I  am  here  to  intercept 
her,  were  such  her  intention.  No\v  speak  with  candor, 
Martha,  and  say  if  thou  meanest  in  sincerity  that  the  visits 
of  the  Hartford  gallant  were  less  to  thy  liking  than  most 
of  thy  friends  have  believed  ?  " 

"  What  I  have  said  cannot  be  recalled." 

"  Still  it  may  be  repented  of." 

"  I  do  not  number  the  dislike  I  may  feel  for  the  young 
man  among  my  failings.  I  am  too  happy  here,  in  this 
family,  to  wish  to  quit  it.  And  now  that  our  sister — there 
is  one  speaking  to  her  at  this  moment,  Mark  ' " 


344  TIfR   WKTT    OF  WISH-TON-  //7.SY/. 

*'  'Tis  only  the  innocent,"  returned  the  young  man,  glanc- 
ing his  eye  to  the  other  end  of  the  piazza.  "  They  confer 
often  together.  Whittal  hath  just  come  in  from  the  woods, 
where  he  is  much  inclined  to  pass  an  hour  or  two,  each 
evening.  Thou  wast  saying  that  now  we  have  our  sistei 


"  I  feel  less  desire  to  change  my  abode." 

u  Then  why  not  stay  with  us  forever,  Martha  ?  " 

"  Hist !"  interrupted  his  companion,  who,  though  con- 
scious of  what  she  was  about  to  listen  to,  shrank,  with  the 
waywardness  of  human  nature,  from  the  very  declaration 
she  most  wished  to  hear,  ''hist — there  was  a  movement. 
Ah  !  Ruth  and  Whittal  are  fled  !  " 

"They  seek  some  amusement  for  the  babe — they  are 
near  the  out-buildings.  Then  why  not  accept  a  right  to 
remain  forever — 

"  It  may  not  be,  Mark,"  cried  the  girl,  wresting  her  hand 
from  his  grasp  ;  "  they  are  fled  !  " 

Mark  reluctantly  released  his  hold,  and  followed  to  the 
spot  where  his  sister  had  been  sitting.  She  was,  in  truth, 
gone  ;  though  some  minutes  passed  before  even  Martha 
seriously  believed  that  she  had  disappeared  without  an  in- 
tention of  returning.  The  agitation  of  both  rendered  the 
search  ill-directed  and  uncertain,  and  there  was  perhaps  a 
secret  satisfaction  in  prolonging  their  interview  even  in 
this  vague  manner,  that  prevented  them  for  some  time  from 
giving  the  alarm.  When  that  moment  did  come,  it  was 
too  late.  The  fields  were  examined,  the  orchards  and  out- 
houses thoroughly  searched,  without  any  traces  of  the 
fugitives.  It  would  have  been  useless  to  enter  the  forest 
in  the  darkness,  and  all  that  could-  be  done  in  reason,  was 
to  set  a  watch  during  the  night,  and  to  prepare  for  a  more 
active  and  intelligent  pursuit  in  the  morning. 

But,  long  before  the  sun  arose,  the  small  and  melan- 
choly party  of  the  fugitives  threaded  the  woods  at  such  a 
distance  from  the  valley,  as  would  have  rendered  the  plan 
of  the  family  entirely  nugatory.  Conanchet  had  led  the 
way  over  a  thousand  forest  knolls,  across  water-courses, 
and  through  dark  glens,  followed  by  his  silent  partner,  with 
an  industry  that  would  have  baffled  the  zeal  of  even  those 
from  whom  they  fled.  Whittal  Ring,  bearing  the  infant 
on  Ms  back,  trudged  with  unwearied  step  in  the  rear.  Hours 
]i34  passed'  in  this  manner'  and  not  a  syllable  had  been  ut- 
tered  T^y  ejther '  pf  the' three,  pnce  pr  twice,  they  had 
stopper}  at  sqtr,e  spot  wjiere  water,  limpid  as  the  ajr,  pushed 


THE  WF.PT  OF  u' isn-TO. \--\\' f sir.  345 

irom  the  rocks  ;  and,  drinking  from  the  hollows  of  their 
hands,  the  march  had  been  resumed  with  the  same  speech- 
less industry  as  before. 

At  length  Conanchet  paused.  He  studied  the  position 
of  the  sun  gravely,  and  took  a  long  and  anxious  look  at 
the  signs  of  the  forest,  in  order  that  he  might  not  be  de- 
ceived in  its  quarter.  To  an  unpractised  eye,  the  arches 
of  the  trees,  the  leaf-covered  earth,  and  the  mouldering 
logs,  would  have  seemed  everywhere  the  same.  But  it 
was  not  easy  to  deceive  one  so  trained  in  the  woods.  Sat- 
isfied equally  with  the  progress  he  had  made,  and  with  the 
hour,  the  chief  signed  to  his  two  companions  to  place 
themselves  at  his  side,  and  took  a  seat  on  a  low  shelf  of 
rock  that  thrust  its  naked  head  out  of  the  side  of  a  hill. 

For  many  minutes  after  all  were  seated,  no  one  broke 
the  silence.  The  eye  of  Narra-mattah  sought  the  counte- 
nance of  her  husband,  as  the  eye  of  woman  seeks  instruc- 
tion from  the  expression  of  features  that  she  has  been 
taught  to  revere ;  but  still  she  spoke  not.  The  innocent 
laid  the  patient  babe  at  the  feet  of  its  .mother,  and  imi- 
tated her  reserve. 

"Is  the  air  of  the  woods  pleasant  to  the  Honeysuckle, 
after  living  in  the  wigwam  of  her  people?"  asked  Co- 
nanchet, breaking  the  long  silence.  "  Can  a  flower,  which 
blossomed  in  the  sun,  like  the  shade  ?" 

"  A  woman  of  the  Narragansetts  is  happiest  in  the  lodge 
of  her  husband." 

'  The  eye  of  the  chief  met  her  confiding  look  with  affec- 
tion, and  then  it  fell,  mild  and  full  of  kindness,  on  the 
features  of  the  infant  that  lay  at  their  feet.  There  was  a 
minute,  during  which  an  expression  of  bitter  melancholy 
gathered  about  his  brow. 

"  The  Spirit  that  made  the  earth,"  he  continued,  "  is 
very  cunning.  He  has  known  where  to  put  the  hemlock, 
and  where  the  oak  should  grow.  He  has  left  the  moose 
and  the  deer  to  the  Indian  hunter,  and  he  has  given  the 
horse  and  the  ox  to  a  pale-face.  Each  tribe  hath  its  hunt- 
ing grounds  and  its  game.  The  Narragansetts  know  the 
taste  of  a  clam,  while  the  Mohawks  eat  the  berries  of  the 
mountains.  Thou  hast  seen  the  bright  bow  which  shines 
in  the  skies,  Narra-mattah.  and  knowest  how  one  color  is 
mixed  with  another,  like  paint  on  a  warrior's  face.  The 
leaf  of  the  hemlock  is  like  the  leaf  of  the  sumach  ;  the 
ash,  the  chestnut  ;  the  chestnut,  the  linden  ;  and  the  lin- 
den, the  broad-leaved  tree  which  bears  the  red  frirt,  in  the 


346  THE   WEPT   OF 

clearing  of  the  Yengeese  ;  but  the  tree  of  the  red  fruit  is 
little  like  the  hemlock  !  Conanchet  is  a  tall  and  straight 
hemlock,  and  the  father  of  Narra-mattah  is  a  tree  of  the 
clearing,  that  bears  the  red  fruit.  The  Great  Spirit  was 
angry  when  they  grew  together." 

The  sensitive  wife  understood  but  too  well  the  current 
of  the  chiefs  thoughts.  Suppressing  the  pain  she  felt, 
however,  she  answered  with  the  readiness  of  a  woman 
whose  imagination  was  quickened  by  her  affections. 

''What  Conanchet  hath  said  is  true.  But  the  Yengeese 
have  put  the  apple  of  their  own  land  on  the  thorn  of  our 
woods,  and  the  fruit  is  good ! " 

"  It  is  like  that  boy,"  said  the  chief,  pointing  to  his  son ; 
"  neither  red  nor  pale.  No,  Narra-mattah  ;  what  the  Great 
Spirit  hath  commanded,  even  a  sachem  must  do." 

"And  doth  Conanchet  say  this  fruit  is  riot  good  ?"  asked 
his  wife,  lifting  the  smiling  boy  with  a  mother's  joy  before 
his  eyes. 

The  heart  of  the  warrior  was  touched.  Bending  his 
head,  he  kissed  the  babe,  with  such  fondness  as  parents 
less  stern  are  wont  to  exhibit.  For  a  moment,  he  ap- 
peared to  have  satisfaction  in  gazing  at  the  promise  of  the 
child.  But,  as  he  raised  his  head,  his  eye  caught  a  glimpse 
of  the  sun,  and  the  whole  expression  of  his  countenance 
changed.  Motioning  to  his  wife  to  replace  the  infant  on 
the  earth,  he  turned  to  her  with  solemnity,  and  contin' 
ued — 

"Let  the  tongue  of  Narra-mattah  speak  without  fear. 
She  hath  been  in  the  lodges  of  her  father,  and  hath  tasted 
of  their  plenty.  Is  her  heart  glad  ?" 

The  young  wife  paused.  The  question  brought  with  it 
a  sudden  recollection  of  all  those  reviving  sensations,  of 
that  tender  solicitude,  and  of  those  soothing  sympathies  of 
which  she  had  so  lately  been  .the  subject.  But  these  feel- 
ings soon  vanished  ;  for,  without  daring  to  lift  her  eyes  to 
meet  the  attentive  and  anxious  gaze  of  the  chief,  she  said 
firmly,  though  with  a  voice  that  was  subdued  by  diffi- 
dence— 

"  Narra-mattah  is  a  wife." 

"  Then  will  she  listen  to  the  words  of  her  husband.  Co- 
nanchet is  a  chief  no  longer.  He  is  a  prisoner  of  the  Mo- 
hicans. Uncas  waits  for  him  in  the  woods  !  " 

Notwithstanding  the  recent  declaration  of  the  young 
wife,  she  heard  of  this  calamity  with  little  of  the  calmness 
of  an  Indian  woman.  At  first  it  seemed  as  if  her  senses 


THE   If' 'EFT   OF  IVISH-TOX-W1SH.  347 

refused  to  comprehend  the  meaning  of  the  words.  Won- 
der, doubt,  horror,  and  fearful  certainty,  each  in  its  turn 
prevailed  ;  for  she  was  too  well  schooled  in  all  the  usages 
and  opinions  of  the  people  with  whom  she  dwelt,  not  to 
understand  the  jeopardy  in  which  her  husband  was  placed. 

"  The  Sachem  of  the  Narragansetts  a  prisoner  of  Mohi- 
can Uncas  !  "  she  repeated  in  a  low  tone,  as  if  the  sound 
of  her  voice  were  necessary  to  dispel  some  horrible  illusion. 
"  Xo  !  Uncas  is  not  a  warrior  to  strike  Conanchet !  " 

"  Hear  my  words,"  said  the  chief,  touching  the  shoulder 
of  his  wife,  as  one  arouses  a  friend  from  his  slumbers. 
"There  is  a.  pale-face  in  these  woods  who  is  a  burrowing 
fox.  He  hides  his  head  from  the  Yengeese.  When  his 
people  were  on  the  trail,  barking  like  hungry  wolves,  this 
man  trusted  to  a  sagamore.  It  was  a  swift  chase,  and  my 
father  is  getting  very  old.  He  went  up  a  young  hickory 
like  a  bear,  and  Conanchet  led  off  the  lying  tribe.  '  But  he 
is  not  a  moose.  His  legs  cannot  go  like  running  water  for- 
ever !  " 

"  And  why  did  the  great  Narragansett  give  his  life  for  a 
stranger  ? " 

"The  man  is  a  brave,"  returned  the  sachem,  proudly; 
"  he  took  the  scalp  of  a  sagamore  !  " 

Again  Narra-mattah  was  silent.  She  brooded  in  nearly 
stupid  amazement  on  the  frightful  truth. 

"  The  Great  Spirit  sees  that  the  man  and  his  wife  are  of 
different  tribes,"  she  at  length  ventured  to  rejoin.  "  He 
wishes  them  to  become  the  same  people.  Let  Conanchet 
quit  the  woods,  and  go  into  the  clearings,  with  the  mother 
of  his  boy.  Her  white  father  will  be  glad,  and  Mohican 
Uncas  will  not  dare  to  follow." 

"  Woman,  I  am  a  sachem,  and  a  warrior  among  my 
people  !  " 

There  was  a  severe  and  cold  displeasure  in  the  voice  of 
Conanchet  that  his  companion  had  never  before  heard.  He 
spoke  in  the  manner  of  a  chief  to  his  woman,  rather  than 
with  that  manly  softness  with  which  he  had  been  accus- 
tomed to  address  the  scion  of  the  pale-faces.  The  words 
came  over  her  heart  like  a  withering  chill,  and  affliction 
kept  her  mute.  The  chief  himself  sat  a  moment  longer 
in  a  stern  calmness,  and  then  rising  in  displeasure  he  point- 
ed to  the  sun,  and  beckoned  to  his  companions  to  proceed. 
In  a  time  that  appeared  to  the  throbbing  heart  of  her  who 
followed  his  swift  footsteps  but  a  moment,  they  had  turned 
a  little  eminence,  and  in  another  minute  they  stood  in  the 


348  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TOX-WISH. 

presence  of  n  party  that  evidently  awaited  their  coming. 
This  grave  group  consisted  only  of  Uncas,  two  of  his 
fiercest-looking  and  most  athletic  warriors,  the  divine,  and 
Eben  Dudley. 

Advancing  rapidly  to  the  spot  where  his  enemy  stood, 
Conanchet  took  his  post  at  the  foot  of  the  fatal  tree.  Point- 
ing to  the  shadow,  which  had  not  yet  turned  toward  the 
east,  he  folded  his  arms  on  his  naked  bosom,  and  assumed 
an  air  of  haughty  unconcern.  These  movements  were 
made  in  the  midst  of  a  profound  stillness. 

Disappointment,  umvilling  admiration,  and  distrust,  all 
struggled  through  the  mask  of  practised  composure,  in  the 
dark  countenance  of  Uncas.  He  regarded  his  long-hated 
and  terrible  foe  with  an  eye  that  seemed  willing  to  detect 
some  lurking  signs  of  weakness.  It  would  not  have  been 
easy  to  say  whether  he  most  felt  respect  or  regret  at  the 
faith  of  the  Narragansett.  Accompanied  by  his  two  grim 
warriors,  the  chief  examined  the  position  of  the  shadow 
with  critical  minuteness,  and  when  there  no  longer  existed 
a  pretext  for  affecting  to  doubt  the  punctuality  of  their 
captive,  a  deep  ejaculation  of  assent  issued  from  the  chest 
of  each.  Like  some  wary  judge,  whose  justice  is  fettered 
by  legal  precedents,  as  if  satisfied  there  was  no  flaw  in  the 
proceedings,  the  Mohican  then  signed  to  the  white  men  to 
draw  near. 

"  Man  of  a  wild  and  unreclaimed  nature  !  "  commenced 
Meek  Wolfe,  in  his  usual  admonitory  and  ascetic  tones, 
"the  hour  of  thy  existence  draws  to  its  end  !  Judgment 
hath  had  rule  ;  thou  hast  been  weighed  in  the  balances 
and  art  found  wanting.  But  Christian  charity  is  never 
weary.  We  may  not  resist  the  ordinances  of  Providence, 
but  we  may  temper  the  blow  to  the  offender.  That  thou 
art  here  to  die  is  a  mandate  decreed  in  equity,  and  ren- 
dered awful  by  mystery  ;  but  further,  submission  to  the 
will  of  Heaven  doth  not  exact.  Heathen,  thou  hast  a  soul, 
and  it  is  about  to  leave  its  earthly  tenement  for  the  un* 
known  world " 

Until  now,  the  captive  had  listened  with  the  courtesy 
of  a  savage  when  unexcited.  He  had  even  gazed  at  the 
quiet  enthusiasm  and  singularly  contradictory  passions 
that  shone  in  the  deep  lines  of  the  speaker's  face,  with' 
some  such  reverence  as  he  might  have  manifested  at  -n 
exhibition  of  one  of  the  pretended  revelations  of  a  pro}))  ct 
of  his  tribe.  But  when  the  divine  came  to  touch  up  >n 
his  condition  alter  death,  his  mind  received  a  clear,  a  .d 


THE   IVKPT   OF  WISH-TO. \-WISIL  349 

to  him  an  unerring  clew  to  the  truth.  Laying  a  finger 
suddenly  on  the  shoulder  of  Meek,  he  interrupted  him  by 
saying— 

"•  My  father  forgets  that  the  skin  of  his  son  is  red.  The 
path  to  the  happy  hunting  grounds  of  just  Indians  lies  be- 
fore him." 

"  Heathen,  in  thy  words  hatli»the  Master  Spirit  of  Delu- 
sion and  Sin  uttered  his  blasphemies  !  " 

"  Hist !    Did  my  father  see  that  which  stirred  the  bush  ? '' 

"  It  was  the  viewless  wind,  idolatrous  and  idle-minded 
infant  in  the  form  of  adult  man  ! " 

"  And  yet  my  father  speaks  to  it,"  returned  the  Indian, 
with  the  grave  but  cutting  sarcasm  of  his  people.  "  See," 
he  added,  haughtily,  and  even  with  ferocity,  "  the  shadow 
hath  passed  the  root  of  the  tree.  Let  the  cunning  man  of 
the  pale-faces  stand  aside  ;  a  sachem  is  ready  to  die  !  " 

Meek  groaned  audibly  and  in  real  sorrow  ;  for,  notwith- 
standing the  veil  which  exalted  theories  and  doctrinal  subt- 
leties had  drawn  before  his  judgment,  the  charities  of  the 
man  were  grounded  in  truth.  Bowing  to  what  he  believed 
to  be  a  mysterious  dispensation  of  the  will  of  Heaven,  he 
withdrew  to  a  short  distance,  and  kneeling  on  a  rock,  his 
voice  was  heard  during  the  remainder  of  the  ceremonies, 
lifting  its  tones  in  fervent  prayer  for  the  soul  of  the  con- 
demned. 

The  divine  had  no  sooner  quitted  the  place,  than  Uncas 
motioned  to  Dudley  to  approach.  Though  the  nature  of 
the  borderer  was  essentially  honest  and  kind,  he  was  in 
opinion  and  prejudices  but  a  creature  of  the  times.  If  he 
had  assented  to  the  j-udgment  which  committed  the  captive 
to  the  mercy  of  his  implacable  enemies,  he  had  the  merit 
of  having  suggested  the  expedient  that  was  to  protect  the 
sufferer  from  those  refinements  in  cruelty  which  the  sav- 
ages were  known  to  be  too  ready  to  inflict.  He  had  even 
volunteered  to  be  one  of  the  agents  to  enforce  his  own  ex- 
pedient, though  in  so  doing  he  had  committed  no  little 
violence  to  his  natural  inclinations.  The  reader  will  there- 
fore judge  of  his  conduct  in  this  particular,  with  the  degree 
of  lenity  that  a  right  consideration  of  the  condition  of  the 
country  and  of  the  usages  of  the  age  may  require.  There 
was  even  a  relenting  and  a  yielding  of  purpose  in  the  coun- 
tenance of  this  witness  of  the  scene,  that  was  favorable  to 
the  safety  of  the  captive,  as  he  now  spoke.  His  address 
was  first  to  Uncas. 

"A    happy  fortune,   Mohican,   something  aided  by  the 


350  THE   H'EPT   OF  U'lSU-TOX-ll'ISfL 

power  of  the  white  men,  hath  put  this  Narragansett  into 
thy  hands,"  he  said.  "  It  is  certain  that  the  Commission- 
ers of  the  Colony  have  consented  that  thou  shouldst  exer- 
cise thy  will  on  his  life  ;  but  there  is  a  voice  in  the  breast 
of  every  human  being,  which  should  be  stronger  than  the 
voice  of  revenge,  and  that  is  the  voice  of  mercy.  It  is  not 
yet  too  late  to  hearken  to  it.  Take  the  promise  of  the 
Narragansett  for  his  faith — take  more  :  take  a  hostage  in 
.this  child,  which  with  its  mother  shall  be  guarded  among 
the  English,  and  let  the  prisoner  go." 

45  My  brother  asketh  with  a  big  mind  !  "  said  Uncas,  dryly. 

"  I  know  not  how  nor  why  it  is  I  ask  with  this  earnest- 
ness," resumed  Dudley,  "but  there  are  old  recollections 
and  former  kindnesses,  in  the  face  and  manner  of  this  In- 
dian !  And  here,  too,  is  one,  in  the  woman  that  I  know  is 
tied  to  some  of  our  settlements,  with  a  bond  nearer  than 
that  of  common  chanty.  Mohican,  I  will  add  a  goodly 
gift  of  powder  and  of  muskets,  if  thou  wilt  listen  to  mercy, 
and  take  the  faith  of  the  Narragansett." 

Uncas  pointed  with  ironical  coldness  to  his  captive,  as  he 
said — 

"  Let  Conanchet  speak  ! " 

"Thou  .nearest,  Narragansett.  If  the  man  I  begin  to 
suspect  thee  to  be,  thou  knowest  something  of  the  usages 
of  the  whites.  Speak  !  Wilt  swear  to  keep  peace  with  the 
Mohicans,  and  to  bury  the  hatchet  in  the  path  between 
your  villages  ? " 

"  The  fire  that  burnt  the  lodges  of  my  people  turned  the 
heart  of  Conanchet  to  stone,"  was  the  steady  answer. 

"  Then  can  I  do  no  more  than  see  the  treaty  respected," 
returned  Dudley,  in  disappointment.  "Thou  hast  thy 
nature,  and  it  will  have  way.  The  Lord  have  mercy  on 
fhee,  Indian,  and  render  thee  such  judgment  as  is  meet  for 
one  of  savage  opportunities." 

He  made  a  gesture  to  Uncas  that  he  had  done,  and  fell 
back  a  few  paces  from  the  tree,  his  honest  features  express- 
ing all  his  concern,  while  his  eye  did  not  refuse  to  do  its 
duty  by  closely  watching  each  movement  of  the  adverse 
parties.  At  the  same  instant  the  grim  attendants  of  the 
Mohican  chief,  in  obedience  to  a  sign,  took  their  stations 
on  each  side  of  the  captive.  They  evidently  waited  for 
the  last  and  fatal  signal,  to  complete  their  unrelenting  pur- 
pose. At  this  grave  moment  there  was  a  pause,  as  if  each 
of  the  principal  actors  pondered  serious  matter  in  his  in< 
most  mind. 


THE   II  EPT    OF  IVISH-TON-WISH.  351 

"The  Narragansett  hatli  not  spoken  to  his  woman,"  said 
Uncas,  secretly  hoping  that  his  enemy  might  yet  betray 
some  unmanly  weakness  in  a  moment  of  so  severe  trial. 
"  She  is  near." 

"I  said  my  heart  was  stone,"  coldly  returned  the  Narra- 
gansett. 

"  See !  the  girl  creepeth  like  a  frightened  fowl  among 
the  leaves.  If  my  brother  Conanchet  will  look,  he  will 
see  his  beloved." 

The  countenance  of  Conanchet  grew  dark,  but  it  did  not 
waver. 

"We  will  go  among  the  bushes,  if  "the  sachem  is  afraid 
to  speak  to  his  woman  with  the  eyes  of  a  Mohican  on  him. 
A  warrior  is  not  a  curious  girl,  that  he  wishes  to  see  the 
sorrow  of  a  chief  ! " 

Conanchet  felt  hurriedly  for  some  weapon  that  might 
strike  his  enemy  to  the  earth,  and  then  a  low  murmuring 
sound  at  his  elbow  stole  so  softly  on  his  ear,  as  suddenly 
to  divert  the  tempest  of  passion. 

"  Will  not  a  sachem  look  at  his  boy?"  demanded  the 
suppliant.  "It  is  the  son  of  a  great  warrior.  Why  is  the 
face  of  his  father  so  dark  on  him  ? " 

Narra-mattah  had  drawn  near  enough  to  her  -husband  to 
be  within  reach  of  his  hand.  With  extended  arms  she 
held  the  pledge  of  their  former  happiness  toward  the 
chief,  as  if  to  beseech  a  last  and  kindly  look  of  recognition 
and  love. 

"  Will  not  the  great  Narragansett  look  at  his  boy  ?"  she 
repeated,  in  a  voice  that  sounded  like  the  lowest  notes  of 
some  touching  melody.'  "Why  is'  his  face  so  dark  on.  a 
woman  of  his  tribe  ?  " 

Even  the  stern  features  of  the  Mohican  sagamore 
showed  that  he  was  touched.  Beckoning  to  his  grim  at- 
tendants to  move  behind  the  tree,  he  turned  and  walked 
aside  with  the  noble  air  of  a  savage,  when  influenced  by 
his  better  feelings.  Then  light  shot  into  the  clouded  coun- 
tenance of  Conanchet.  His  eyes  sought  the  face  of  his 
stricken  and  grieved  consort,  who  mourned  less  for  his 
danger  than  she  grieved  for  his  displeasure.  He  received 
the  boy  from  her  hands,  and  studied  his  features  long  and 
intently.  Beckoning  to  Dudley,  who  alone  gazed  on  the 
scene,  he  placed  the  infant  in  his  arms. 

"  See!"  he  said,  pointing  to  the  child.  "  It  is  a  blossoMu 
of  the  clearings.  It  will  not  live  in  the  shade." 

He  then  fastened  a  look  on  his  trembling  partner.   There 


352  7 'HE   WEPT   OF  WISH- TON-  WISH. 

was  a  husband's  love  in  the  gaze.  "  Flower  of  the  open 
land  !  "  he  said  ;  "  the  Manitou  of  thy  race  will  place  thee 
in  the  fields  of  thy  fathers.  The  sun  will  shine  upon 
thee,  and  the  winds  from  beyond  the  salt  lake  will 
blow  the  clouds  into  the  woods.  A  just  and  great  chief 
cannot  shut  his  ear  to  the  Good  Spirit  of  his  people.  Mine 
calls  his  son  to  hunt  among  the  braves  that  have  gone  on 
the  long  path.  Thine  points  another  way.  Go,  hear  His 
voice  and  obey.  Let  thy  mind  be  like  a  wide  clearing. 
Let  all  its  shadows  be  next  the  woods;  let  it  forget  the 
dream  it  dreamt  among  the  trees.  'Tis  the  will  of  the 
Manitou." 

"  Conanchet  asketh  much  of  his  wife.  Her  soul  is  only 
the  soul  of  a  woman  !" 

"  A  woman  of  the  pale-faces  ;  now  let  her  seek  her  tribe. 
Narra-mattah,  thy  people  speak  strange  traditions.  They 
say  that  one  just  man  died  for  ail  colors.  I  know  not. 
Conanchet  is  a  child  among  the  cunning,  and  a  man  with 
the  warriors.  If  this  be  true,  he  will  look  for  his  woman 
and  boy  in  the  happy  hunting  grounds,  and  they  will  come 
to  him.  There  is  no  hunter  of  the  Yengeese  that  can  kill 
so  many  deer.  Let  Narra-mattah  forget  her  chief  till  that 
time,  and  then,  when  she  calls  him  by  name,  let  her  speak 
strong  ;  for  he  will  be  very  glad  to  hear  her  voice  again. 
Go  !  A  sagamore  is  about  to  start  on  a  long  journey.  He 
takes  leave  of  his  wife  with  a  heavy  spirit.  She  will  put  a 
little  flower  of  two  colors  before  her  eyes,  and  be  happy  in 
its  growth.  Now  let  her  go.  A  sagamore  is  about  to  die." 

The  attentive  woman  caught  each  slow  and  measured 
syllable,  as  one  trained  hi  superstitious  legends  would  lis- 
ten to  the  words  of  an  oracle.  But,  accustomed  to  obedi- 
ence and  bewildered  with  her  grief,  she  hesitated  no  longer. 
The  head  of  Narra-mattah  sank  on  her  bosom  as  she  left 
him,  and  her  face  was  buried  in  her  robe.  The  step  with 
which  she  passed  Uncas  was  so  light  as  to  be  inaudible  ; 
but  when  he  saw  her  tottering  form,  turning  swiftly,  he 
stretched  an  arm  high  in  the  air.  The  terrible  mutes  just 
showed  themselves  from  behind  the  tree,  and  vanished. 
Conanchet  started,  and  it  seemed  as  if  he  were  about  to 
plunge  forward  ;  but,  recovering  himself  by  a  desperate 
effort,  his  body  sank  back  against  the  tree,  and  he  fell  in 
the  attitude  of  a  chief  seated  in  council.  There  was  a 
smile  of  fierce  triumph  on  his  face,  and  his  lips  evidently 
moved.  Uncas  did  not  breathe  as  he  bent  forward  to 
listen  : — 


THE    WEPT    OF   U'lSlI-TOX-U'ISH.  353 

"  Mohican,  I  die  before  my  heart  is  soft !  "  uttered  firmly, 
but  with  a  struggle,  reached  his  ears.  Then  came  two  long 
and  heavy,  respirations.  One  was  the  returning  breath  of 
Uncas,  and  the  other  the  dying  sigh  of  the  last  sachem  of 
the  broken  and  dispersed  tribe  of  the  Narragansetts. 


•     CHAPTER  XXXII. 

"  Each  lonely  scene  shall  thee  restore  ; 
For  thee  the  tear  be  duly  shed  ; 
Beloved  till  life  could  charm  no  more, 
And  mourned  till  pity's  self  be  dead." — COLLINS. 

AN  hour  later  and  the  principal  actors  in  the  foregoing 
scene  had  disappeared.  There  remained  only  the  widowed 
Narra-mattah,  with  Dudley,  the  divine,  and  Whittal  Ring. 

The  body  of  Ccnanchet  still  continued,  where  he  had 
died,  seated  like  a  chief  in  council.  The  daughter  of  Con- 
tent and  Ruth  had  stolen  to  its  side,  and  she  had  taken  her 
seat,  in  that  species  of  dull  woe,  which  so  frequently  attends 
the  first  moments  of  any  unexpected  and  overwhelming 
affliction.  She  neither  spoke,  sobbed,  nor  sorrowed  in  any 
way  that  grief  is  wont  to  affect  the  human  system.  ,  The 
mind  seemed  palsied,  though  a  withering  sense  of  the  blow 
was  fearfully  engraven  on  every  lineament  of  her  eloquent 
face.  The  color  deserted  her  cheeks,  the  lips  were  blood- 
less, while  at  moments  they  quivered  convulsively,  like 
the  tremulous  movement  of  the  sleeping  infant ;  and  at 
long  intervals  her  bosom  heaved,  as  if  the  spirit  within 
struggled  heavily  to  escape  from  its  earthly  prison.  The 
child  lay  unheeded  at  heir  side,  and  Whittal  Ring  had 
placed  himself  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  corpse. 

The  two  agents  appointed  by  the  Colony  to  witness  the 
death  of  Conanchet  stood  near,  gazing  mournfully  on  tin; 
piteous  spectacle.  The  instant  the  spirit  of  the  condemned 
man  fled,  the  prayers  of  the  divine  had  ceased,  for  he 
believed  that  then  the  soul  had  gone  to  judgment.  But 
there  was  more  of  human  charity  and  less  of  that  exagger- 
ated severity  in  his  aspect,  than  was  ordinarily  seated  in 
the  deep  lines  of  his  austere  countenance.  Now  that  the 
deed  was  done,  and  the  excitement  of  his  exalted  theories 
had  given  way  to  the  more  positive  appearance  of  the 
result,  he  might  even  have  moments  of  harassing  doubts 

23 


354  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON- WISH. 

concerning  the  lawfulness  of  an  act  that  he  had  hitherto 
veiled  under  the  forms  of  a  legal  and  necessary  execution 
of  justice.  The  mind  of  Eben  Dudley  vacillated  with  none 
of  the  subtleties  of  doctrine  or  of  law.  As  there  had  been 
less  exaggeration  in  his  original  views  of  the  necessity  of 
the  proceeding,  so  was  there  more  steadiness  in  his  con- 
templation of  its  fulfilment.  .Feelings,  they  might  be 
termed  emotions,  of  a  different  nature  troubled  the  breast 
of  this  resolute  but  justly  disposed  borderer. 

"  This  hath  been  a  melancholy  visitation  of  necessity,  and 
a  severe  manifestation  of  the  fore-ordering  will,"  said  the 
ensign,  as  he  gazed  at  the  sad  spectacle  before  him. 
"  Father  and  son  have  both  died,  as  it  were,  in  my  pres- 
ence, and  both  have  departed  for  the  world  of  spirits  in  a 
manner  to  prove  the  inscrutableness  of  Providence.  But 
dost  not  see,  here,  in  the  face  of  her  who  looketh  like  a 
form  of  stone,  traces  of  a  countenance  that  is  familiar  ?" 

"Thou  hast  allusion  to  the  consort  of  Captain  Content 
Heathcote  ? " 

"  Truly,  to  her  only.  Thou  art  not,  reverend  sir,  of  suffi- 
cient residence  at  the  Wish-Ton-Wish,  to  remember  that 
lady  in  her  youthfulness.  But  to  me,  the  hour  when  the 
captain  led  his  followers  into  the  wilderness  seemeth  but 
as  a  morning  of  the  past  season.  I  was  then  active  in  limb, 
and  something  idle  in  reflection  and  discourse  ;  it  was  in 
that  journey  that  the  woman  who  is  now  the  mother  of  my 
children  and  I  first  made  acquaintance.  I  have  seen  many 
comely  females  in  my  time,  but  never  did  I  look  on  one  so 
pleasant  to  the  eye,  as  was  the  consort  of  the  captain  until 
the  night  of  the  burning.  Thou  hast  often  heard  the  loss 
she  then  met,  and  from  that  hour  her  beauty  hath  been 
that  of  the  October  leaf,  rather  than  its  loveliness  in  the 
season  of  fertility.  Now  look  on  the  face  of  this  mourner, 
and  say  if  there  be  not  here  such  an  image  as  the  water 
reflects  from  the  overhanging  bush.  In  verity,  I  could  be- 
lieve it  was  the  sorrowing  eye  and  the  bereaved  look  of  the 
mother  herself  !  " 

"  Grief  hath  struck  its  blow  heavily  on  this  unoffending 
victim,"  uttered  Meek,  with  great  and  subdued  softness  in 
his  manner.  "  The  voice  of  petition  must  be  raised  in  her 
behalf,  or " 

"  Hist ! — there  are  some  in  the  forest  ;  I  hear  the  rust 
ling  of  leaves  !  " 

"  The  voice  of  Him  who  made  the  earth  whispereth  in 
the  winds  ;  his  breath  is  the  movement  of  nature  !  " 


THR   H7EPT   OF  W 7 'SH-T 'ON- WISH.  355 

:<  Here  arc  living  men  ! — But,  happily,  the  meeting  is 
friendly,  and  there  will  be  no  further  occasion  for  strife. 
The  heart  of  a  father  is  sure  as  ready  eye  and  swift  foot." 

Dudley  suffered  his  musket  to  fall  at  his  side,  and  both 
he  and  his  companion  stood  in  attitudes  of  decent  com- 
posure to  await  the  arrival  of  those  who  approached.  The 
party  that  drew  near  arrived  on  the  side  of  the  tree  oppo- 
site to  that  on  which  the  death  of  Conanchet  had  occurred. 
The  enormous  trunk  and  swelling  roots  of  the  pine  con- 
cealed the  group  at  its  feet,  but  the  persons  of  Meek  and 
the  ensign  were  soon  observed.  The  instant  they  were 
discovered,  he  who  led  the  new-comers  bent  his  footsteps 
in  that  direction. 

"  If,  as  thou  hast  supposed,  the  Narragansett  hath  again 
led  her  thou  hast  so  long  mourned  into  the  forest,"  said 
Submission,  who  acted  as  guide  to  those  who  followed, 
"  here  are  we  at  no  great  distance  from  the  place  of  his  re- 
sort. It  was  near  yon  rock  that  he  gave  the  meeting  with 
the  bloody-minded  Philip,  and  the  place  where  I  received 
the  boon  of  a  useless  and  much-afflicted  life  from  his  care 
is  within  the  bosom  of  that  thicket  which  borders  the  brook. 
This  minister  of  the  Lord,  and  our  stout  friend  the  ensign, 
may  have  further  matter  to  tell  us  of  his  movements." 

The  speaker  had  stopped  within  a  short  distance  of  the 
two  he  named,  but  still  on  the  side  of  the  tree  opposite  to 
that  where  the  body  lay.  He  had  addressed  his  words  to 
Content,  who  also  halted  to  await  the. arrival  of  Ruth,  who 
came  in  the  rear  supported  by  her  son,  and  attended  by 
Faith  and  the  physician,  all  equipped  like  persons  en- 
gaged in  a  search  through  the  forest.  A  mother's  heart 
had  sustained  the  feeble  woman  for  many  a  weary  mile, 
but  her  steps  had  begun  to  drag  shortly  before  they  so 
happily  fell  upon  the  signs  of  human  beings  near  the  spot 
where  they  now  met  the  two  agents  of  the  Colony. 

Notwithstanding  the  deep  interest  which  belonged  to  the 
respective  pursuits  of  the  individuals  who  composed  these 
two  parties,  the  interview  was  opened  with  no  lively  signs 
of  feeling  on  either  side.  To  them  a  journey  in  the  for- 
est possessed  no  novelties,  and  after  traversing  its  mazes 
for  a  day  the  newly  arrived  encountered  their  friends  as 
men  meet  on  more  beaten  tracks  in  countries  where  roads 
unavoidably  lead  them  to  cross  each  other's  paths.  Even 
•the  appearance  of  Submission  in  front  of  the  travellers 
elicited  no  marks  of  surprise  in  the  unmoved  features  of 
those  who  witnessed  his  approach.  Indeed,  the  mutual 


356  THE   WEPT   OF  WTSH-TON-WIS&. 

composure  of  one  who  had  so  long  concealed  his  person, 
and  of  those  who  had  more  than  once  seen  him  in  strik- 
ing and  mysterious  situations,  might  well  justify  a  beliei 
that  the  secret  of  his  presence  near  the  valley  had  not 
been  confined  to  the  family  of  the  Heathcotes.  This  fact 
is  rendered  still  more  probable  by  the  recollection  of  the 
honesty  of  Dudley,  and  of  the  professional  characters  of 
the  two  others. 

"  We  are  on  the  trail  of  one  fled,  as  the  truant  fawn 
seeketh  again  the  covers  of  the  woods,"  said  Content. 
"  Our  hunt  was  uncertain,  and  it  might  have  been  vain, 
so  many  feet  have  lately  crossed  the  forest,  were  it  not 
that  Providence  hath  cast  our  route  on  that  of  our  friend 
here,  who  hath  had  reason  to  know  the  probable  situation 
of  the  Indian  camp.  Hast  seen  aught  of  die  Sachem  of 
the  Narragansetts,  Dudley  ?  and  where  are  those  thou 
led'st  against  the  subtle  Philip  ?  That  thou  fell  upon  his 
party  we  have  heard  ;  though  further  than  thy  general 
success  we  have  yet  to  learn.  The  Wampanoag  escaped 
thee?" 

"  The  wicked  agencies  that  back  him  in  his  designs 
profited  the  savage  in  his  extremity.  Else  would  his  late 
have  been  that  which  I  fear  a  far  worthier  spirit  hath  been 
doomed  to  suffer." 

"  Of  whom  dost  speak  ? — but  it  mattereth  not.  We  seek 
our  child  ;  she  whom  thou  hast  known,  and  whom  thou 
hast  so  lately  seen,  hath  again  left  us.  We  seek  her  in  the 
camp  of  him  who  hath  been  to  her — Dudley,  hast  seen 
aught  of  the  Narragansett  sachem  ?" 

The  ensign  looked  at  Ruth  as  he  had  once  before  been 
seen  to  gaze  on  the  sorrowing  features  of  the  woman  ; 
but  lie  spoke  not.  Meek  folded  his  arms  on  his  breast, 
and  seemed  to  pray  inwardly.  There,  was,  however,  one 
who  broke  the  silence,  though  his  tones  were  low  and 
menacing. 

"  It  was  a  bloody  deed  !"  muttered  the  innocent.  "  The 
iying  Mohican  bath  struck  a  great  chief  from  behind. 
I^et  him  dig  the  prints  of  hismoccason  from  the  earth,  with 
Lis  nails,  like  a  burrowing  fox  ;  for  there'll  be  one  on  his 
trail  before  he  can  hide  his  head.  Xipset  will  be  a  warrior 
tsic  next  snow  !  " 

"There  speaks  my  witless  brother!"  exclaimed  Faith, 
rushing  ahead — she  recoiled,  covered  her  face  with  her 
hands,  and  sank  upon  the  ground,  under  the  violence  of 
the  surprise  that  followed. 


THE   IVEPT   OF  WISH-TO^- WISH.  357 

Though  time  moved  with  his  ordinary  pace,  it  appeared 
to  those  who  witnessed  the  scene  which  succeeded,  as  if 
the  emotions  of  many  days  were  collected  within  the 
brief  compass  of  a  few  minutes.  We  shall  not  dwell  on 
the  first  harrowing  and  exciting  moments  of  the  appalling 
discovery. 

A  short  half-hour  served  to  make  each  .person  acquainted 
with  all  that  it  was  necessary  to  know.  We  shall  therefore 
transfer  the  narrative  to  the  end  of  that  period. 

The  body  of  Conanchet  still  rested  against  the  tree.  The 
eyes  were  open,  and  though  glazed  in  death,  there  still 
remained  about  the  brow,  the  compressed  lips,  and  the  ex- 
pansive nostrils,  much  of  that  lofty  firmness  which  had 
sustained  him  in  the  last  trial  of  life.  The  arms  were  pas- 
sive at  its  sides,  but  one  hand  was  clenched  in  the  manner 
with  which  it  had  so  often  grasped  the  tomahawk,  while 
the  other  had  lost  its  power  in  a  vain  effort  to  seek  the 
place  in  the  girdle  where  the  keen  knife  should  have  been. 
These  two  movements  had  probably  been  involuntary,  for, 
in  all  other  respects,  the  form  was  expressive  of  dignity 
and  repose.  At  its  side,  the  imaginary  Nipset  still  held 
his  place,  menacing  discontent  betraying  itself  through  the 
ordinary  dull  fatuity  of  his  countenance. 

The  others  present  were  collected  around  the  mother 
and  her  stricken  child.  It  would  seem  that  all  other  feel- 
ings were,  for  the  moment,  absorbed  in  apprehensions  for 
the  latter.  There  was  much  reason  to  dread  that  the  re- 
cent shock  had  suddenly  deranged  some  of  that  fearful 
machinery  which  links  the  soul  to  the  body.  This  effect, 
however,  was  more  to  be  apprehended  by  a  general  apathy 
and  failing  of  the  system,  than  by  any  violent  and  intel- 
ligible symptom. 

The  pulses  still  vibrated,  but  it  was  heavily,  and  like  the 
irregular  and  faltering  evolutions  of  the  mill,  which  the 
dying  breeze  is  ceasing  to  fan.  The  pallid  countenance 
was  fixed  in  its  expression  of  anguish.  Color  there  was 
none,  even  the  lips  resembling  the  unnatural  character 
vvhicii  is  given  by  images  of  wax.  Her  limbs,  like  her  feat- 
ures, were  immovable  ;  and  yet  there  was,  at  moments,  a 
vvorking  of  the  latter,  which  would  seem  to  imply  not  only 
consciousness,  but  vivid  and  painful  recollections  of  the 
realities  of  her  situation. 

"  This  surpasseth  my  art,"  said  Doctor  Ergot,  raising 
himself  from  a  long  and  silent  examination  of  the  pulse; 
"  there  is  a  mystery  in  the  construction  of  the  body,  which 


358  THE  IVEPT   OF  WJSff -TON- WISH. 

human  knowledge  hath  not  yet  unveiled.  The  currents  of 
existence  are  sometimes  frozen  in  an  incomprehensible 
manner,  and  this  I  conceive  to  be  a  case  that  would  con- 
found the  most  learned  of  our  art,  even  in  the  oldest 
countries  of  the  earth.  It  hath  been  my  fortune  to  sec 
many  arrive  but  few  depart  from  this  busy  world,  and  yet 
do  I  presume  to  foretell  that  here  is  one  destined  to  quit 
its  limits  ere  the  natural  number  of  her  days  has  been 
filled  !  " 

"Let  us  address  ourselves,  in  behalf  of  that  which  shall 
never  die,  to  Him  who  hath  ordered  the  event  from  the 
commencement  of  time,"  said  Meek,  motioning  to  those 
around  him  to  join  in  prayer. 

The  divine  then  lifted  up  his  voice,  under  the  arches  of 
the  forest,  in  an  ardent,  pious,  and  eloquent  petition.  When 
this  solemn  duty  was  performed,  attention  was  again  be- 
stowed on  the  sufferer.  To  the  surprise  of  all,  it  was  found 
that  the  blood  had  revisited  her  face,  and  that  her  radiant 
eyes  were  lighted  with  an  expression  of  brightness  and 
peace.  She  even  motioned  to  be  raised,  in  order  that  those 
near  her  person  might  be  better  seen. 

"  Dost  know  us  ?  "  asked  the  trembling  Ruth.  "  Look 
on  thy  friends,  long-mourned  and  much-suffering  daugh- 
ter ?  'Tis  she  who  sorrowed  over  thy  infant  afflictions, 
who  rejoiced  in  thy  childish  happiness,  and  who  hath  so 
bitterly  wept  thy  loss,  that  craveth  the  boon.  In  this  aw- 
ful moment,  recall  the  lessons  of  youth.  Surely,  surely, 
the  God  that  bestowed  thee  in  mercy,  though  he  hath  led 
thee  on  a  wonderful  and  inscrutable  path,  will  not  desert 
thee  at  the  end  !  Think  of  thy  early  instruction,  child  of 
my  love  ;  feeble  of  spirit  as  thou  art,  the  seed  may  yet 
quicken,  though  it  hath  been  cast  where  the  glory  of  the 
promise  hath  so  long  been  hid." 

"  Mother  !  "  said  a  low  struggling  voice  in  reply.  The 
word  reached  every  ear,  and  it  caused  a  general  and 
breathless  attention.  The  sound  was  soft  and  low,  per- 
haps infantile,  but  it  was  uttered  without  accent,  and  clearlv. 

"Mother — why  are  we  in  the  forest  ?"  continued  the 
speaker.  "Have  any  robbed  us  of  our  home,  that  we  dwell 
beneath  the  trees?" 

Ruth  raised  a  hand  imploringly,  for  none  to  interrupt 
the  illusion. 

"  Nature  hath  revived  the  recollections  of  her  youth,' 
she  whispered.  "  Let  the  spirit  depart,  if  such  be  His  holy 
will,  in  the  blessedness  of  infant  innocence  !" 


THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON- WISH.  355 

"Why  do  Mark  and  Martha  stay  ?"  continued  the  other. 
"It  is  not  safe,  thou  knowest,  mother,  to  wander  far  in 
the  woods  ;  the  heathen  may  be  out  of  their  towns,  and  one 
cannot  say  what  evil  chance  might  happen  to  the  indis- 
creet." 

A  groan  struggled  from  the  chest  of  Content,  and  the 
muscular  hand  of  Dudley  compressed  itself  on  the  shoulder 
of  his  wife,  until  the  breathlessly  attentive  woman  with- 
drew, unconsciously,  with  pain. 

"  I've  said  as  much  to  Mark,  for  he  doth  not  always  re- 
member thy  warnings,  mother  ;  and  those  children  do  so 
love  to  wander  together! — but  Mark  is,  in  common,  good;  do 
not  chide  if  he  stray  too  far,  mother — thou  wilt  not  chide  ! " 

The  youth  turned  his  head,  for  even  at  that  moment 
the  pride  of  young  manhood  prompted  him  to  conceal  his 
weakness. 

"Hast  prayed  to-day,  my  daughter?"  said  Ruth,  strug- 
gling to  be  composed.  "Thou  shouldst  not  forget  thy 
duty  to  His  blessed  name,  even  though  we  are  houseless  in 
the  woods." 

"  I  will  pray  now,  mother,"  said  the  creature  of  this  mys- 
terious  hallucination,  struggling  to  bow  her  face  into  the 
lap  of  Ruth.  Her  wish  was  indulged,  and  for  a  minute, 
the  same  low  childish  voice  was  heard  distinctly  repeating 
the  words  of  a  prayer  adapted  to  the  earliest  period  of  life. 
Feeble  as  were  the  sounds,  none  of  their  intonations  es- 
caped the  listeners,  until  near  the  close,  when  a  species  of 
holy  calm  seemed  to  absorb  the  utterance.  Ruth  raised 
the  form  of  her  child,  and  saw  that  the  features  bore  the 
placid  look  of  a  sleeping  infant.  Life  played  upon  them, 
as  the  flickering  light  lingers  on  the  dying  torch.  Her 
dove-like  eyes  looked  up  into  the  face  of  Ruth,  and  the 
anguish  of  the  mother  was  alleviated  by  a  smile  of  intelli- 
gence and  love.  The  full  and  sweet  organs  next  rolled 
from  face  to  face,  recognition  and  pleasure  accompany^ 
ing  each  change.  On  Whittal  they  became  perplexed  and 
doubtful,  but  when  they  met  the  fixed,  frowning,  and  still 
commanding  eye  of  the  dead  chief,  their  wandering  ceased 
forever.  There  was  a  minute,  during  which  fear,  doubt, 
wildness,  and  early  recollections,  struggled  for  the  mastery. 
The  hands  of  Narra-mattah  trembled,  and  she  clung  con- 
vulsively to  the  robe  of  Ruth. 

"  Mother  !  mother  !  "  whispered  the  agitated  victim  of  so 
many  conflicting  emotions,  "  I  will  pray  again — an  evil 
Spirit  besets  me."- 


3fx>  Tin-:    IVKPT    OF 

Ruth  felt  the  force  of  her  grasp,  and  heard  the  breath- 
ing of  a  few  words  of  petition  ;  after  which  the  voice  was 
mute,  and  the  hands  relaxed  their  hold.  When  the  face 
of  the  nearly  insensible  parent  was  withdrawn,  to  the 
others  the  dead  appeared  to  gaze  at  each  other  with  a 
mysterious  and  unearthly  intelligence.  The  look  of  the 
Narragansett  was  still,  as  in  his  hour  of  pride,  haughty, 
unyielding,  and  filled  with  defiance  ;  while  that  of  the 
creature  who  had  so  long  lived  in  his  kindness  was  per- 
plexed, timid,  but  not  without  a  character  of  hope.  A 
solemn  calm  succeeded,  and  when  Meek  raised  his  voice 
again  in  the  forest,  it  was  to  ask  the  Omnipotent  Ruler 
of  Heaven  and  Earth  to  sanctify  his  dispensation  to  those 
who  survived. 

The  changes  which  have  been  wrought  on  this  continent 
within  a  century  and  a  half,  are  very  wonderful.  Cities  have 
appeared  where  the  wilderness  then  covered  the  ground, 
and  there  is  good  reason  to  believe  that  a  flourishing  town 
now  stands  on  or  near  the  spot  where  Conanchet  met  his 
death.  But,  notwithstanding  so  much  activity  lias  pre- 
vailed in  the  country,  the  valley  of  this  legend  remains 
but  little  altered.  The  hamlet  has  increased  to  a  village  ; 
the  farms  possess  more  of  the  air  of  cultivation  ;  the 
-dwellings  are  enlarged,  and  are  somewhat  more  commodi- 
ous ;  the  churches  are  increased  to  three  ;  the  garrisoned 
houses,  and  all  other  signs  of  apprehension  from  violence, 
have  long  since  disappeared  ;  but  still  the  place  is  seclud- 
ed, little  known,  and  strongly  impressed  with  the  marks 
of  its  original  sylvan  character. 

A  descendant  of  Mark  and  Martha  is,  at  this  hour,  the 
proprietor  of  the  estate  on  which  so  many  of  the  moving 
incidents  of  our  simple  tale  were  enacted.  Even  the  build- 
ing, which  was  the  second  habitation  of  his  ancestors,  is  in 
part  standing,  though  additions  and  improvements  have 
greatly  changed  its  form.  The  orchards,  which  in  1675, 
were  young  and  thrifty,  are  now  old  and  decaying.  The 
trees  have  yielded  their  character  for  excellence,  to  those 
varieties  of  the  fruit  which  the  soil  and  the  climate  have 
since  made  known  to  the  inhabitants.  Still  they  stand,  for 
it  is  known  that  fearful  scenes  occurred  beneath  their 
shades,  and  there  is  a  deep  moral  interest  attached  to  their 
existence. 

The  ruins  of  the  block-house,  though  much  dilapidated 
and  crumbling,  are  also  visible.  At  their  foot  is  the  last 
abode  of  all  the  Heathcotes  who  have  lived  and  died  in 


THE  WEPT   OF  WISH-TON-WISH.  361 

that  vicinity,  for  near  two  centuries.  The  graves  of  those 
of  later  times  are  known  by  tablets  of  marble  ;  but  nearer 
to  the  ruin  are  many,  whose  monuments,  half-concealed  in 
the  grass,  are  cut  in  the  common  coarse  freestone  of  the 
country. 

One,  who  took  an  interest  in  the  recollection  of  days 
long  gone,  had  occasion  a  few  years  since  to  visit  the  spot. 
It  was  easy  to  trace  the  births  and  deaths  of  generations, 
by  the  visible  records  on  the  more  pretending  monuments 
of  those  interred  within  a  hundred  years.  Beyond  that 
period  research  became  difficult  and  painful.  But  his  zeal 
was  not  to  be  easily  defeated. 

To  every  little  mound,  one  only  excepted,  there  was  a 
stone,  and  on  each  stone,  illegible  as  it  might  be,  there 
was  an  inscription.  The  undistinguished  grave,  it  was  pre- 
sumed, by  its  size  and  its  position,  was  that  which  con- 
tained the  bones  of  those  who  fell  in  the  night  of  the 
burning.  There  was  another,  which  bore,  in  deep  letters, 
the  name  of  the  Puritan.  His  death  occurred  in  1680.  At 
its  side  there  was  an  humble  stone,  on  which,  with  great 
difficulty,  was  traced  the  single  word  "Submission."  It 
was  impossible  to  ascertain  whether  the  _date  was  1680, 
or  1690.  The  same  mystery  remained  about  the  death  of 
this  man  as  had  clouded  so  much  of  his  life.  His  real 
name,  parentage,  or  character,  further  than  they  have  been 
revealed  in  these  pages,  was  never  traced.  There  still  re- 
mains, however,  in  the  family  of  the  Heathcotes,  an  order- 
ly-book of  a  troop  of  horse,  which  tradition  says  had  some 
connection  with  his  fortunes.  Affixed  to  this  defaced  and 
imperfect  document,  is  a  fragment  of  some  diary  or  jour- 
nal, which  has  reference  to  the  condemnation  of  Charles  I. 
to  the  scaffold. 

The  body  of  Content  lay  near  his  infant  children,  and  it 
would  seem  that  he  still  lived  in  the  first  quarter  of  the 
last  century.  There  was  an  aged  man,  lately  in  existence, 
who  remembers  to  have  seen  him,  a  white-headed  patri- 
arch, reverend  by  his  years,  and  respected  for  his  meek- 
ness and  justice.  He  had  passed  nearly  or  quite  half-a- 
century  unmarried.  This  melancholy  fact  was  sufficiently 
shown  by  the  date  on  the  stone  of  the  nearest  mound. 
The  inscription  denoted  it  to  be  the  grave  of  "Ruth, 
daughter  of  George  Harding  of  the  Colony  of  Massachu- 
setts Bay,  and  wife  of  Captain  Content  Heathcote."  She 
died  in  the  autumn  of  1675,  with,  as  the  stone  reveals, 
"  a  spirit  broken  for  the  purposes  of  earth,  by  much  family 


362  THE   WEPT   OF  WISH-TON- WISH. 

affliction,  though  with  hopes  justified  by  the  covenant,  and 
her  faith  in  the  Lord." 

The  divine,  who  lately  officiated,  if  he  do  not  now  offici- 
ate, in  the  principal  church  of  the  village,  is  called  the  Rev- 
erend Meek  Lamb.  Though  claiming  a  descent  from  him 
who  ministered  in  the  temple  at  the  period  of  our  tale, 
time  and  intermarriages  have  produced  this  change  in  the 
name,  and  happily  some  others  in  doctrinal  interpretations 
of  duty.  When  this  worthy  servant  of  the  Church  found 
the  object  which  had  led  one  born  in  another  state,  and 
claiming  descent  frorn  a  line  of  religionists  who  had  left 
the  common  country  of  their  ancestors  to  worship  in  still 
another  manner,  to  take  an  interest  in  the  fortunes  of  those 
who  first  inhabited  the  valley,  he  found  a  pleasure  in  aid- 
ing the  inquiries.  The  abodes  of  the  Dudleys  and  Rings 
were  numerous  in  the  village  and  its  environs.  He  showed 
a  stone,  surrounded  by  many  others  that  bore  these  names, 
on  which  was  rudely  carved,  "  I  am  Nipset,  a  Narragansett ; 
the  next  snow,  I  shall  be  a  warrior  !  "  There  is  a  rumor, 
that  though  the  hapless  brother  of  Faith  gradually  re- 
turned to  the  ways  of  civilized  life,  he  had  frequent 
glimpses  of  those  seducing  pleasures  which  he  had  once 
enjoyed  in  the  freedom  of  the  woods. 

Whilst  wandering  through  these  melancholy  remains  of 
former  scenes,  a  question  was  put  to  the  divine  concerning 
the  place  where  Conanchet  was  interred.  He  readily  of- 
fered to  show  it.  The  grave  was  on  the  hill,  and  distin- 
guished only  by  a  headstone  that  the  grass  had  concealed 
from  former  search.  It  merely  bore  the  words — "  The  Nar- 
ragansett." 

"  And  this  at  its  side  ?"  asked  the  inquirer.  "  Here  is 
one  also,  before  unnoted." 

The  divine  bent  in  the  grass,  and  scraped  the  moss  from 
the  humble  monument.  He  then  pointed  to  a  line,  carved 
with  more  than  usual  care.  The  inscription  simply  said— 


"Tns   WEPT   OF   Wisn-ToN-WisH.' 


NRLF 


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